Tag: Community

with the Smith Center Community

Join us for 108 Sun Salutations in memory of Laura Gobbi to benefit the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (smithcenter.org). Laura studied yoga with Beth, the co-host of this event. Laura’s joy and gratitude shone through her every word and action in and out of class. She died of breast cancer about a month ago. In her obituary, Laura asked people who were moved to donate to the Smith Center. The sun salutations are one way we can celebrate Laura and the work the Smith Center does.

108 is an important number in many yoga traditions. While we will be leading 108 sun salutations, you can participate and do as many or as few as you like!

$10 to the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

RSVP via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/659827651298699/

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Carolina Mayorga

Day 1: The Fundamentals of Drawing (June 15, 1:00-2:30pm)
Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to learn about 2 fundamental concepts of drawing and 2D media. Observation, one of the most important elements in drawing, will be stressed through different assignments that include a variety of techniques and materials.
Materials: 
  • Paper of any kind (paper bags, printed paper, etc.)
  • Any kind of pen, pencil, or marker
  • A few items from your kitchen or closet that you would like to draw

Suggested Donation: $10

Click here to learn more about Day 2: The Fundamentals of Sculpture (June 22, 1:00-2:30pm)

Visit www.joanhisaokagallery.com to view Aceptar: Una Exposición Colectiva

About Carolina Mayorga

Carolina Mayorga, Colombian-born and naturalized American citizen, has exhibited her work nationally and internationally for the last 20 years. Her work is part of national and international collections and has been reviewed in publications in North and South America and Europe. Mayorga’s artwork addresses issues of social and political content. Recent exhibitions in Washington, DC include her first museum show at the Art Museum of the Americas, a performance/interactive sculpture at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden among others.

The artist lives in Washington D.C. https://carolinamayorga.com/

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

Register for 4-session series here: https://smithcenter.org/programs-retreat/pop-up-book-club-6-9/

with Carla Stillwagon, Kiersten Gallagher & Erin Price

Welcome to “Pop-Up Book Club,” a community of book lovers diving in to current and relevant book material.

For our first sessions, we will read Radical Acts of Love: How we find hope at the end of life by Janie Brown, a dear friend of Smith Center. Please read below for an overview of her powerful work on hope and dying.

Pop-Up Book Club will meet bi-monthly on Tuesdays in June and July, from 12:00-1:00pm.

  • Part 1: June 9
  • Part 2: June 23
  • Part 3: July 7
  • Part 4: July 21

Radical Acts of Love: How we find hope at the end of life

In Radical Acts of Love, Janie Brown, oncology nurse of thirty years and counsellor of cancer patients with terminal diagnoses, recounts twenty conversations she has had with the dying; including those personally close to her. Each conversation uncovers a different perspective and experience of death, while at the same time exploring its universalities.

As well as offering an extremely sensitive and wise insight into our final moments, Brown offers practical ways to facilitate the shift from feeling helpless about death to feeling hopeful; from fear to acceptance; from feeling disconnected and alone, to becoming part of the wider, collective story of our mortality.

Get Radical Acts of Love: How we find hope at the end of life here: https://smile.amazon.com/Radical-Acts-Love-Find-Hope-ebook/dp/B07XFFK9XB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=radical+acts+of+love&qid=1589894908&sr=8-1

And, choose “Smith Center for Healing and the Arts” as your nonprofit of choice when you shop through Amazon Smile!

About Carla Stillwagon

Carla serves as the Cancer Support Program & Retreat Coordinator at Smith Center. During her time at the center, Carla has been inspired to further develop her commitment to the arts and their invaluable role in healing and community. She is excited to share her favorite pastime, reading, in this group and hopes to hear all about your favorite things to read!

About Kiersten Gallagher

As the Cancer Support Program Director, Kiersten fully believes that through the arts we can expand our perspectives and explore new fulfilling ways of being. She invites you to make our space your own refuge, to circumvent your daily routine to spark creativity, to take time for introspection, and draw outside the lines.

About Erin Price, LICSW

Erin serves as Smith Center’s Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs. She is trained in Integrative Patient Navigation, a Project LEAD graduate, and holds a Masters in Social Work. A seven-year breast cancer survivor, Erin is passionate about providing support and community to other cancer survivors, especially young adults. She works with Smith Center’s DC Young Adult Cancer Community and is also actively involved in the cancer community through Young Survival Coalition, Critical Mass, the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates, National Breast Cancer Coalition, and the DC Cancer Action Partnership.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Kiersten Gallagher and Kunle Adewale

     

Join special guest facilitator Kunle Adewale for The Art of Putting Things in Shape, a creative and engagement-based art program.

