Cole Barash: Nature As Studio Practice
4-day seminar
When: Friday, May 1 to Monday, May 4
Ages: 18+
Cost: $2,500 per person
This course is application-based; submissions are due Friday, April 6, 2026
Please read the details below for more information on application requirements
Strata Editions
18 Business Park Road
Unit 1C
Livingston, MT 59047
Description
This workshop at Strata Editions will focus on developing a rigorous and sustainable studio practice, with particular attention to the evolution of a body of work toward publication. Through a series of structured exercises, participants will engage writing, research, editing, sequencing, archiving, and material experimentation as interconnected parts of a long-term artistic practice.
Each of the eight participants will be given dedicated wall and floor space to physically map, sequence, and test their work in both two- and three-dimensional forms. The emphasis will be on material thinking: how images function in relation to one another, how narrative or conceptual threads emerge through juxtaposition, and how work shifts when translated from individual photographs into a cohesive publication or exhibition format.
Through presentations and group discussions, we will examine artists whose practices engage landscape, environment, labor, and community — paying particular attention to how these themes have been articulated through strong editorial structure and thoughtful sequencing. We will consider how a project evolves from research to edit, from edit to dummy, and from dummy to publication.
A highlight of the workshop will be field research with Montana Freshwater Partners, a conservation nonprofit that implements high-quality stream and wetland restoration projects across the state of Montana, working closely with landowners, agencies, and partners to restore natural hydrology, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect healthy aquatic ecosystems. Participants will join guided excursions to observe landscapes undergoing ecological restoration, to learn about watershed-based conservation practice, and to engage directly with living environments that inform impactful work about land, water, and community.
Participants will be asked to bring a substantial range of material: work from multiple projects or deep selections from their archive. Small working prints (4 × 6 inches) are encouraged for flexibility in sequencing, with select larger files available for on-site printing up to 11 x 14 inches. The goal is to create an environment of active editing — moving images, testing structures, identifying gaps, and refining intention.
Core questions guiding the workshop will include:
- What is this body of work truly saying?
- Where does the personal voice sit within the broader social, ecological, or political framework?
- What larger questions does the work activate?
- How do environment, community, land, water, and self become structurally intertwined within the edit?
In keeping with Strata Editions’ commitment to material inquiry and publishing, participants will experiment with incorporating found elements, research ephemera, text fragments, and alternative substrates into their work. A materials fee will cover shared studio resources, including papers and binding materials to facilitate mockups, folded forms, and experimental dummies.
Field research and site visits will support the conceptual expansion of each project, encouraging participants to consider landscape and place not only as subject matter but as structural influence.
Each participant will present their work in group critique and receive one-on-one feedback sessions. The workshop will culminate in the creation of a small publication maquette or working dummy — either individual or collaborative — serving as a tangible articulation of the week’s development and a foundation for future refinement with Strata Editions.
Fee
This four-day course costs $2,500 USD.
A 50% deposit is required upon acceptance to secure your spot, with the balance due by Friday, April 13, 2026.
Breakfast and lunch are provided.
Application
To apply, email us at will@strata-editions.com with the subject “Cole: Montana 2026” and include:
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20–30 photos of your work
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A brief project statement
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CV (optional)
Please use a file hosting service like WeTransfer or Dropbox to share your images. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline
Applications are open and must be submitted by Friday, April 6, 2025.
Selected participants will be notified on Thursday, April 12, 2026.
Schedule
First meeting: Friday, May 1st, 2026 (10am–6pm daily)
Location
This workshop will be held in Livingston, Montana, just north of Paradise Valley and Yellowstone National Park. Course sessions will take place at Strata Editions’ project space, with excursions into the nearby wilderness for fieldwork and dedicated photography time.
Please note that the closest major airport to Livingston is Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is approximately 35 miles away. We will help to coordinate carpooling among attendees.
Your Instructor
Cole Barash (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans photography (analog, digital, archival), sculpture, and film. His portraiture and still-life works are distinguished by an organic, spontaneous intimacy that captures moments of quiet yet profound connection. Barash's artistic inquiry revolves around the interplay of color and composition between objects or temporal occurrences, often culminating in the creation of books or immersive installations. Drawing from a childhood immersed in natural landscapes, his work remains deeply influenced by nature—not only as a physical presence but as a dynamic force that shapes both form and perception.
Barash’s work has been exhibited globally, and his books are held in prominent public collections, including the Franklin Furnace Archive and the MoMA Manhattan Artists’ Books Collection. His photography has garnered widespread recognition, appearing in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Beyond Noise, DOUBLE, Office Mag, and Vogue, among others.