September 24 | noon – 4 pm
$35 | Financial support available (contact us)
12 participants max
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Wild Art is a form of dialogue between you and the world beyond your skin; a means of expressing what you sense inside yourself and what you attune to around you. We will first engage in a sensory awareness practice, then go onto the land to be in conversation with the plants, animals, and wild elements. Utilizing the ancient art form of the mandala, we will create our own expressions of wholeness, attentiveness, and relationship to the Wild, inside, and out.

Things to bring: Clothing layers, to stay comfortable outdoors for several hours. A sit pad or camp chair, and a pole or walking stick if needed. A journal if you wish to make notes, illustrations, or reflections.

Physical requirements: Participants should be able to get up and down from the ground, and to wander on the land. The pathways we will be traveling on are relatively flat with some slight incline and decline. The surface is primarily grass and compacted dirt. Depending upon where each decides to wander, expect to cover no more than 1/2 to 1 mile over the course of the day.

About the Instructors:

Malia Matteson works as a licensed mental health counselor and has had a diverse career as a wildlife biologist, environmental activist, naturalist-guide, and writer, among other things. She loves creating spaces in which people can connect more deeply to themselves, other humans, and the more-than-human world through art and movement. Cumulatively, she has lived in Vermont for over 35 years. She recently relocated to Oregon.

Em Sloan has worked at North Branch Nature Center for 15 years, and has over 25 years experience in the environmental nonprofit sector. Along the way, beginning early in life on a farm, Em incorporated her artistic expression through the eye of a camera lens, eventually receiving an MFA in visual art. Through life experience as an art educator, a LNA in home health, a massage practitioner, and holistic health provider, Em continues to explore the intersectionality of art with social and environmental justice issues – as an attempt to build authentic connection and relationship with our human, animal, and plant family.

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