The Art of Putting Things in Shape explores the concept of mindfulness, gratitude and developing coping mechanisms in times of distress, anxiety, panic, crisis and at odd times.

Being an Artist is not a requirement for participation.
WHAT IT ENTAILS
Exploring your environment through Seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and hearing
WHAT YOU NEED TO PARTICIPATE

Art Materials

Cards, paper, pens, Pencil or wax crayons , pastels , canvas, Coloured Markers , Water Colour, Acrylic Paints, Acrylic Pens and any other materials that is not listed here
Get Ready to CREATE

This series is held bi-monthly on Wednesdays from 10:30am – 12:30pm. 

Upcoming sessions:

  • July 8
  • July 22

Our programs are open to the community, and tailored to meet the needs of people affected by cancer. Classes and workshops are free or low cost on a pay-as-you-can basis, ensuring that our programs are accessible to everyone.

Suggested donation: $10 per class

About Kiersten Gallagher

As the Cancer Support Program Director, Kiersten fully believes that through the arts we can expand our perspectives and explore new fulfilling ways of being. She invites you to make our space your own refuge, to circumvent your daily routine to spark creativity, to take time for introspection, and draw outside the lines.

About Kunle Adewale

Kunle Adewale, is an artist and a development practitioner by profession. He is a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts (Painting and Art History), from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. To hone his skills in leadership, he studied Civic Leadership at Tulane University, New Orleans. His penchant for utilizing arts within the healthcare system spurred him into participating in related professional courses such as: Arts in Health for Helping Professionals in Charlotte; Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, United States, and Arts in Health Research Intensive, organised by Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida in collaboration with University College London.

Kunle did not stop there. In his quest for more knowledge in the field of Arts in Medicine, he also bagged certificates in: Understanding Dementia and Arts, from University College London (UCL) and, Medicine and The Arts: Humanising Healthcare, from University of Capetown, South Africa. He was one of the selected Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Currently, he is part of a 1-year training programme on Dementia. To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, the 1-year programme brings together a powerful mix of perspectives, approaches, and skill sets from varying backgrounds and disciplines, including neurologists, social scientists, artists, and policymakers.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with MaryAnn Jones

Make a cup of your favorite tea and join a safe space to share our fears and bring awareness to possibilities.
Listen, share, ask—whatever feels good to you. xoxo
“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”
– Brene Brown

Thrive Tea Party will be offered weekly on Wednesdays through May 2020.

About MaryAnn Jones
MaryAnn is a Certified Functional Health Coach who helps clients change their habits and overcome obstacles to reaching their wellness potential. She is also a Smith Center trained Integrative Patient Navigator. You can find out more at thrivenaturally.com

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

with Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Mandalas for Managing Stress and Increasing Wellbeing

Mandalas – circular designs that communicate symbolic meaning – have been used for centuries as a form of contemplative practice in many spiritual traditions.

In this brief but focused workshop, we will use mandala imagery, writing, and meditative practice to bring creativity, healing, and an increased sense of grounding and balance into our lives. Absolutely no previous art experience is needed. The workshop is designed for all ranges of artistic experience–you need not consider yourself an artist to attend.

 

Suggested Materials:

  • Paper to draw on – can be any size or color that you like; we usually work with something between 6 x 6 to 12 x 12
  • Art supplies to draw or paint with – E.G. colored pencils, magic markers, chalk or oil pastels, watercolor paints, and/or acrylics
  • Plate or circular shape – to draw an outline of a circle on the paper
  • For those of you who do creative or art journaling, you are welcome to use your journal to create your mandala.

Suggested Donation: $10

About Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Rebecca Wilkinson

Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, is a Registered and Board Certified art therapists with twenty years of experience in mental health and in facilitating training and workshops. She serves as adjunct faculty at George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program and provide continuing education and development through the Potomac Art Therapy Association. She facilitates supportive workshops for those affected by life threatening illness and the professional providers working with them. Co-founder of Creative Wellbeing Workshops, LLC, which provides training, consultation, and clinical therapy designed to reduce stress, prevent burnout and increase life satisfaction and wellbeing.