Fun Stuff for Teachers, Yoga, Folk Art, Mayan Culture and More ...

ART ADVENTURES FOR EDUCATORS - We have a number of folks (mostly educators) who've told me they are interested in our workshops and they'd like to visit Guatemala, but they just aren't free to travel when we offer those workshops (winter and fall). Sometimes they are interested in a specific field (ie photography or watercolors) but mostly they are looking for a recharge, a renewing experience over the summer months. They'd like a cultural experience, to learn a little more about Hispanic culture where often, so many of their students come from. They want to have some fun, make new friends, but also learn something they can take back to the classroom and help them be better educators the following year.

So, I talked to many of our past participants who are teachers and asked them what was valuable about their experience with our program. I've taken the results of those discussions and put together just what educators are looking for. First, we'll visit indigenous families. You'll try your hand at weaving, get a feel for what life is really like in an indigenous culture. Then, we'll get into a few outlying villages, visit local markets, not just the ones for tourists, but where the locals buy fruit, vegetables and clothes that look like they came from KMart on a daily basis. Then, we'll visit Guatemalan schools. Many of our educators were simply curious and wanted to see them. The school year in Guatemala runs from end January until end October (the time off is for coffee picking). We'll also travel up to Lake Atitlan. I feel that you just can't miss the lake, especially if you are visiting Guatemala for the first time. It is gorgeous, an artistic inspiration, and located in the heart of the Mayan indigenous highlands.

This workshop is scheduled during the feast day of St. James (July 25), the patron saint of both Antigua (in colonial times it was called Santiago de los Caballeros) and Santiago Atitlan. There are lot of fun local festivities to enjoy, climbing a greased pole, music in central park, concerts in the ruins, and for years now we've enjoyed picture perfect weather because of the canicula (a short dry spell I liken to Indian Summer for those of us from cold weather climates). So, it's the perfect time to visit Guatemala !!!

ALFOMBRAS / THE ART OF CARPETMAKING - No where is Holy Week (the week before Easter) more spectacular than in Antigua. Families design and construct carpets made of sawdust, pine needles and flowers in the streets in front of their homes -- as their fathers and grandfathers did before them. They do this before processions pass by -- hundreds of people from various churches carrying 'andas' - heavy floats weighing tons - on their shoulders, with historial statues of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other saints.

You'll learn about the history of carpetmaking and about the various styles and materials traditionally used. Since the carpeting making goes on all week - you'll have a chance to see many of them before we put our creative heads collectively together and design our own. Then, since the best way to learn (and the most fun) is to do - we'll begin the process of designing and making our own carpet.

We work with a local artist - Don Juan José Quiroa - who is passionate about his work carrying on the tradition of making carpets. Carpetmaking is NOT a dying art, but it is more difficult to find the masters, who are handing the traditions down through their families. Making the carpets is hard work, time consuming and expensive . So unfortunately, many local families just can't afford the materials anymore. We'll also visit and see processions in surrounding small villages for a totally different (and non-touristy) experience. Please join us for a truly once in a lifetime fabulous experience!!

CREATIVITY AND MAYAN CULTURE - Are you fascinated by Mayan culture?? Would you like to learn about the mysterious jungle pyramids, the colorful weavings found in the markets, the resilient and beautiful people?? Join multi-media artist, writer and popular instructor Betty Chancey for an inspirational workshop that includes travel to Tikal.

Anytime we venture beyond the realm of our normal, daily experiences, our perceptions are altered, our creativity charged. And the more foreign a culture we thrust ourselves into, the more profound the effect. In this hands-on workshop, you'll explore Mayan history, cosmology, plant and animal lore and modern life from an artist's perspective. Through a series of guided exercises both playful and meditative, learn how this rich culture can elicit powerful responses in your own work. You'll engage in treasure hunts, visit Mayan textile markets and experience a religious Mayan ceremony.

Let the images, myths and realities of another culture take you outside yourself to bring a sharper edge to your own creative work. Artistic visionaries from Paul Gaugin to Paul Simon have long recognized the profound effect a foreign culture has on one's creative vision. Isn't it time you did something to relight your creative fire??

PAINTED BLESSINGS: THE ART OF THE RETABLO AND EX VOTOS - A voice cries out for help..." Just help me get through this crisis!! this hour!! " Somehow that call is heard. In Latin America, thanks must then be given, and often takes the form of a small work of art called Ex Voto, a public display of an answered prayer. Retablos, on the other hand, are small paintings on humble scraps of wood or salvaged tin that are painted to petition a specific saint for a specific request. They may be displayed in home altars with burning candles. Both ex votos and retablos were introduced to the indigenous by the Spanish as they converted to Catholicism back in the 17th century.

Join artist Cynthia Padilla , for a week immersed in a traditionally Catholic culture (Guatemalan), in a town (Antigua) where there are centuries old churches (filled with centuries old statues of many Catholic saints (santos) on every block), and learn the folk art tradition of painting retablos and ex votos. Cynthia will show you how to use acrylic paints on wood and then gild the finished retablo with silver or gold metal leaf.

Cynthia provides the names of a variety of saints and what they are patron saints for (ie St Christopher for travelers) so that you can find the appropriate "santos" to commemorate loved ones, special requests or events in your life. DonÕt worry, the most engaging retablos were those painted by naive or untrained itinerant artists, therefore drawing or painting skills are not required!

EXPLORING AND EXPANDING YOUR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE Many people practice yoga daily, and derive a multitude of benefits from that practice. They feel more centered, have more energy, are in better physical condition and enjoy a greater sense of well-being. Probably many more of us WISH we practiced yoga on a regular basis, but can't quite seem to find the time to make it a priority within our busy lives. This workshop is an opportunity to get away from your normal daily demands (maybe even your kids!) and devote a week of your time to learning, to being open to new ideas and building for yourself a solid structural foundation for future yoga practice and study. A jump-start you might say.

However, this workshop is also appropriate for experienced yoga practicioners who would like to expand their own personal practice - often focused on postures - by further exploration of yoga's other eight branches (limb's). Instructor Ginger Hooven's focus is on alignment and form, but more importantly, on integrating all eight branches of yoga, which include not only postures, but also: Restraints (Yama), Observances (Niyama), Breath Control (Pranayama), Withdrawing the Mind from Sense Perception (Pratyahara), Concentration (Dharana), Meditation (Dhyana) and Higher Consciousness (Samadhi). Put this all within a new cultural experience - the sights, the sounds and smells of colorful, indigenous Guatemala - and you have an unforgettable experience awaiting you !!!