ART & EDUCATIONAL FACILITY IN NEPAL
The Denali Foundation, in partnership with the Saraf Foundation, has recently completed the development of an art & educational facility in Nepal, Sagarmatha Next Facility & Sustainable Park, benefiting the global community. The facility will empower the Foundation to further its mission by sending international artists to Nepal to partake in a 6-week all expenses paid residence, allowing the artists to be artistically inspired while also creating curricula combining art, adventure, and the upcycling of waste for ecological sustainability. The curriculum will be used for the resident to teach local students from the neighboring Namche and Kumjung schools throughout their residency program.
Learn more about our Artist-in-Residence Program.
Research In Nepal
In 2016, a team from the Denali Foundation gathered in Kathmandu and began a journey to a small village high in the Makalu Region of Nepal to do research on a potential building. The video on the right is a short recap of their trip following the trip to Num, in the Makalu Region. The Denali Foundation board determined that their efforts were better served in the Namche community. Following the research trip, the Denali Foundation decided to enter a partnership with the Saraf Foundation as they began construction on the Sagarmatha Next Facility.
In 2019, following the ground work construction of the facility, board member and renowned artist Graydon Parrish traveled with Foundation founder Sequoia Schmidt to assess and give input on the facility’s development. Graydon Parrish gave expert advice on the construction of the workshop space for artists, incorporating things like natural lighting. During their trip, the two board members also taught classes in the Namche and Kumjung schools, allowing the Foundation to develop a relationship with the principals and faculty in the local community. This relationship and curriculum will serve as the foundation for the artist-in-residence program.
Sagarmatha Next Facility
The Sagarmatha Next Facility’s mission is to create a sustainable ecosystem that links economic development for the local community with environmentally-conscious tourism. By incorporating art, the Sagarmatha Next Facility not only provides a platform for the artist-in-residence to develop new ways of using recyclable materials, but moreover, it allows local residents and the community to use waste to create artistic souvenirs made in the facility’s workshop and sold in the gift shop. The 30,000 tourists that travel through the Namche village annually on their way to Mt. Everest base camp will be able to purchase souvenirs such as bracelets and earrings, created by recyclable materials from waste left in the region and transformed into artistic creations.
Through the artist-in-residence program, artists have the opportunity to live in the Himalayan Mountains and see the unique culture of Nepal while simultaneously giving back to the community by teaching art and providing supplies in the local schools.
In all, the Sagarmatha Next Facility is an exciting endeavor and an opportunity to bring together the worlds of sustainability, adventure, and art.
For more information on the Sagarmatha Next Facility, please visit: https://sagarmathanext.com/about-us/