Tag: Creativity

Please email instruction@knitwell.org to schedule an Individual Knitting Instruction appointment.

with Project Knitwell

Knitwell in the Cloud

During these stressful times, we need the wellness benefits of knitting now more than ever.

Project Knitwill invites you to join Knitwell in the Cloud, a new program offering private, one-on-one knitting lessons via Zoom. It’s a safe, effective way to knit and learn.

Who is this for?  Beginner knitters and those who already know how to knit but need help with a project.

How long are the sessions? 45-60 minutes. You will have up to 4 lessons with your instructor.

What equipment do I need to participate? A smartphone or tablet (iPad, etc.)  and the free Zoom app downloaded on the device you will use.

Do I need to get my own supplies?  No — Project Knitwell will provide you with what you need.

Knitwell in the Cloud is an ongoing program with rolling registration. Please email instruction@knitwell.org or call 703-249-9112 and mention that you heard about the program through Smith Center.

If you’re looking to meet up with other knitters, consider connecting with K2tog. K2tog events are not formal lessons, but rather are casual get-togethers where everyone brings their knitting projects and chats about different knitting-related topics. Anyone can register by emailing k2together@knitwell.org, even if they have never participated in a previous PK program.

About Project Knitwell

Project Knitwell

Project Knitwell offers knitting as a tool to promote wellness and help people cope with stressful situations at more than a dozen hospital and community settings.

All of Project Knitwell’s programming is provided by volunteers, and services and supplies are provided free of charge to the people we serve.

About the Project Knitwell Volunteers

About Ilene Gast

Ilene Gast

I have been knitting since childhood, learning when I received a knitting kit as a gift. Knitting allows me to combine color and texture, transforming long strings of yarn into aesthetically pleasing, functional items. I knit all manner of objects, but my favorites are wild colored socks and unusually shaped shawls.

Although finishing a knitted object is satisfying, it is secondary to the process of knitting. The rhythm of knitting is relaxing; it never fails to relieve stress. At the end of graduate school, I not only completed a degree, but also created a series of “dissertation sweaters.” Knitting also lets me take leave of myself. When I am knitting for someone else, which is often, I can virtually spend time with that person. Or, if I use yarn acquired in a special place, I am transported back in time and space. Add portability to these benefits—I can take it with me!

However, most of all, I enjoy sharing the art and craft of knitting with others. I am fortunate to have discovered Project Knitwell, an organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of knitting to people in stressful situations. I am doubly grateful to be part of the Schar ISC Artist in Residence program.

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 Alexis Reale

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Dance/movement therapy offers individuals the opportunity to strengthen the mind/body connection, engage in nonverbal communication, and to improve our overall health and wellbeing.

 

Defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual,” dance/movement therapy recognizes that we can create changes in the body to reflect lasting changes in the mind.

 

Join us for collective creative expression through dance, writing, art-making and verbal integration. Class includes both individual exploration as well as partner exercises to foster meaning-making through self-exploration and connection with others. Class typically involves a check in, an individual improvisation warm up, individual movement exploration around a theme, partner work, journaling/art making, and a final discussion.

 

The class is open to individuals with all levels of experience and ability around movement. You do not need to have dance experience, only a willingness to move, and class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Therapeutic Creative Dance will be hosted Weekly on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm ET.

No dance experience is required! Class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/month

About Alexis Reale

Alexis Reale

Alexis is entering her third and final year of her Master’s degree program in Dance/Movement Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. Alexis is currently an intern at the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley where she leads dance/movement therapy groups and 1:1 sessions with clients. Alexis previously interned at Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and continues to be under the supervision of dance/movement therapist Jody Wager. Alexis leads dance/movement therapy groups for adults, individuals living with chronic pain, and for older adults in assisted living communities. A lifelong dancer, Alexis believes that anyone can dance, and is delighted to be able to bring the healing power of movement to the Smith Center.

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 Alexis Reale

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Dance/movement therapy offers individuals the opportunity to strengthen the mind/body connection, engage in nonverbal communication, and to improve our overall health and wellbeing.

 

Defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual,” dance/movement therapy recognizes that we can create changes in the body to reflect lasting changes in the mind.

 

Join us for collective creative expression through dance, writing, art-making and verbal integration. Class includes both individual exploration as well as partner exercises to foster meaning-making through self-exploration and connection with others. Class typically involves a check in, an individual improvisation warm up, individual movement exploration around a theme, partner work, journaling/art making, and a final discussion.

 

The class is open to individuals with all levels of experience and ability around movement. You do not need to have dance experience, only a willingness to move, and class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Therapeutic Creative Dance will be hosted Weekly on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm ET.

