Come join us for our second in-person Artist/Mother retreat!
Friday evening, May 27th, 2022 through Monday morning May 30th, 2022. We will spend a long weekend engaging in conversation, joining in dynamic workshops, while also finding rest and solitude in scheduled moments of quiet and meditation.
We will hear from leaders in our community as they guide us in conversations, material based activities and workshops to inspire us to new places in our work. We will discuss everything from art to parenting, opening ourselves up to be both challenged and renewed.
We will share in conversation about our art practices, learning from each other what works well and discussing areas where we are struggling. There will be opportunities for reflection, sharing our dreams and discussing our careers.
Attention will be spent on our bodies as we take a break from preparing our own food (and food for our families!) and join together for nourishing community meals. We will start each morning with optional light stretching and yoga and have scheduled time for napping, resting, walking or hiking throughout the day.
This retreat is meant to inspire you to new places with your work, connect you with your body in ways that are restful and restorative, provide you space to engage in thoughtful conversations about art and parenting, and uplift you with hours of encouragement from a loving community.
Location:
This year we will gather at Christmount Retreat Center in Black Mountain, NC, just 25 minutes outside of Asheville. The camp property is nestled in 600 acres of protected land of the Southern Appalachian
Highlands Conservancy, and offers 9 hiking trails, mountain views and more!
222 Fern Way, Black Mountain, NC 28711
We cannot guarantee a ride, but will help connect anyone flying in from out of town and try our best to coordinate carpools to and from the retreat center.
Accommodations:
Although accommodations are by no means rustic, this is not a luxury retreat experience. We have prioritized community, affordability and an inspiring setting over fancy amenities.
Your room in the guest lodge will have 2 queen beds and will be shared with 1 other Artist/Mothers. Each room features a natural, wooded view. We will accommodate room requests if you are signing up with a friend and will send out a survey for those who will be paired with someone they don’t know to try to match similar sleeping styles/roomies 🙂 Getting paired up with a roommate you don’t know can be such a fun experience and a great way to make a new friend!
The lodge has 2 handicap accessible rooms with 1 queen bed & 1 single bed. Please let us know once you receive your booking confirmation and survey if you need a handicap accessible room.
Sample Schedule:
*Subject to slight changes*
Friday
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Registration, room check in, etc.
7:00pm – 9:00pm: Wine & dessert bar, Welcome Circle
Saturday
8:15am – 9:00am: breakfast, light yoga or stretching, quiet time
9:00am – 9:30am: group connection and reflection led by Kaylan Buteyn
9:30am – 12:00pm: Play and Practice: An Introduction to Earth Pigments
12:15pm – 1:00pm: Lunch and quiet time
1:30pm – 3:45pm: Block Printing and Batik on Fabric with Chloe Alexander
3:45pm – 6:00pm: Free time – hiking, rest, sketchbook, etc.
6:00pm – 6:45pm: Dinner
7:00pm: – 7:45pm: The Artist Sketchbook: Play and Collaboration with Barbara Campbell Thomas
7:45pm: bonfire, group discussion, dessert
Sunday
8:15am – 9:00am: breakfast, light yoga or stretching, quiet time
9:00am – 9:30am: group connection and reflection led by Kaylan
9:30am – 11:45am: Gestural Quilting: Doll Quilt Sketches with Coulter Fussell
12:15pm – 1:00pm: Lunch in the dining hall
1:30pm – 3:00pm: Addressing Our Needs: An Investigation on Time, Space, Agency and Empowerment with Isadora Stowe
3:00pm – 6:00pm: Free time – hiking, rest, sketchbook, etc.
6:00pm – 6:45pm: Dinner
6:45pm – 7:15pm: The Artist Sketchbook: Play and Collaboration with Barbara Campbell Thomas (part 2)
7:15pm – 8:00pm: Artist Talk with Sarah Sudhoff
8:00pm: bonfire or free time, extended round table
Monday
8:15am – 9:00am: breakfast bar, light yoga or stretching, quiet time
9:00am – 10:00am: Sketchbook Show & Tell & Retreat Reflection
10:00am – 10:30am: Closing Circle & begin check out
Workshops & Presentations:
Block Printing and Batik on Fabric with Chloe Alexander
In this workshop we will learn to transform natural fabrics into stand-alone artworks or for use in other applications, including apparel, quilting, or other functional purposes.
