Connect with the place that matters to you. Coming soon to a nature park near you – Cooper Mountain Nature Park to be exact – Portland filmmaker Matt McCormick puts a wrap on the Know Your Place summer event series hosted by Metro’s Natural Areas Program and Oregon Humanities. And yes, you can still be part of the action from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.
McCormick will guide participants through discussions and photo-taking expeditions focusing on astute observation. Drawing on his background in making visually striking documentaries about Portland and the Pacific Northwest, McCormick will describe his creative process and show how thinking cinematically can yield deeper experiences with place. McCormick will also premiere a short video he produced about Cooper Mountain.
This will be the third and final series event of the summer. In July at Graham Oaks Nature Park in Wilsonville, nature writers Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney explored the way that names of landscape features – their histories, stories and meanings – help people connect with and understand the places that matter to them.
In August, participants heard from interdisciplinary artist Linda K. Johnson at the newly purchased Scouter Mountain Natural Area in Happy Valley. Johnson led participants in engaging with the natural environment through walking, stillness, writing and observation. Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette was one of those participating.
"I think it’s a great partnership for Metro to be working with local artists to emphasize the humanities and experience these places in a different way," Collette said. "I think Linda K. is just remarkable at being able to explain how she interacts with the space and then getting everyone around her to also interact with the space. So it was a wonderful experience."
The Sept. 24 event at Cooper Mountain is free, but registration is required. Participants need to bring a notebook, pen and camera. Comfortable shoes are recommended.