Vigils: Intimacy with the Void
The title of poet Paul Celan’s 1967 collection, Atemwende (in English: Breathturn), suggests that mysterious moment at the end of the out-breath and the beginning of the in-breath. What happens in that gap is… a gap. It permits no concepts (not even “emptiness”) and yet, ineffably, is a part of the fullness of human experience. The breathturn has its […]
The Monastic Cycle
More than just a structure in space, a monastery is a structure in time. With a regularity that can intimidate those outside the cloister walls, monks and nuns gather every few hours, every single day, for a cycle of rituals that involve chant, prayer, and meditation. Far from the kind of mind-numbing routines we sometimes […]
Art Monastery in Amsterdam
Liz and I went to Amsterdam the first week of March for the inspirational second meeting of the Lifelong Learning Partnership (two-year european mobility grant from Grundtvig). The partnership consists of seven organizations, each from a different european country, each of which “hosts transformation” in its own way. How cool is that? There are experimental schools […]
Enchanting Spring
Art Monastery Founding Artistic Director Christopher Fülling will be teaching a Gregorian chant workshop in Boulder and Denver during the first week of May. The weekend intensive will benefit experienced chant singers as well as novices. Gregorian Chant I – Singing From the Neumes 7:30pm – 9:00pm Wednesday May 2nd in Denver, Colorado 7:30pm – 9:00pm Thursday […]
Making the offering to the public: Artmonk Retreat Concert
It turns out that if you have a bunch of great musicians sit together in contemplation for eight days — silent save fifteen minutes of Gregorian chant in the morning and another fifteen in the evening — and then ask them to perform a concert on the eighth day, magical things happen. In the Diego […]
Artmonk Retreat 2012: a success!
On the last day of the retreat, after lifting the silence, I was standing on the patio. I was on my way back to the zendo but not getting far. Participant after participant stopped me, and with hands on my shoulders, or hands holding mine, eyes looking deeply into mine, sweet voices said, “Thank you […]
Renegade Insurgence 2012
renegade insurgence, a set on Flickr. The last weekend in January, a few artmonks gathered at a private home in Kenginston, CA, to experiment with a new form of the Artmonk Retreat. The idea was to share silence and contemplation and from that space collaborate on a shared project: creating a recording. This concept was […]
Give the Gift of Inspiration – Julia’s story
Julia Pond Artist/Artmonk Art Monastery Italia 2008-present Nationality U.S.A. Current home London, UK Occupation Dancer/Choreographer Facilitator, LIFEbeat Interests Isadora Duncan Umbria You can participate by making a 100% tax-deductible donation via Paypal or by mailing a check made payable to “Gli Amici dell’Art Monastery” to Art Monastery 804 South Lincoln St Bloomington, IN 47401 […]
Give the Gift of Inspiration – Lizzy’s story
Help the Art Monastery touch volunteers like Lizzy Laurance! Give the gift of inspiration by making a donation to the Art Monastery. Lizzy Laurance Volunteer Art Monastery Italia Summer 2011 Nationality United Kingdom Current home Brighton (UK) Occupation Student at University of Sussex (English Literature) Interests Music ~ […]
Concert and Fundraising in SF – February 18, 2012
Save the Date: Saturday, February 18 On Saturday, February 18, in the Diego Rivera Gallery of the San Francisco Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco), the Artmonks will perform a concert that is the culmination of an 8-day meditation retreat. During this week these artists will have been diving in deeply together, mostly in […]