No dance experience is required! Class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/month

About Alexis Reale

Alexis Reale

Alexis is entering her third and final year of her Master’s degree program in Dance/Movement Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. Alexis is currently an intern at the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley where she leads dance/movement therapy groups and 1:1 sessions with clients. Alexis previously interned at Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and continues to be under the supervision of dance/movement therapist Jody Wager. Alexis leads dance/movement therapy groups for adults, individuals living with chronic pain, and for older adults in assisted living communities. A lifelong dancer, Alexis believes that anyone can dance, and is delighted to be able to bring the healing power of movement to the Smith Center.

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 Alexis Reale

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Therapeutic Creative Dance

Dance/movement therapy offers individuals the opportunity to strengthen the mind/body connection, engage in nonverbal communication, and to improve our overall health and wellbeing.

 

Defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual,” dance/movement therapy recognizes that we can create changes in the body to reflect lasting changes in the mind.

 

Join us for collective creative expression through dance, writing, art-making and verbal integration. Class includes both individual exploration as well as partner exercises to foster meaning-making through self-exploration and connection with others. Class typically involves a check in, an individual improvisation warm up, individual movement exploration around a theme, partner work, journaling/art making, and a final discussion.

 

The class is open to individuals with all levels of experience and ability around movement. You do not need to have dance experience, only a willingness to move, and class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Therapeutic Creative Dance will be hosted Weekly on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm ET.

No dance experience is required! Class can be done standing, seated, lying down or wherever is best for your comfort.

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/month

About Alexis Reale

Alexis Reale

Alexis is entering her third and final year of her Master’s degree program in Dance/Movement Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. Alexis is currently an intern at the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley where she leads dance/movement therapy groups and 1:1 sessions with clients. Alexis previously interned at Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and continues to be under the supervision of dance/movement therapist Jody Wager. Alexis leads dance/movement therapy groups for adults, individuals living with chronic pain, and for older adults in assisted living communities. A lifelong dancer, Alexis believes that anyone can dance, and is delighted to be able to bring the healing power of movement to the Smith Center.

If you missed Part 1 of the workshop series, please email carla@smithcenter.org for registration.

with Jamie Katz

 

Awe Photo by Jamie Katz
Awe in New Zealand by Jamie Katz
Awe is defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime”. Awe can be broken down into two unique parts: perceived vastness and mental accommodation. Awe has the potential to create positive changes in the way a person experiences the world by making her feel a connection to something greater than herself.
In this workshop, we will watch awe-evoking videos and write about personal awe-inspiring experiences. Since awe is an emotion that can bond groups of people together, reflecting and sharing your experiences is highly encouraged. In the second part of this series, we will reframe our understanding of awe and learn to incorporate these powerful, emotional experiences into our everyday lives.

Experiencing Awe Workshop will be offered in two parts: 

  • Part 1: Thursday, October 14th, 7:00-8:15pm ET
  • Part 2: Thursday, October 28th, 7:00-8:15pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $15/program (both sessions)

Participants are encouraged to attend both parts to get the most out of the workshop. Please let us know in advance if you are unable to attend both parts.

About Jamie Katz

Jamie Katz
Jamie Katz is an aspiring social psychologist whose past research has focused on the effects of experiencing awe. She is a DC area native who currently works at American University, and she graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia. Jamie will pursue a graduate degree in psychology so that she can continue to research healing practices and interventions through a deeper understanding of the brain’s processes of experiencing emotions and social connections.

This program series 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 Jamie Katz

Experiencing Awe Photo by Jamie Katz
Awe in New Zealand by Jamie Katz

Experiencing Awe: 2-part Workshop

Awe is defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime”. Awe can be broken down into two unique parts: perceived vastness and mental accommodation. Awe has the potential to create positive changes in the way a person experiences the world by making her feel a connection to something greater than herself.
In this workshop, we will watch awe-evoking videos and write about personal awe-inspiring experiences. Since awe is an emotion that can bond groups of people together, reflecting and sharing your experiences is highly encouraged. In the second part of this series, we will reframe our understanding of awe and learn to incorporate these powerful, emotional experiences into our everyday lives.

Experiencing Awe Workshop will be offered in two parts: 

  • Part 1: Thursday, October 14th, 7:00-8:15pm ET
  • Part 2: Thursday, October 28th, 7:00-8:15pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $15/program (both sessions)

Participants are encouraged to attend both parts to get the most out of the workshop. Please let us know in advance if you are unable to attend both parts.

About Jamie Katz

Jamie Katz
Jamie Katz is an aspiring social psychologist whose past research has focused on the effects of experiencing awe. She is a DC area native who currently works at American University, and she graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia. Jamie will pursue a graduate degree in psychology so that she can continue to research healing practices and interventions through a deeper understanding of the brain’s processes of experiencing emotions and social connections.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series 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 Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.