ART CHURCH:
SPRING FORTH THE CREATIVE WELL!
with Maggie Fiori, Sal Link and E.C. Piper
September 6-9, 2024
(Friday to Monday)
Program Description
Facilitators
Registration information
I’ve got a river of Light flowing out of me
Heals the weary souls, helps us all to see
Opens prison doors, sets the captives free
I’ve got a river of Light flowing out of me
Spring forth the well inside my soul
Spring forth the well and make me whole
Spring forth the well and let me see
That Light that shines in me
Art Church* is where we explore how our spiritual and creative practices intersect and depend on one another. This is an invitation to make art, worship, and build solidarity in a multidisciplinary, spiritually diverse space, led by three young queer Quakers from Western Mass and Portland, Maine.
Is this you? Do you feel this?
- you feel a persistent call to CREATE (art, music, dance, writing…)
- you feel that what you create flows from an inward source that is larger than yourself
- you feel a divine power that can guide your life, through a faith tradition and/or lived experience
If yes, do you want the following?
- For your heart to be broken open, to be creative in new ways, to encounter the divine in new ways, to leave different than when you arrived
- To make art in a multidisciplinary space where all creative mediums are connected and feed each other
- To worship together in experimental ways, guided by Quaker faith, with room for spiritual diversity
- To share your experience and your work with others with love and courage
- To listen together to the one inner Voice that calls us all to make what we make in order to change us and change our world
- To build solidarity and creative friendships based on this^ that can sustain us beyond this time together
A little bit more about this gathering:
A major part of how we’ll connect as a group is through a personal and collective “threshing” practice. We will each learn how to bind a small sketchbook and use that to collect everything we notice throughout the weekend, share it with one another, and notice through-lines and patterns. This practice is not meant to focus on visual art specifically, but to give each participant a non-judgmental place to deposit their ideas through any medium.
There will be several workshop opportunities when participants can plan to bring a creative practice which helps them connect to their flow, to share with a small group. Examples might include a group movement activity, structured jamming session, writing exercise, or drawing game. You’re encouraged to be silly, have fun, and learn from one another. The goal is to help one another submit to the creative flow, not acquire skills. You can let us know when you register if you’d like to offer a workshop.
*What we mean by “church” in the name Art Church: Quakers experience the church not as a building or institution, not as a particular Christian group or denomination, but as a living, breathing community of human beings that is gathered up by God’s loving embrace. We experience the church when we gather our bodies close to one another for worship in order to listen to God’s whispers amongst us. We experience it when we care for one another and toil for justice alongside one another and choose to knit our lives together out of hope and love. We’ve named this gathering Art Church not to ignore the harm that Christian institutions have done in the name of the Church, but to reclaim its true meaning and heal our relationship to it.
FACILITATORS
Maggie Fiori (she/her) is a Quaker artist and member of Pickwick Independent Press, making linocut and letterpress prints and books about her experience of Spirit as a Friend. She makes prints as a call to ministry that invites seekers into relationship with a loving, overflowing, colorful God. Maggie is a member of Portland Friends Meeting and lives in Portland with her wife Mel and their two cats.
Sal Link (they/them) is a Quaker visual and textile artist and an attender at Mount Toby Friends Meeting. While they’ve been creating in one way or another for much of their life, Sal’s current creative passion is making art as a way to play and to heal from perfectionism, imposter syndrome and other creative and spiritual blocks. They live in Western Mass on a small homestead with wonderful friends.
E.C. Piper (they/them) is a singer/songleader/songwriter, multidisciplinary artist, plant lover, tea witch, and dancer. Piper holds a master’s in Dance Movement Therapy and works as a vocational counselor foryoung creatives with disabilities. Piper is a regular attender of Mt. Toby Quaker Meeting and has a ministry of music held by that meeting. Piper can often be found singing to/with humans, plants, animals and places all over the Connecticut River Valley. You can find more info and music on their Patreon page.
REGISTRATION AND LOGISTICS
See below for more information about registration, cost, meals, accommodations, and other logistics. Or you can proceed directly to REGISTER HERE.
COST & REGISTRATION
The standard rate for this retreat is $425, with a sliding scale of $275-525. The fee includes program, lodging and food from Friday dinner through Monday lunch. Commuter rate is $275. A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required to hold a space for a program (or indicate on your registration if you are not able to pay the deposit amount). If you need to cancel, the deposit can be applied to a future workshop within 18 months. The balance is due at the beginning of the workshop. We are committed to financial accessibility: please pay whatever level fits in your personal budget, whether it is within, below or above the scale. We also encourage your faith community to financially support your participation if that is appropriate.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Plan to arrive after 4:00pm Friday afternoon, in time for dinner at 6:00. The workshop will end by 2pm, after lunch and clean-up on Monday. We are centrally located in western Massachusetts, close to both I-91 and Route 2. For those arriving by car, we will send directions prior to the event. Please let us know if you’d be interested in car-pooling. The nearest Amtrak train station is in Greenfield (MA), ten minutes’ drive away. Vermont Transit and Peter Pan bus lines also stop in Greenfield. Please contact us in advance to see if we can arrange a ride from these stations.
ROOM & BOARD
Our 19th-century farmhouse has hand-hewn beams and wide pine floors, with simple lodging (typically double occupancy) with shared bathrooms. The meetinghouse and the first floor of the main building are wheelchair accessible. Our rustic cabins have electricity, woodstoves and outhouses. We serve nourishing, home-cooked meals and always offer vegetarian options. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions. Part of the community building at each retreat includes the joyful sharing of meal chores and final clean-up.
WHAT TO BRING
Please bring your own toiletries, towels, and bedding (sleeping bag or sheets and blankets or comforter). Pillows are provided. Be sure to bring seasonally appropriate clothes and comfortable indoor and outdoor footwear. You might also like to bring a flashlight, journal, art supplies, a book…
Please do NOT bring pets or candles.
We have limited internet access and cell phone reception. We encourage guests to consider how cell phone or computer use may detract from their experience of being fully present, here and now.
We look forward to welcoming you to the hill!