Azienda Agrituristica Masseria S. Giovanni Sgadari, Via Giulio Litterio Sgadari, San Giovanni, PA, Italy
Up to 12 in group
July 6 - 13, 2024
About this Retreat
Michael Anderson is a certified art teacher and meditation trainer. He has been teaching in schools across the world for twenty-five years and has founded Art of Being as a way of helping more people connect with their natural creative capacity. He believes that everyone is an artist, that art is an expression of our authentic selves, and that contemplative practice creates a space where authentic art making can arise. Born and raised in Minnesota, he is based in Vienna, Austria and Gratteri, Sicily.
Details of this retreat
Join us for a week of personal and creative discovery in the enchanted land of Sicily! "Art of Being" is a unique retreat program joining mindful-awareness meditation with contemplative arts experiences designed to help you see yourself and your life from a new perspective.
Our theme for the program is "A Larger Tapestry." Each day you will be guided through practices you can take back into your daily life.
These are woven together with contemplative art experiences intended to cultivate your innate capacity for artistic expression and to help you see your life as part of the larger human tapestry. No experience in meditation or art is required.
The process is more important than the work we produce.
Art of Being focuses on artmaking as a contemplative practice – one that values the creative act and process over the final product that is created. The following Core Beliefs will help to clarify the purpose and view of art in Art of Being:
1. Everyone is an Artist
It is our birthright, our natural heritage from our earliest human ancestors to make visual meaning of our experiences. We each have a unique human experience and story to tell, without which, the great human tapestry would be incomplete.
2. Art is an Expression of Authentic Self
Art is an expression of who we are. Letting go of doubt and hesitation, we can step out of our own way and allow artistic expression to flow naturally from us, like the genuine confidence of our signature or the natural imprint of our finger on the page.
3. Contemplative Practice Creates a Space for Authentic Artmaking
When we settle our mind and come back to our being in the present moment, we’re more in touch with our authentic self, more deeply aware of what is unfolding before us. That deeper awareness is the ground out of which authentic artmaking can naturally arise.