Seeking a concentrated learning experience and hungry for connections with artists whose primary expression is the figure, my curiosity about current trends in philosophy, practice and shifts in figurative art motivated my participation in Arrowmont’s Figurative Association: The Human Form Symposium. Just beginning to employ the figure in his work, my graduate student and travel companion, Josh Novak was primarily focused on absorbing the technical skills offered by a diverse and highly respected lineup of presenters. Arrowmont’s figurative symposium promised to sustain us both.