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, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Erin Price, LICSW

YA Trivia Night
Looking for more opportunities to connect socially with other young adult cancer survivors? Join us for our monthly social. This month we will be hosting virtual trivia night – come test your luck and meet other young adults.

YA Social Hour will be hosted monthly on Fridays from 6:00-7:00pm. Each month will have a new “theme” – please see below for the currently scheduled social hours.

  • December 18 – Trivia Night

DC Young Adult Cancer Community: https://youngadultcancerdc.org/

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 Ravenna Raven

Seasonal by Ravenna Raven

If you’re a good listener, people will trust you with their stories. The Good Listening Project is a nonprofit that promotes cultures of listening to support healing. In this interactive workshop, Listener Poet Ravenna Raven will share tips about her process from starting a conversation with a stranger to creating a poem for them, and will invite you to try these techniques with someone else in the group.

Suggested Donation: $10

About Ravenna Raven

Ravenna Raven

Ravenna Raven is a poet, educator, and sewing artist living in Washington, D.C. She spent her childhood in a 250-year-old farmhouse in rural New Jersey, reading and writing stories to entertain herself. While studying poetry as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, she began developing and teaching courses for creative writing, reading development, and inquiry research. Ravenna is a listener poet with a nonprofit that promotes good listening in hospitals and healing spaces while supporting patient and staff wellbeing and the humanization of healthcare. Her upcoming projects will combine her love of language with a passion for sewing and garment design to create custom, one-of-a-kind wearable poems.

About The Good Listening Project

The Good Listening Project

The Good Listening Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps build cultures of good listening to support resilience and healing in healthcare systems. Our Listener Poets speak with people in healthcare settings and write custom poetry based on these conversations.

Why We Listen

By modeling good listening and writing poems, we help people feel safe, human, and heard. By publishing and promoting the poems and stories of our participants, we seek to highlight the humanity within the healthcare system.

We also host webinars and interactive workshops about how to be a good listener. The organic ripple effect of good listening fundamentally shifts how it feels to work and receive care at a hospital.

We envision a more resilient world where all people experience connection and belonging.

https://www.goodlistening.org/

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 Erin Price, LICSW

Pictionary
Looking for more opportunities to connect socially with other young adult cancer survivors? Join us for our monthly social. This month we will be hosting virtual Pictionary – come test your luck and meet other young adults.

YA Social Hour will be hosted monthly on Fridays from 6:00-7:00pm. Each month will have a new “theme” – please see below for the currently scheduled social hours.

  • November 20 – Pictionary Night
  • December 18 – Trivia Night

DC Young Adult Cancer Community: https://youngadultcancerdc.org/

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

Artwork by Carolina Mayorga

Part 3: The Fundamentals of Drawing (November 2, 6:30-8:00pm)

This workshop based on Surrealism, will be an opportunity to learn about fundamental concepts of drawing and 2D media. Assignments will include observational drawing and experimentation with different materials and techniques that will expand your visual vocabulary and will help you discover your inner talents. Hope you join us!

Materials: 
  • Paper of any kind/size
  • Any kind of pen, pencil or marker
  • A few interesting objects that you would like to draw (the more detailed, intricate and textured, the better!)

Suggested Donation: $10

 

And, join us next week for Part 4: The Fundamentals of Sculpture (November 9, 6:30-8:00pm)

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

with Carolina Mayorga

Artwork by Carolina Mayorga

Part 4: The Fundamentals of Sculpture (November 9, 6:30-8:00pm)

Participants in this workshop will learn fundamental concepts of tridimensional art by creating their own dwelling based on the concepts and techniques used for the creation of my video sculpture for ACEPTAR. Experimentation with different materials and improvisation will be encouraged. Hope to see you soon!

Materials: 
  • Cardboard
  • Photographs
  • Magazines
  • Glue
  • Any kind of paint
  • Any other item or material you would like to add to your building!

Suggested Donation: $10

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/

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.

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.

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

with Project Knitwell

Knitwell in the Cloud

You’ve been knitting with Project Knitwell volunteers and you miss them … and they miss you!

And during these stressful times, we need knitting now more than ever.

Project Knitwell volunteers invite you to join a private, one-on-one knitting session, via Zoom. It’s a new 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? 40 minutes.

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.

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, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Erin Price, LICSW

Bingo Night
Looking for more opportunities to connect socially with other young adult cancer survivors? Join us for our monthly social. This month we will be hosting virtual BINGO – come test your luck and meet other young adults.

YA Social Hour will be hosted monthly on Fridays from 6:00-7:00pm. Each month will have a new “theme” – please see below for the currently scheduled social hours.

  • October 23 – BINGO Night
  • November 20
  • December 18

DC Young Adult Cancer Community: https://youngadultcancerdc.org/

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 Liz Lescault

InterPlay

Could you use more community, support and ease in your life?

In times of stress it is important to stay connected with loved ones, to be in a supportive community, to reach out and to share with others. It is also vital to build our inner connections and strengths that nurture self care, self love and self acceptance.

We will share, reflect and listen deeply to others. We will move, tell our personal stories, laugh, play and sometimes share deeper concerns. We will witness, honor, and celebrate whatever is shared.

During each session we will have time to be in conversation, gaining support and reassurance from others. We will also explore alternative ways of expressing our concerns and moving stress out of our bodies through easeful movement and playful interchange.

We will build opportunities for self expression and creative solutions in our daily lives.

Growing Connections will be offered on October 15 & 29 from 7:00 – 8:15pm ET. Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions.

About Liz Lescault

Liz Lescault, a visual artist and sculptor, has practiced and taught art for over 40 years. Liz is Coordinator of the DC InterPlay Metro Region and is a member of the DC InterPlay Board. Liz leads Open Gathering days for InterPlay DC and organizes and leads workshops regionally and nationally.

Liz melds her art, teaching and personal philosophy with InterPlay wisdom, tools and forms.

Formerly, Liz, was a hotline crisis counselor, for various suicide prevention lifelines and The Trevor Project providing help for LGBTQ youth in crisis.

Liz also led InterPlay for elders with chronic illness and cognitive disabilities at Iona Senior Center up to the Covid shutdown and is looking forward to leading online programs for Smith Center for Healing and the Arts.

https://www.lizlescault.com/home