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ALUMNI PROFILE
Dori Bergman
By Dori Bergman NOLS Grad What were some of your outdoor experi- Tell us more about your artwork, your ences when you were young? How did you inspiration, and what you hope your folfind NOLS? lowers and fans get from your work? My mom would take my sisters and me on mother-daughter trips, and we each got to choose whatever we wanted to do. I always chose camping in the Adirondacks because I loved the little toads and lizards. This sparked my lifelong love for the outdoors. I was 17 when I went on a NOLS course in Alaska, and right away I was hooked. This was followed by courses at NOLS Rocky Mountain and NOLS Pacific Northwest. I then went on to work for NOLS Northeast as an intern!
I paint about women in the outdoors, with a focus on mental health. I have a bachelor’s degree in Wilderness Therapy and a master’s in Outdoor Education, so you will see both of these carried over into my work. I have painted about empathy, connection, fear, failure, gratitude, vulnerability, self-compassion, perseverance, minimalism and more. I hope people feel something when they look at my artwork. Essentially, all of my paintings are inspired by NOLS and similar experiences What were the biggest takeaways from in the wilderness! A lot of my art appears on my site myoutdoorart.com. your time at NOLS? One of the biggest takeaways I got from What is your advice for artists looking to NOLS was the immense value in taking start or improve their outdoor-themed risks. I remember hunkering down on artwork? the Maclaren Glacier, getting lost in the Paint from your own experiences. I think Beartooths, and being pelted with giant that is where the magic happens! balls of hail in the Pasayten Wilderness. I remember thinking, “This is it: this is how Dori Bergman paints about women I am going to die.” But do you know what’s in the wilderness, with a focus funny? Those were the times when I felt on mental health and using the outdoors to help people. most alive. Another is the importance of community. On all three of my NOLS courses, I felt a sense of belonging that I’ve never experienced elsewhere. I also found unparalleled mentorship. One day, I would like to be a role model for others like so many were to me. And lastly, leadership. So many people believe they do not have what it takes to be a leader. But NOLS taught me that leadership is a set of skills that can be learned. It was on my last course that I truly began to feel like a leader.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is it: this is how I am going to die.’ But do you know what’s funny? Those were the times when I felt most alive.”
Dori’s paintings reflect women in the outdoors. Courtesy of Dori Bergman
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