When Spanish businessman Gerard Jara visited the Art Monastery Italia in August for a long weekend with his partner Magda Barceló, he wasn’t prepared for a transformative experience. But after just three days with the artmonks, he was inspired to donate € 3,000, hire the Art Monastery to design his company’s holiday card, and write a beautiful email, excerpted below.

Hello  [Art Monastery Executive Director] Betsy,

…I wanted to write to you and say thank you for your hospitality and for hosting us in the Art Monastery… You are working to pursue dreams of art and community, of creativity and straightness.

… I’d like to say that there’s a holiness in what you’re trying to do, and holiness has never been an easy path to walk. How many times can you be tempted to pull out from a non-finishing road? How many times can you take a wrong road and go into a different direction than the one you want to go? How many times can you choose to fly over the road instead of walking it? It’s a tough path the one you’ve chosen. These questions come to my mind when I think what would I do if I would decide to devote my time to an “art-monastery” like yours…and I think I would be a terrible monk!!

Please remember that in a world of chaos and social and economic dispute, your community is a source of light and inspiration for me. It really doesn’t matter how successful you end up being, how big the monastery grows or how small it stays. What really matters is the honest and sincere spirit that you put everyday into your work…

Warm regards and thanks once more to all the monks for keeping the Art Monastery alive,

Please join the Art Monastery Project in taking a stand to support living life as a work of art. Your tax-deductible donation of $5, $25, $50, $500, or $1500 goes to supporting the creation of world-class art, produced through an inspiring and authentic process that touches the artists, audiences, and volunteers who experience it.

When Spanish businessman Gerard Jara visited the Art Monastery Italia in August for a long weekend with his partner Magda Barceló, he wasn’t prepared for a transformative experience. But after just three days with the artmonks, he was inspired to donate € 3,000, hire the Art Monastery to design his company’s holiday card, and write a beautiful email, excerpted below.

Hello  [Art Monastery Executive Director] Betsy,

…I wanted to write to you and say thank you for your hospitality and for hosting us in the Art Monastery… You are working to pursue dreams of art and community, of creativity and straightness.

… I’d like to say that there’s a holiness in what you’re trying to do, and holiness has never been an easy path to walk. How many times can you be tempted to pull out from a non-finishing road? How many times can you take a wrong road and go into a different direction than the one you want to go? How many times can you choose to fly over the road instead of walking it? It’s a tough path the one you’ve chosen. These questions come to my mind when I think what would I do if I would decide to devote my time to an “art-monastery” like yours…and I think I would be a terrible monk!!

Please remember that in a world of chaos and social and economic dispute, your community is a source of light and inspiration for me. It really doesn’t matter how successful you end up being, how big the monastery grows or how small it stays. What really matters is the honest and sincere spirit that you put everyday into your work…

Warm regards and thanks once more to all the monks for keeping the Art Monastery alive,

Please join the Art Monastery Project in taking a stand to support living life as a work of art. Your tax-deductible donation of $5, $25, $50, $500, or $1500 goes to supporting the creation of world-class art, produced through an inspiring and authentic process that touches the artists, audiences, and volunteers who experience it.