Freeing the Artist Within Arts & Spirituality Retreat Friday & Saturday, February 19 20, 2016 Come and explore fellowship through and within the arts and awaken your creative spirit! Sponsored by the Worship & Arts Committee
Friday, February 19 Retreat Schedule 5:30 p.m. Registration and Refreshments 6:15 p.m. Welcome Performance Kate Callahan, singer/songwriter 6:45 p.m. Dinner and Fellowship 7:30 p.m. Building Community through Finding Your Creative Way with David D. J. Rau 8:30 p.m. Closing Prayer Saturday, February 20 8:30 a.m. Coffee and Fellowship 9:00 a.m. Welcome and Details 9:10 a.m. Building Community through Canons, Choruses and Folk Dance with Kate Swanson 10:00 a.m. ARTS EXPERIENCE I (see descriptions) 11:45 a.m. Lunch and Fellowship 12:30 p.m. Special Performance Noah Baerman, jazz pianist 1:15 p.m. ARTS EXPERIENCE II (see descriptions) 2:45 p.m. ARTS EXPERIENCE III (see descriptions) 4:15 p.m. Building Community through Worship and Celebration with All
Arts Experience Opportunities Session III African Dance Join in a beginners African dance workshop with a drummer as an accompanist! The class will consist of a warm up, movements across the floor, simple choreography, a solo circle called a Bembe, and a unity circle to close off, where we discuss the experience and connection to our past and inner selves. Facilitated by Mellissa Craig Chair Yoga No matter what your level of flexibility, no matter whether you feel comfortable getting onto and off of a yoga mat, there is a yoga practice for you! From the comfort of a chair, and using it as a support while standing, learn to clear away layers of stress by coordinating your movement with your breath in a mindful way. Pausing to connect with your inner wisdom through yoga is one way to brighten your inner light, letting it shine on others as a gift from God. Facilitated by Cynthia Wolcott (Land + Sky) + Water No drawing or painting skills are required for this workshop! Participants will create a simple landscape using multiple washes of transparent watercolors. You ll take home a masterpiece ready for framing! Facilitated by Jane Carroll Make Your own Journal! Having a record of one s experiences and thoughts and the mere act of transforming these into words, provide people with a sense of relief and joy. For some people journaling is fun, for others it is health, and for many it is both. There are also benefits to MAKING the journal. All art is good for the soul! Assemble your very own journal with an embellished tin cover, a variety of papers for the pages and even a divider or bookmark (or two!). Facilitated by Kristen Walsh Praise the Lord with the Sounding Cymbal: Worship with a New Sound! In this workshop participants will learn the very basics of rhythmic language and notation, gain an appreciation for percussion orchestration, group compose an original work for percussion, and perform on percussion instruments for their peers. The various aspects of music composition will be broken down to the simplest of elements. Facilitated by Kate Swanson Workshop Artists in Residence * Member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church Jane Carroll* Artist, Teacher Mellissa Craig Choreographer, Stilt Walker George Herrick Artist, Master Life Coach Alice Luster* Floral Designer, Teacher David D. J. Rau Artist, Museum Educator Martha Simpson* Artist Kate Swanson* Musician, Teacher Kristen Walsh Artist, Instructor Linda Wayman* Cook, Author Angela Werner Artist, Instructor Cynthia Wolcott Yoga Instructor, Life, Health & Wellness Coach
Arts Experience Opportunities Session II African Dance Join in a beginners African dance workshop with a drummer as an accompanist! The class will consist of a warm up, movements across the floor, simple choreography, a solo circle called a Bembe and a unity circle to close off, where we discuss the experience and connection to our past and inner selves. Facilitated by Mellissa Craig Flower Power! This floral design workshop will include an introduction to the elements and principals of design, conditioning plant material, mechanics and construction of floral designs. You will have an opportunity to play with flowers and other plant materials before creating your own floral arrangement! Facilitated by Alice Luster Make Your Own Journal! Having a record of one s experiences and thoughts and the mere act of transforming these into words, provide people with a sense of relief and joy. For some people journaling is fun, for others it is health, and for many it is both. There are also benefits to MAKING the journal. All art is good for the soul! Assemble your very own journal with an embellished tin cover, a variety of papers for the pages and even a divider or bookmark (or two!). Facilitated by Kristen Walsh Prayer