Seeing the bigger picture is often the key to problem solving and building community. 

For 25 years, artist and educator Daniel Dancer has been helping children experience that perspective through his “Art For The Sky” projects — massive, collaborative works designed to be viewed from above while also raising awareness about climate change.

“One of the main things I try to leave with the kids is ‘Sky Site,” Dancer explained. “It’s about learning to see the world from above. That’s where our highest creative potential lives — in the big picture view. When we can look down and see how everything is connected and fits together, that’s when we can learn that our way of seeing the world is heading in the wrong direction.”

Dancer returned to the Roaring Fork Valley last week to work with Crystal River Elementary School students and staff on his latest piece: an aerial image of a ram, honoring the Roaring Fork High School mascot. The design, formed with black wood chips and colored denim, brought together more than 400 students, teachers and staff members.

“This project really aligned with our school goals this year,” Crystal River Elementary School Principal Kendall Reiley said. “It really made sense in terms of family connection, and bringing everyone together to do one project.”

To Dancer, the art isn’t just about collaboration — he sees it as an opportunity to “tell the story of the heating planet through art.”

“I’m always trying to tie it back to the climate crisis,” he said. “I put the current parts per million (PPM) of carbon in the atmosphere in each of my designs. You can see the number increasing through the years.

“It’s a way of telling the story of the heating planet through art. It’s at 427 PPM right now. The last time it was this high, there were no humans on the planet.”

According to Reiley, the project was the first all-school assembly and project at CRES since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We haven’t had an all school event or assembly since before COVID-19,” she said. “Different levels have gone to different performances and things like that, but bringing them all together in the gym on Friday was the first time that we’ve had all five grade levels in the same room since COVID-19.” 

The energy was palpable on Tuesday afternoon as the kids gathered on the front lawn of CRES — each class dressed in different colors to paint the picture. 

Dancer, who painted the ram just days after creating a skier at Aspen Elementary, said that being able to do a project in Carbondale was extra special. The outline of the ram he used to paint the live picture on the CRES lawn was a portrait he took of a ram just outside of the Glenwood Hot Springs. 

“Everything converges in such a beautiful way here,” he said. “Everyone is very outdoor oriented, and diverse. There is a strong art culture, and the mountains and skiing are hard to beat.”
For more information about Dancer and his work, visit artforthesky.com.