Information — Outer Echoes

Season One: Mission Statement

Outer Echoes is devoted to restoring our cherished family land into a place where art, community, and nature converge. We are creating a space for artists, rooted in communal gatherings that inspire unity and innovation. At our core, we embody ecological stewardship and self-sufficiency while cultivating a food forest and honoring the traditions of fishing, hunting, and wilderness survival that connect us to the land’s rhythms. Through our lending library, we nurture intellectual and artistic exploration for all. In our inaugural season, Outer Echoes celebrates the harmony of nature and creativity, forging enduring connections and inspiring works that resonate with the world around us.

Our advisors include Reggie Watts, David Liu, Mark Allen, Barry Threw, and Janna Avner.

History

Founder Kate Parsons grew up in a remote area of rural Montana, an only child and an artist from an early age. Since 2018, she has been looking for ways to bring her experience growing up off-grid to others while simultaneously restoring the land. For more on Kate’s background, visit kateparsons.art and primal-u.live.

Why Residencies?

A residency provides artists with a dedicated space and time to create art, away from the distractions of their everyday lives. It allows them to focus on their craft, experiment with new techniques and ideas, and also provides access to resources and facilities that artists may not have at home. Additionally, our goals are to offer networking, professional development, and the opportunity for cultural exchange.

Outer Echoes: Progress in Season One

We began our programming in 2020 with an initial test run with filmmakers Rug & Vase. We continued to run virtual programming while our land was in the restoration phase, and we are eager to plan even more IRL programming in 2025.

July 2020:
Initial test with filmmakers Rug & Vase (Mustafa Rony Zeno and D.S. Chun) using the Cabin at Stickney Creek.

August 2021:
Clean-up at Novak Creek Lane begins. Old vehicles, bags of trash, and mobile homes begin to be removed from the property.

August 2021:
Primal U and Outer Echoes: Mindfulness, Sustainability, Survival, Creative Praxis 3 Day Workshop at Camp Laverne, Angeles Oaks, CA.

January 2022:
Ten acres at Novak Creek Lane purchased from the Parsons Estate.
OE works with Corrina Peipon of Continuous Project, a Los Angeles organization that gives guidance to arts workers.
OE participates in TAAS’s Art and the Agripocene course taught by Futurefarmers’ Amy Franceschini.

March 2022:
Guest Artist and Lecture: Kate Parsons and Outer Echoes. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

April 2023:
Artist Lecture Series: Primal U, Stickney Creek, Outer Echoes present: Richard Wheeler.

May 2023:
Podcast interview with Doomer Optimism/Rizoma Field School, Episode 143.
Website built with Cargo Collective.

June 2023:
Advisors Reggie Watts, Barry Threw, David Liu, Janna Avner and Mark Allen agree to give guidance.

July 2023:
First dry cabin is built at property. Cleanup continues.
Fundraising at Artizen.fund, landing in 5th place out of 100.

November 2023:
Fruit trees and shrubs planted in round one of food forest timeline, with support from Forde Nursery and Tilleraas Nursery of Great Falls, MT.

June 2024:
Outer Echoes AIR: Visiting Creative: Kurt Koller.
Shrubs planted to replace those that didn’t survive the 2023 winter.
Logo and branding created by Aaron Whitney Bjork, designer and professor at Art Center College of Design. Supported by a fellowship received by Pepperdine University.
Drone videography of OE acreage completed.

July 2024:
Photogrammetry of acreage completed.
Outer Echoes AIR: Visiting Creative: Jacob Vance.

September 2024:
Presenter, The Machine and Human Nature, The Wagon Box Inn, Story, WY.
OE participates in a Growth Planning 15-week course with Continuous Projects to further aid in setting goals.

October 2024:
Outdoor cookhouse, outhouse, and bathhouse built with the help of family members.

December 2024:
Monaspace Photogrammetry made public online for virtual events.

January 2025:
Fiscal sponsorship obtained through Fractured Atlas: OE begins applying for grants at Teiger, NEA, and more.
OE can now accept tax-deductible donations: Contact us to donate or donate crypto via Juicebox.

June 2025:
Filming at Doomer Optimism: The Machine and Human Nature, The Wagon Box Inn, Story, WY. Fundraising begins to help with debt and expansion. Building of studio space to begin.

Coming Soon:
Residency with artists Rick Silva and Isabel Beavers
Virtual residency: Speculative Survival Shelters (Artists TBA)
Cascade County Community Forest: planting on site
Guest Artists (invitation only), fly-fishing w/local guide
Dublab/Lookout FM Collab - Mountain Sounds
Guest Artists (by application), fly-fishing w/local guide
LA Fundraiser with Reggie Watts

Outer Echoes [Speculative] Programming

For a sense of the type of programming that we would like to host once our infrastructure and funding are solidified.

Gary Cooper Movie Night: First Saturday/Month: Partnership with The Gary Cooper Estate
Aerobic Butter and Anerobic Bread: A Machine Project Reprise
Lots of Knots - Knot-tying and Lacanian Knot Theory: A Machine Project Reprise
They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They: Canoe Building and Photo Documentation with Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Plein Air Painting on the Missouri with Ron Ukrainetz
Canyon Culture: Wildcrafted Fermentation & Cocktails with Gultch Distillery
Novak Station: A sound project transmitting the hidden activity within Novak Creek from dawn until sundown. As the sun warms the water each day, hydrophones record hidden sounds. Samples remixed by artists Daedelus, RYAT and Kid606 will be transmitted on our site.
Field Recordings - Broadcast Ag: Audio sampling from swathers, tractors, and hayrakes are used to create orginal compositions by guest artists and will be transmitted live on our site.

Friends & Neighbors:

People we love and look to for inspiration, and those who are integral to community building efforts.

Active Cultures
AirSeven
Anderson Ranch
Archie Bray Foundation
Art Center College of Design
Brackett Creek Exhibitions
Tony Bynum
Center for Land Use and Interpretation
Coaxial Arts Foundation
Cursor Mag
Doomer Optimism
dublab
Fulcrum Arts
Future Architects
High Desert Test Sites
Holter Art Museum
Machine Project
Mountain Time Arts
Outside Bozeman
Pepperdine University
Rizoma Field School
Salmon Creek Farms
School of Art & Architecture: Montana State University
Signature Montana
Sitka Art Center for Art and Ecology
Supercollider
Tippet Rise
Wavefarm
Wevr

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