From Burn to Bloom

Saturday August 19, 2023

Odell Brewing
800 East Lincoln Ave.
Fort Collins, CO

From Burn to Bloom is a public art+science event hosted by The Geospatial Centroid and the Radical Open Science Syndicate at Colorado State University and sponsored by the Intermountain West Transformation Network and WUI Productions.

In 2020, our community experienced the largest wildfires in Colorado history. Since then, researchers at CSU have been working hard to understand how these high-elevation fires have impacted our ecosystems. To share this research with the public, we are inviting artists across disciplines to co-create hands-on stations for learning and making.

While wildfire is inherently destructive, post-fire ecology holds valuable lessons about hope, resilience, and recovery. From Burn to Bloom will combine the emotional power of art and artmaking with the educational power of scientific research to explore these themes.

From Burn to Bloom will be a fun and interactive community event with playful art and science activities, hopeful community reflection, and all-ages education. Get inspired by the ways nature repairs after fire and reflect on building more resilient landscapes–and mindsets–in the face of an ever-changing climate. 

• Paint algal bloom watercolors + learn how fire affects our water quality 
• Make rainbow trout block prints + learn how fire influences fish and bugs 
• Create an aspen cyanotype + learn how they protect the forest from fire 
• Craft a river resiliency bracelet + learn about post-fire stream response 
• Write a love letter to the forest on seed paper + learn about post-fire flowers  
• Paint a collective mural + learn about post-fire soil health
• Play in a (simulated) beaver pond + learn how beavers strengthen post-fire landscape 
• Make a community tile mosaic + learn about what plants grow after fire  
• Take a selfie with Smokey Bear + learn about how you can mitigate wildfire

RSVP

From Burn to Bloom has an incredible roster of participating Colorado scientists, artists and community organizations! We are so lucky to have so many brilliant minds convening for this truly transdisciplinary outreach event.

Participants:

Dr. Sara Rathburn, Fluvial Geomorphology, CSU
Tony Vorster, Research Scientist, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, CSU
Sam Struthers, Field Coordinator, Radical Open Science Syndicate
Fred Cheng, Post-Doctoral Researcher, CSU
Cristyn Hypnar, Local Artist and Graphic Designer
Dr. Yoichiro Kanno, Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, CSU
Dr. Dan Preston, Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, CSU
Maxwell Cook, Graduate Student, Geography, UC Boulder
Erika Osborne, Local Artist, Professor of Art and Art History, CSU
Daniel White, PhD Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering, CSU
Del Harrow, Local Artist, Professor of Sculpture and Ceramics, CSU
Dr. Camille Stevens-Rumann, CFRI, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, CSU
AJ Brown, Agronomist, Agricultural Water Quality, CSU

Participating Organizations:

Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
Colorado State Forest Service
The Geospatial Centroid
Radical Open Science Syndicate
Mountain Sentinels
Colorado Forest Restoration Institute
CSU Agriculture Water Quality Program
CSU Center for Atmospheric Science
CSU Center for Environmental Justice