The Wellspring Project

Connecting Fruita Youth to Art & the Environment

By Todd Pernsteiner, Pernsteiner Creative Group

For the past two summers, the Wellspring Project in Fruita has offered middle school students a five-day summer intensive that would address the complexities of the Colorado River and provide an opportunity to respond artistically to that experience. Through field experiences, an overnight river trip, and interactions with stakeholders interested in how the Colorado River is allocated and protected, students have engaged in a myriad of opportunities and learned more about this valuable resource.

The Wellspring Project came to fruition after Fruita Arts and Culture Board member Marian Heesaker discovered that Arts in Society, a grant program from the Redline Contemporary Art Center in Denver, was looking to fund art-related projects that promoted social justice and community welfare. Heesaker and the Arts and Culture Board submitted a grant application and were awarded $20,000 for the project. “Water issues in the west have become such a big social issue,” said Heesaker. “Fruita has a large farm, ranch, and agriculture presence which the Colorado River runs through. By engaging youth in this type of project, we hoped to build a foundation of heightened awareness and create a wellspring of ideas and conversations that will carry on the important work that will be needed to care for and preserve one of our very foundations of life.”

With the Arts in Society grant, the Arts and Culture Board developed a weeklong camp specifically for middle school students that would address water usage. “They don’t drive, they’re not too cool for a camp, and are a generation who may face the most consequential scenarios based around water – major drops in the reservoir,” Heesaker explained about the camper age demographic. “They need to have a seat at the table to recognize we need to care for the river and find ways to manage climate change, adapt agricultural practices, enact wildfire prevention methods, protect four species of fish that are endangered, and prevent invasive species.” In their first summer camp (summer of 2021), the Wellspring Project had 13 students participate from Fruita and the Lower Valley. In the first two days of the camp, Heesaker and Tom Casal, Fruita

Parks & Recreation recreation superintendent, took the campers on field tours to learn about the canal system, local farms, water management, and water rights. Days three and four included an overnight rafting trip led by Colorado Canyons Association on the Ruby Horsethief section of the Colorado River. During the week, the students journaled, participated in activities, and collected river rock with a geologist that they later used to create sculptures to depict the canyon. The camp also included working on art projects with instructor Pavia Justinian, a Colorado painter and sculptor. At the end of the week, the students created two 75’ murals that represented what they did over the entire week. In the second year (2022), 16 middle school students took part in the camp. RiversEdge West, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the restoration of riparian lands through collaboration, education, and technical assistance, took over the project with assistance from Heesaker and the Fruita Arts & Culture Board. Colorado artist and art instructor for Fruita Parks and Recreation program, Andrea Stolarczyk, took over as art director in year two. Stolarczyk was incredibly impressed by the growth of all the campers. “Middle School students are at a fragile age, they’re quiet, don’t feel connected to each other very much,” she said. “After a week of being exposed to a variety of people and interests, they’ve discovered a passion for how they can be of service to the cause. They have an opinion. They have a spark. They can articulate how they want to help. They want to tell other people what they learned.”

In the 2022 summer camp, students were each given an art journal to work on as the week went on. They were also given a 12x12 wooden panel to create part

of a larger a larger mural. Each student was given a reference photo and could use whatever artistic medium they’d like to create their section. In the end, the mural pieces were put together to create a cohesive image – the Colorado River. The mural is on display at the RiversEdge office in Grand Junction. “The Wellspring Project has been a great opportunity for the City of Fruita to partner on. It focuses on issues happening now and helps tomorrow’s leaders get invested in their future,” said Casal. “It’s been rewarding to see how excited and engaged our young people have been in this weeklong endeavor. The project has established solid roots and should continue to grow each year. I can’t wait to see where it goes.” The first year of the Wellspring Project was coordinated by the Fruita Arts & Culture Board with the City of Fruita Parks & Recreation being the sponsor. Parks & Recreation helped support and market the project, provided classroom space and transportation on the 2-day trip. In year two, the Wellspring Project was coordinated by RiversEdge West, in partnership with the City of Fruita Arts and Culture Board, Colorado Canyons Association, and local volunteers. Funding is provided by RiversEdge West, the Western Colorado Community Foundation, and Xcel Energy.