THE DESERT WILL BLOOM RETREAT

The Desert Will Bloom Retreat for  Writers, Actors, Musicians, and All Art Enthusiasts

June 27 – July 5, 2009

Join us for an extraordinary 9 days of music-writing-and drama in the heart of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, a place of austere yet entrancing beauty and mystic magnetism. Its silence resounds with echoes of ancient native cultures. The Institute grounds and William Sears Memorial Pavilion lend themselves to long nature walks and meditative contemplation. There is a large scenic swimming pool to cool off in and lounge around. All facilities are air-conditioned. This will be an interactive workshop that will involve the arts in a general way as well as the development of the arts in service to the Faith. We will learn about specific art forms and also the collaboration of writing, performance, production, and post-production.

Anne Gordon Perry, writer, teacher, and performer with a PhD in aesthetic studies, will speak on the convergence of art and religion and give workshops in movement, writing, and theatre games. She will also share insights about Bahá’í artists and visionaries such as Roger White, Juliet Thompson, and Sarah Farmer, as well as present material on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s travels and influence in America.

Jaine Toth, dramatist, will speak on Creativity as Worship and present workshops on how to integrate the arts into our community life, focusing on developing eloquence and weaving poetry and dramatic elements into presentations for firesides, public meetings, Feasts, and Holy Days.

It's never too late to register.