Welcome to the Silent Art Residency at the Art Monastery!
Welcome to a week of contemplation and creativity on the banks of the Connecticut River at the Art Monastery’s home in Vermont.
We offer morning and evening meditation, followed by a short Artmonk liturgy of singing and chanting, as well as daily movement meditation and yoga. We encourage you to participate only in the activities that are supportive to your creative practice.
During the retreat you can expect locally-sourced and lovingly-prepared food, creative prompts available to keep you going, open solo time to dig into your creative practice, a stunning natural environment and a deeply caring and supportive group.
In the spirit of community, all participants will support the residency by helping in the kitchen for an hour each day. You will receive your kitchen assignment when you arrive and will be able to trade positions for one that works for you.
One of the most beautiful pieces of this retreat will be the container you enter into here. We set as a deep priority in our work the art of caring for each other and being gentle with ourselves.
The residency culminates by inviting the public to hear the music we have been singing together all week. Participants will also have the opportunity to share work developed during the week. You are encouraged to invite your friends and family to attend this free public sharing.
Saturday, July 27 at 7:30pm
2315 Connecticut River Road
Springfield, VT
Please don’t let the share create any pressure whatsoever on your creative process. Sharing the music we’ve been singing together all week provides the backbone to the share. Some retreatants will want to share what they’ve created during the week, while others will choose not to.
Your residency will be held by Artmonks Betsy McCall (Abbess and Co-Founder), Raphael Sacks (Nature Specialist and Co-Director), Neva Cockrell (Movement Specialist and Co-Director), and Qayyum Johnson (Land Steward). Our bios are available on the retreat page.
We invite you to bring a solo creative project to work on while you are here with us. All creative practices are welcome.
Here is a schedule overview of what you can expect when you arrive and what a sample retreat day will be like:
Arrival Day
2:00 – 4:00 Arrivals
4:30 – 6:00 Orientation
6:30 – 7:30 Dinner & Intro Circle
7:30 – 8:30 Break
8:30 – 10:00 Opening Ceremony w/ short sit & learning chant
Sample Day
7:00-7:20 River Swim (optional)
7:30-8:15 Sit and Chant under the pear tree
8:15-8:30 Directions Practice
8:30-9:00 Breakfast
1:00-1:30 Lunch
2:30 Prompts available
5:30-6:30 Yoga in the barn
6:45-7:15 Dinner
8:00-9:30 Sit and Chant in the barn
Arrivals and Departures
Please arrive on July 23 between 2 and 4 PM. Arrivals may be arranged outside of this window if needed with prior arrangement.
Please plan to depart on Sunday, July 28, at 11:30am.
Location and Transportation
We are located at 2315 Connecticut River Road, Springfield, VT 05156. You are welcome to drive your own car and park it on site during the retreat at no additional charge.
Public transportation is available from Boston and NYC. Wanderu.com is a great resource for planning your travel here.
Please take a look at https://www.artmonastery.org/directions for more info about how to arrive. Please let us know if I can be of service in helping you to plan your travel logistics.
Contribution
Please go online to www.artmonastery.org/donate to pay your remaining retreat fees on or before your arrival. Feel free to reach out with questions and for support. We are here to support you in this experience and happy to help.
Our chef will be working as a volunteer and you will have the opportunity to make a donation to support her at the end of the retreat. Those donations can be made by cash, check, or paypal.
Accommodations and Spaces at Art Monastery Vermont
Our temporary monastery takes the form of a farmhouse, our zendo the sloping lawn and barn-turned-dance-studio.
Work Space
The Art Monastery hosts visiting artists of all disciplines. We offer shared alternative work spaces for noisemaking and for quiet, visual art and movement, in addition to the excellent outdoors landscape of our Vermont location. We will work with each retreat participant to set you up with the space you need to work! Let us know of any special requests you have for creative space ahead of time.
Food
We will be eating lovingly prepared meals sourcing local, organic food whenever possible. We offer vegetarian options. Please include all of your dietary preference and any food allergy information in the space provided on the forms. Coffee, tea and snacks, are available throughout the day.
Silence
One of the rare and beautiful offerings of this retreat is the opportunity to completely unplug and to allow ourselves to blossom in the sweetness of silence. This is a gift we offer each other and ourselves. As such we invite you to leave your computers and other electronic devices at home. We understand that it can be tricky to travel without a cell phone, but we invite you to power it down and bring an alarm clock & flashlight with you.
Forms and Packing List
Please see the packing list for what to bring with you. Please download the liability waiver and sign it. We appreciate if you have a chance to fill those out in advance of your arrival.
Please contact us at your convenience if you have additional questions or wish to discuss further. We’re happy to help!
In gratitude,
The Artmonks
–
Betsy, Raff, Neva, and Qayyum
Art Monastery Project
Neva: 646.897.4117
Info@artmonastery.org