Each participant will learn the basics of both methods and each step of the process, including designing, carving and stamping a block print, as well as dying fabrics using a resist-dyeing batik method.
Gestural Quilting: Doll Quilt Sketches with Coulter Fussell
Using batik from Chloe’s workshop and an intentionally limited palette of assorted textiles, we’ll use the small form of doll quilts as a vehicle for practicing “intuitive” composition, focusing on movement and depth. These doll quilts aren’t plans for larger works but more practice toward larger work and, with repetition, successful stand-alone works themselves. Coulter will provide a varied assortment of fabrics from her studio. This workshop is all appliqué so participants will not need to know more than how to thread a needle.
Play and Practice: An Introduction to Earth Pigments with Amanda Brazier
This workshop is an exploration into creating with mineral pigments. Working – and playing – with gathered earth fosters joy, curiosity, and a deeper narrative of place within our creative practice. We will spend time with iron-rich rocks, learn about their cultural history, and paint with these beautiful earth colors.
Addressing Our Needs: An Investigation on Time, Space, Agency and Empowerment with Isadora Stowe
Information is power. Knowing what you want and understanding what your needs are is powerful. What will you choose and why? There are many tools and techniques to put into play to create a successful life in art- made more powerful by understanding what YOU want and what success means to YOU. The tools in this interactive presentation will guide you in that discovery. We will investigate the roles of time, space, agency and empowerment in our lives. From that place of knowing, we will create a system that you will be able to continuously be inspired by and build from as you cultivate your life as an artist.
The Artist Sketchbook: Play and Collaboration with Barbara Campbell Thomas and Kaylan Buteyn
Sketchbooks are a simple, yet endlessly adaptive space for personal artistic inquiry, experimentation and play. They are also a perfect vehicle for collaboration with other artists, which is a great way to learn one’s own tendencies in the studio and shake up habits that need to evolve. In this workshop, Kaylan Buteyn and Barbara Campbell Thomas will share their rich experience of sketchbook collaboration, while also guiding you through sketchbook exercises and prompts to revitalize (or even begin!) your own sketchbook practice.
Artist Talk with Sarah Sudhoff
Retreat fee:
Half of your payment is due upon booking to reserve your spot at the retreat. Please see our reimbursement policy below. (TICKETS OPEN 3/30/22)
$1,150 – Full Retreat Price — Full Price Ticket Payment OR Full Price Half Payment ($575)
$795 – Scholarship Price — Scholarship Ticket Payment OR Scholarship Half Payment ($397.50)
*** All 2nd half payments are due Aril 27th, 2022*** You will receive an email reminder. Please pay promptly upon receiving the reminder or we will transfer your ticket reservation to someone else.
Scholarships are available for:
-women of color
-single parents
-Chronically ill or disabled
-LGBTQIA+
-under 50k combined household income
If you qualify for our scholarship price, we are conducting an honor system. Simply purchase the ticket needed for your budget!
Reimbursement policy:
A large amount of planning and investment goes into making this retreat possible. In the event that you are not able to attend the retreat after booking, a 50% refund of your ticket amount will be available until May 4th, 2022. After that time, no refund will be available though you will be able to transfer your ticket to a friend if you know someone who would like to attend in your place.
Retreat Fee includes:
– 3 nights lodging
– healthy and nourishing meals for the duration of the retreat: breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, dessert and select beverages in the evenings, breakfast on Sunday before departure
– all materials needed for the workshops presented
– coffee and snack bar available throughout the duration of the retreat
– SWAG bag with a small selection of curated gifts
Retreat Fee does not include:
– Airfare or transportation to the venue. If you will be flying into the Asheville International Airport, we will connect you with others flying in so you can rent a car or share a taxi/uber together
– Though not guaranteed, it is possible if enough people fly, Kaylan will offer one shuttle service from the airport to the retreat location
– art supplies for your own sketchbook/outdoor studio time (supplies for workshops will be provided)
– additional snacks and beverages that you may want throughout the retreat
COVID Protocol:
We want to ensure the safety and security of everyone at the retreat. We will require either proof of vaccination or a negative covid test within 72 hours of the event beginning for your attendance.
Questions? Please email Kaylan – artistmotherpodcast@gmail.com