ASTRONOMICAL features Vermont creatives considering different perspectives on the skies.
In this special eclipse-focused program, Claire Pascal draws on astrology, yoga, and witchcraft to reflect on the passage and energies of the moon. Writer Tina Escaja brings the astropoetry, reading from her award-winning bilingual edition, 13 lunas 13 / 13 moons 13, with her translator Kristin Dykstra. Astrophotographer Brian Drourr discusses his stunning night sky and eclipse images on display in BCA Center’s Lorraine B. Good room.
Astrophotographer and dark sky ambassador Brian Drourr captures the celestial beauty of the Greater New England night sky. Drourr is a fourth-generation photographer whose Vermont-based work is on display at Burlington City Arts from January 26 - May 11, 2024. Drourr not only showcases the region's stellar wonders but advocates for preserving our diminishing dark-sky areas. Visit Brian Drourr Photography on Instagram @darkskychaser.
Tina Escaja will present the bilingual edition of her book, 13 moons 13 / 13 lunas 13, which won 2023 International Latino Book Awards for both the Spanish poems and English translations by Kristin Dykstra. Escaja’s poems, fiction, and digital work have appeared in numerous collections and have been translated to a dozen languages. She is a writer, digital artist, and Distinguished Professor of Spanish and Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Vermont.
Claire Pascal is the Co-Executive Director of Sangha Studio, a nonprofit, donation-based yoga studio with multiple locations in the Burlington area. She is a 200-hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher. Pascal is also a green witch who has been practicing the art of witchcraft and magick for over a decade. Her presentation draws on experience with tarot, astrology, candle magick, herbology and animism.
Presented as part of Obscura BTV, the City of Burlington's official total solar eclipse.
Brian Drourr, Annular Eclipse #1, digital print
Obscura BTV is sponsored in part by Northfield Savings Bank, Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, Hilton Burlington Lake Champlain, Hotel Vermont, Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbor, and Hilton Garden Inn. Presenting Media Sponsor, WCAX. Media sponsor, Seven Days.
