Imagine the Desert is dreaming…
Because if we want to repair our relationship with the desert, we must attune ourselves through body and consciousness to the frequencies of the desert, listening to the transmissions being broadcast, both near and far
Because the desert sometimes seems inaccessible and whether its by human device or through emotional and physical distance, we’ve separated ourselves from its beauty and its flora and fauna to such an extent that we’ve become estranged from the world around us
Because dreaming can be the bridge that restores and transforms our relationship with nature and our beloved desert
Dreaming is something we all share…
Whether knowingly or not, we all dream. Even if we cannot recall our dreams, they are part of the human journey, containing both universal and personal meaning-making throughout time. But dreams are not ours alone. These collective stories and individual myths arise too from the psyche of the earth in which we inhabit. We’ve seen our beloved fur family members dream, curled up on their favorite chair, dreaming of a chase, or of a favorite toy.
But what about the desert, the cottontail rabbits that roam your backyard, the hummingbirds in search of water, the creosote after a rain, or the coyote that wanders the arroyos. What do they dream?
This Dreaming Desert bridges our relationship to nature through dreams
Dreaming is a way to establish empathy. This Dreaming Desert seeks to discover the universal themes that emerge in our exploration and imagination of what the desert and all its elements are dreaming. We are often encouraged to connect with the natural world by walking, driving, or meandering through the boundaries we’ve created for nature in our modern world. Nature has become a place we go to or have to seek out. But in This Dreaming Desert we are curious about how we can break those boundaries and rectify our estrangement from the desert through actively identifying with nature, dialoguing and embodying what we imagine the natural world would share with us about its dreams and nightmares.
participate in this dreaming Desert
In-Person
There are many opportunities for you to participate in This Dreaming Desert during the months-long community project. Most activities will take place at the CATALYST Creative Collective art space, at select Art State Arizona festivals, and at an accessible location such as the Santa Cruz River Park. Become a co-creator in an artistic process where, as a community, we’ll give the desert a voice through dream exploration and creative embodiment practices to create a capsule of memory of our dreams and relationship to our place in the desert.
Events coming sooN
Desert Dream Poetry: Written & Spoken Word | Sept 26
Desert Dream Tales: Where Dreams & Fairy Tales Meet | Oct 31
Creative Art Experience & Dream Collection Station:
Fall Art in the Park | Nov 14-15
Dreaming the Desert in Collage
Creative Art Experience & Dream Collection Station:
Art on the Lake Festival | Jan 9
Dreaming Desert: A Sensory Dream Experience
and more!
Activities and events are free and all are welcome!
Not able to participate in-person? Check out the Virtual section on how to contribute to the project from afar.
Please revisit this page for additional events and art experiences as they become available.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Looking forward to meeting you and creating dreams together! I’m Delaney, an interdisciplinary artist and dreamwork practitioner. My work focuses on the intersection of imagination, creative embodiment, and dramatic play and uses dreams as the lens by which we deepen our relationship between ourselves, others, and the world around us. This Dreaming Desert arose from an earlier project called This Dreaming Earth, an idea that emerged from a dream about the natural world. In 2025, I had the opportunity to explore the idea with the community during a residency at the CATALYST. That experience showed me that the community was eager to do more creative dream exploration. I decided that the next project would focus solely on our beautiful desert here in Southern Arizona. Learn more about how I came to dreamwork, the inception of the Mythic Playhouse, and my experience in facilitating transformative community arts workshops.
audio soundscape excerpt
This Dreaming Desert Audio Soundscape excerpt is an example of what we can create with sound recordings from the desert and dreams. If the desert has come to you in a dream, record the dream and submit it to the Padlet under the Virtual section below. Maybe you enjoy the sounds of the birds or desert wildlife and you’ve made a recording on your phone. Submit that too. You contributions may be included or adapted for the final installation of This Dreaming Desert at the CATALYST next spring. Whether it’s poetry, spoken word, or a dream about the desert, all are welcome.
gallery
In this initial gallery of desert flora and fauna begin by selecting an image you’re drawn to. Spend time in quiet reflection with the image and bring an aspect of the image to your mind. This is the beginning of an active imagination we’ll undertake during This Dreaming Desert and one in which we’ll use as a prompt to create our own creative works. The gallery will evolve with community art and poetry created during events and workshops. Join me during an upcoming event or workshop to explore.
All are welcome! This Dreaming Desert events are free and community art activities will take place primarily at the CATALYST Creative Collective at the Tucson Mall and at select Art State Arizona festivals through March 2027. Event information is viewable from the calendar below or by visiting my general artist events page. Registration is not necessary but is helpful for planning.
Contact me should you have any questions and follow me on Instagram for further announcements. Thank you!!
Experience This Dreaming Desert Installation
This Dreaming Desert: A Dream Canopy Project will culminate in an immersive installation at the CATALYST Creative Collective, March 2027. Day and time TBD. Admission Free.
This Dreaming Desert, a documentation of our place and dreaming in the desert, will reflect the collected artistic creations and literary works from Tucson and Southern Arizona participants. What story will we tell, in this time, in this desert? This will be our time capsule of dreams, memories, poetry, movement, and imagination…a physical and sensory collection of the dreams the desert wants us to remember and the story we share about our beloved desert.
Virtual
This Dreaming Desert offers a virtual opportunity for participants of all ages to contribute desert dream reflections and artistic images, video, or soundscape to the project and installation. Your participation is welcome and necessary for the success of the community dream story being documented. Your contribution may be included in whole or in part within the immersive experience that will be open to the public in March 2027. Video with more information coming soon!
Please post directly to the Padlet below using the +Post button in the lower right corner (desktop) or the + icon at the bottom center (phone). All posts and comments will be moderated. Pinned posts at the top of the Padlet include information about This Dreaming Desert, prompts for reflection, and other inspiration. You do not need to ‘sign up for Padlet’ to contribute and you do not need to create an account. Educators that would like to engage their class in project-based learning and need access to the full Padlet please click here. Thank you for your contribution!
This Dreaming Desert is made possible with the support of:
This program was funded in part by the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, with the support from the City of Tucson, Pima County Department of Community & Workforce Development, Mellon Foundation, Arizona Community Foundation, and Arizona Commission on the Arts.
