Meet Lydia Thompson

Lydia in Canyonlands, where she spent as many weekends as possible growing up in nearby SW Colorado.

 

We are excited to welcome Lydia Thompson to Green River for the next six weeks as an intern! She will be working on many projects during her time, including the Frontier Fellowship, a lunar eclipse event, and much more.

 

Epicenter: Where are you from and where do you now live?

Lydia: Colorado! I lived in the teeny tiny town of Silverton till I was 7, then slightly bigger Paonia, and then went to high school in Durango. I took a year after high school to travel, and now I’m in my second year at Bennington College in rural, southern Vermont.

E: What is Field Work Term?

L: Every year, Bennington students spend 6 weeks off-campus doing internships. The idea is to get “real-life” experience in your areas of interest (and hopefully escape freezing Vermont winters). These short terms become the four cornerstones of self-designed curriculums; I am focusing on visual arts and social practice. This time last year, I was in Rome, working with an American urbanist to develop sustainable alternatives to commercial tourism. And eating a lot of incredible food.

 

Lydia’s ceramic piece from 2016 called “Psychogeology”

 

E: Why Epicenter?

L: Despite never having actually stopped in Green River, it felt familiar. It reminded me of the rural towns I grew up in and have visited throughout the Four Corners region, with dramatic landscapes, unsustainable tourism, and remnants of past booms and busts. The region and people and red mud have a strong grip on my ankles–I always find myself wanting to return and then being hindered by minimal social, cultural, and economic opportunity for a gal like me. So Epicenter is crazy exciting in that it works for the things I love about the rural southwest without exploiting them, and has created such an amazing network of pride and support for small towns.

E: How do you spend your free time?

L: In the winter, I go on lots of long drives, put too much thought into my Spotify playlists, and play cards. Currently dreaming of summertime and going camping, cliff jumping, and eating Colorado peaches till I explode.

E: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

L: Flying, hands down.


Welcome to Green River, Lydia!