The Academy and Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton: The Life and Legacy of an Artist and Conservationist
by David L. Witt (Academy's curator of the Seton collection)

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When the Academy purchased the historic Seton property, it instituted an alliance with the legacy of a man who was not only one of this country’s leading conservationists and artists, but also the inspired creator of groundbreaking educational programs for, and in service of, young people.

Seton devoted his life to raising awareness of the impact that human beings have on the environment, and awakening young people to the natural world as an enduring source of learning and inspiration, to be respected and well-tended, not consumed and destroyed.

More than 60 years after Seton’s death, the planet faces ever more dire threats and it is clear that in order to effect large-scale environmental change we must evolve our inner capacities and consciousness. If we value the potential in human life, and the well-being of the whole complex system of our planet, then we can no longer afford to squander ourselves and exploit our extraordinary gifts of intelligence and self-expression in the ways we have been doing.

The Academy’s work is to bring people’s innate resources for learning, transformation, and personal leadership to full awareness and into action. Our programs and services focus on conserving and cultivating the human capacities and resources that are innate to us all, giving us the ability to change and evolve.

The Academy is developing the Seton property as a center for learning and personal leadership. The new center will offer a curriculum of workshops and seminars focusing on renewal and cultivation of wholeness for teachers, administrators and others working with children, as well as leaders in social benefit organizations. The Center will also host local and national conferences in relation to cultural and environmental renewal.

In addition to the programs, the Academy will provide the public, for the first time, with the opportunity to view and study the portion of Seton’s collection that remains on the property. The Center will offer an important adjunct to the Seton Collection maintained at the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico, and other parts of his collection, presently at New York’s Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian, and the Library of Congress.

Who Was Ernest Thompson Seton?

Artist, author, scientist and conservationist, Ernest Thompson Seton is acknowledged, along with Bartram, Audubon, Burroughs and Muir, as one of America’s most influential naturalists. A prolific writer, Seton authored more than 40 books, including short stories and major scienticfic works. Seton was the leading wildlife artist of his time completing thousands of drawings and paintings. His book Wild Animals I Have Known has been continuously in print since it was first published in 1898. His teachings, writings and illustrations have informed generations about natural history and he is credited with being a seminal figure in the emergence of the American conservation movement of the early 20th century.

Seton was born in England in 1860, moved to Canada with his family when he was six, and eventually settled in the United States as an adult. As a young man he immersed himself in the study of the natural world and first peoples, eventually training himself as a naturalist, skilled in wilderness lore and survival. Schooled in fine art, Seton became a prolific writer and illustrator, documenting his observations and his adventures.

Throughout his life Seton was committed to educating people about nature and the environmental consciousness and skills of Native Americans. He worked to instill an appreciation of nature and a deeper understanding of the natural world in America’s youth at a time when the frontiers of the nation had been closed, the nation was rapidly industrializing, and the contents of its vast wilderness regions were finally recognized as finite rather than inexhaustible resources. Seton was co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America and author of the first Boy Scout Handbook. In addition, he founded the Woodcraft League, which has had an influence on the lives of young people worldwide. The code of ethics he formulated for that organization has informed generations of individuals as they trained to the highest standards of woodcraft, human development and service.

Seton conceived the idea for ‘an academy of outdoor-life’ in 1930, shortly after he moved to Santa Fe, NM. He designed the Castle at the heart of his 2,500-acre ranch in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and it served as his residence until his death in 1946. At that time the property included a museum, library, art gallery and lecture hall for the small community of Seton Village that developed as friends and colleagues settled on the original property.

Other web sites for Ernest Thompson Seton:

For the lastest postings regarding Seton: www.blueskiestoday.blogspot.com
A source for Seton history and contacts: www.etsetoninstitute.org