Flags Many cultures around the world have used flags as symbols and physical manifestations of prayer, believing that the message of the prayer is carried to God on the winds. The Prayer Flag Workshop will begin with a brief guided meditation, inviting you to contemplate something that either you are grateful for or that you want to change in your life. This will be your prayer. You will then be led through a simple, fun, playful yet spiritual creative process to make that prayer into a flag, which you can later meditate with as you wish. We ll finish with a brief ceremony to honor the heart of the prayers as well as the creative process. Facilitated by George Herrick Rip, Tear, Fold, and Glue: A Kaleidoscope of Collage Techniques Whether you like to cut along the edges or tear across the page, there are collage techniques for everyone in this workshop to discover your inner collagist. Rau will demonstrate a variety of techniques before letting students loose to rip, tear, fold, and glue. Facilitated by David D. J. Rau
Arts Experience Opportunities Session III African Dance Join in a beginners African dance workshop with a drummer as an accompanist! The class will consist of a warm up, movements across the floor, simple choreography, a solo circle called a Bembe, and a unity circle to close off, where we discuss the experience and connection to our past and inner selves. Facilitated by Mellissa Craig Chair Yoga No matter what your level of flexibility, no matter whether you feel comfortable getting onto and off of a yoga mat, there is a yoga practice for you! From the comfort of a chair, and using it as a support while standing, learn to clear away layers of stress by coordinating your movement with your breath in a mindful way. Pausing to connect with your inner wisdom through yoga is one way to brighten your inner light, letting it shine on others as a gift from God. Facilitated by Cynthia Wolcott (Land + Sky) + Water No drawing or painting skills are required for this workshop! Participants will create a simple landscape using multiple washes of transparent watercolors. You ll take home a masterpiece ready for framing! Facilitated by Jane Carroll Make Your own Journal! Having a record of one s experiences and thoughts and the mere act of transforming these into words, provide people with a sense of relief and joy. For some people journaling is fun, for others it is health, and for many it is both. There are also benefits to MAKING the journal. All art is good for the soul! Assemble your very own journal with an embellished tin cover, a variety of papers for the pages and even a divider or bookmark (or two!). Facilitated by Kristen Walsh Praise the Lord with the Sounding Cymbal: Worship with a New Sound! In this workshop participants will learn the very basics of rhythmic language and notation, gain an appreciation for percussion orchestration, group compose an original work for percussion, and perform on percussion instruments for their peers. The various aspects of music composition will be broken down to the simplest of elements. Facilitated by Kate Swanson Workshop Artists in Residence * Member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church Jane Carroll* Artist, Teacher Mellissa Craig Choreographer, Stilt Walker George Herrick Artist, Master Life Coach Alice Luster* Floral Designer, Teacher David D. J. Rau Artist, Museum Educator Martha Simpson* Artist Kate Swanson* Musician, Teacher Kristen Walsh Artist, Instructor Linda Wayman* Cook, Author Angela Werner Artist, Instructor Cynthia Wolcott Yoga Instructor, Life, Health & Wellness Coach
Registration Form (RSVP by February 12) Please return one registration form per person with payment of $60. Registration fee includes all workshops, materials, performances, meals and FUN for the weekend! Make checks payable to AHCC. The retreat is designed for adult participation only. Name: E-mail: Phone: Any dietary restrictions: Please indicate your top three preferences for each session of the Arts Experience Opportunities. We will make every effort to honor your top choices. Number 1 (first choice) through 3 (last choice): Arts Experience I (Select your top 3 choices.) Gentle Yoga (Land + Sky) + Water Rip, Tear, Fold, and Glue Soups On! Wet-Felted Fiber Art Zentangle Arts Experience II (Select your top 3 choices.) African Dance Flower Power Make Your Own Journal Prayer Flags Rip, Tear, Fold, and Glue (over, please)
Arts Experience III (Select your top 3 choices.) African Dance Chair Yoga (Land + Sky) + Water Make Your Own Journal Praise the Lord with the Sounding Cymbal Return registration form by Feburary 12 to: Asylum Hill Congregational Church/Attention: Arts Retreat 814 Asylum Avenue Hartford, Connecticut 06105 Open to and affirming of all God s people