Learning from the Cloud Forest- Costa Rica
Field School combining art, the cloud forest and sustainability in Costa Rica.
About the program
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Concordia International are pleased to offer Learning from the Cloud Rainforest, an interdisciplinary, mixed-level (BFA and MFA), 3-credit course located at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica, a non-for-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting social, ecological and economic sustainability. Located at the edge of one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica—home to 6% of the world’s biodiversity—the focus of this course is on learning from the rainforest. Through guided field work, readings, workshops, research assignments, and collaborative projects, students will learn about sustainability, aesthetics and creativity in ecosystems.
Students will participate in a community public art project as well as hands-on workshops offered by renowned natural scientists on topics such as colour in tropical plants, mimicry, the role of sound at night in the forest, natural dyes, permaculture and bioconstruction.
Discover how art, the cloud forest, and community come together in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Learning from the Cloud Rainforest Field School is designed and led by Juan Ortiz-Apuy, Assistant Professor, Critical Perspectives on Inclusion in 3D Art Practices, in Studio Arts.
Host Institution
Founded in 1986 and located at the edge of the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest, the Monteverde Institute is a non-for-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting social, ecological and economic sustainability by integrating community initiatives with education, research and conservation. Its unique campus provides space for academic and community partners to learn, teach, gather, reflect, and create. The campus is comprised of classroom of different sizes, an auditorium with capacity for 100 people, and The John and Doris Campbell Library. The Campbell Library supports local and international scholarship and serves as a physical and digital repository of research on the cloud forest. Remodeled and re-equipped in 2015, the Institute’s laboratory has incubators, freezers, drying racks, micro/stereoscopes, scales, and other standard lab equipment. The lab also boasts a state-of-the-art weather station where data is downloaded daily and provided to researchers upon request.
Sustainable Campus
The campus infrastructure incorporates the best building practices for sustainability in a tropical climate, including treatment of grey water and rainwater, use of biodegradable products in the kitchens and restrooms, use of high efficacy and available lighting, composting and recycling. Behind the buildings, the rest of the 32-acre campus consists of hundreds of acres of lush, protected cloud forest.
Dates & courses
Dates: June 22, 2025 - July 1st, 2025
Undergraduate Course: FAFS 398
Graduate Course: FFAS 660, FFAS 860-BL
Estimated cost
Program fee: Concordia will charge program participants for 3 credits of undergraduate tuition and a program fee of 3,550 $CDN to cover
Please note that the program fee includes all meals (except for 1 day), accommodation, ground transportation and participation in all workshops and guided tours, including:
- Hikes in the Monteverde Cloud Forest with local naturalist guides
- Learning about Epiphytes Plants, led by Nalini Nadkarni
- Permaculture with a focus on Art and Design
- Native Plant Walks, led by Willow Zuchowski
- Natural Textile Dyes, led Paula Nijamkin
- Community Public Art Projects, led by Juan Ortiz-Apuy
- Bioconstruction, led by Lynx Guimond
- Forest Therapy, led by Gimena Chaves
- Rainforest Night Walks, led by Mark Wainwright
- Readings, Screenings and Group Discussions, led by Juan Ortiz-Apuy
Available Funding
Peter N. Thomson Family Field School Award
The Faculty of Fine Arts invites applications for the Peter N. Thomson Family Field School Awards. The Award offers an amount of $1,300 for thirty (30) eligible Fine Arts undergraduate or graduate students accepted to a Field School hosted by the Faculty of Fine Arts. Please consult the Peter N. Thomson Field School Award webpage for application instructions.
Quebec Mobility Bursary
To help with the costs of going abroad, Concordia offers a $750 CAD Quebec Mobility Bursary to students.
To qualify, you must be a Concordia student enrolled in a Concordia Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral degree program and approved to participate in the field school.
Important to note:
Field school applicants do not need to submit a bursary application as it is part of the on-line field school application, and you will automatically be considered for the Quebec Mobility bursary.
The bursary will be applied to student accounts. Details on the payment of the bursary will be sent to successful field school applicants.
Contact Concordia International if you have any questions on your eligibility for funding.
Accommodations
Students will have accommodation at Hotel Los Jardines de Monteverde. The hotel is an eco-friendly family business with deep ties to the local community. Accommodation is shared 2-person rooms. All meals are included in the price of the field school with the exemption of one day reserved for independent activities.
Application process
To be eligible to participate in the field school, you must meet one of the following criteria.
- Be enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program, with a minimum 2.7 cumulative culmative GPA (CGPA) and have completed at least 24 credits toward your current degree program by the time you leave for the program.
- Be enrolled in a Master’s degree program, with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (CGPA) and have completed at least 9 credits toward your current degree program by the departure date.
- Be enrolled in PhD degree program, have a 3.7 cumulative GPA (CGPA) and have completed at least 9 credits toward your current degree program by the departure date.
All students interested in applying to this program must attend an information session given by Concordia International.
Date: January 28, 2025
Time: 10:30 am
Submit the Concordia Field School Abroad Application by the application deadline of February 14, 2025. The application can be accessed through the Concordia International CSEP Mobility Portal.
Your application must also include:
- A copy of your most recent unofficial Concordia transcript.
- A letter of intent of 500-750 words describing why you wish to participate in the Learning from the Cloud Rainforest Field School and the kind of work you hope to accomplish while there. You should also make mention of what strengths or contributions you think you will bring to the group.
- Concordia admissions decisions will be communicated by email after the application deadline.
- Final admissions decisions will be made by the program director Prof. Juan Ortiz-Apuy
- Students admitted to the program will have to make a non-refundable $750 deposit to Student Accounts by March 19 2025. Please be aware, however, that any deposit you make will first be applied to any outstanding balances you owe to Concordia.
- Students admitted to the program will have to attend a mandatory pre-departure meeting TBC
All information on this website is subject to change without notice; the program is subject to a minimum enrollment of 16 students to take place; and it may be cancelled at any time and for any reason.