Signal Fire backpacking trips

Signal Fire site // backpacking trips for artists of all kinds & levels of experience // 2014-2019

Signal Fire was a dynamic arts and environmental organization, active from 2008 until 2021, founded by Amy Harwood and Ryan Pierce. Signal Fire faciliated opportunities for artists to engage with the natural world through camping, backpacking, hiking and other activities. The administrative and programming aspects of the organization were entirely run by artists, often working collectively to make decisions. Hundreds of artists participated in trips during Signal Fire’s 13-year run, learning backcountry skills, creating artwork inspired by the landscape, and developing empathy for environments under threat. I began my engagement with the group as a resident artist in in 2009 on First Spark in Eastern Oregon and in 2010 on Outpost: Artists Are In Tents in the Mount Hood Wilderness. From 2012-2015, I was on the founding Board of Directors as Signal Fire became a nonprofit organization. From 2014-2019, I co-guided week-long backpacking trips for MFA students and other artists, usually with artist Ryan Pierce. I became a certified Wilderness First Responder to better provide emergency medical support in the backcountry. In 2018, I developed my own dream trip, the Backcountry Film Workshop, in Oregon’s Cascades, mountains that are dear to me.

Backcountry Film Workshop (2018)

Strip to Strip (2015)

2014 Rare Waters: MFA Spring Break trip to Mogollon Rim country (Arizona) // I co-guided with Lead Guide Ryan Pierce.
2015 Strip to Strip: MFA Spring Break to the Arizona Strip // I co-guided with Lead Guide Ryan Pierce.
2016 Unwalking Jedediah Smith: Wide Open Studios trip to the Siskyou Mountains (California) // I co-guided with Lead Guide Ryan Pierce.
2017 Written in the Rock: MFA Spring Break trip to Kanab Creek (Arizona) // I co-guided with Lead Guide Ryan Pierce.
2018 Backcountry Film Workshop: Wide Open Studios trip to Oregon’s Cascade Mountains // I was Lead Guide with co-guide Anna Ialeggio.
2019 Superstition Views: Alumni Backpacking in the Sonoran Sky Islands (Arizona) // I co-guided with Lead Guide Ryan Pierce.

Backcountry Film Workshop (2018)

Backcountry Film Workshop with guest artist Caryn Cline (2018)

Backcountry Film Workshop (2018)

Unwalking Jedediah Smith (2016)

Rare Waters (2014)

Written in the Rock (2017)

Unwalking Jedediah Smith (2016)

Written in the Rock (2017)

Backcountry Film Workshop (2018)

Superstition Views (2019)

Julie Perini is a filmmaker and artist in Portland, Oregon.