Inspiration Point Center for the Arts in Eureka Springs is proud to announce a new creative arts therapy program being offered free of charge to U.S. military veterans and spouses of veterans. The three-day Veterans Creative Arts Retreat will take place Friday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Aug. 6.
The program is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Arts Council and Arvest Bank. All program components including meals and lodging will be provided at no cost to participants. The retreat begins at 4 p.m. Aug.4 and concludes at 6 p.m. Aug. 6.
This unique program to Northwest Arkansas offers veterans a valuable opportunity to channel their thoughts, emotions and feelings by way of artistic expression, while exploring different creative arts options to find the art form that suits them best. Creative arts therapy does not require participants to have any special artistic ability and is particularly useful for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings verbally.
The free three-day retreat will allow participants to sample drama therapy, music therapy, and visual art therapy through guided activities led by registered creative arts therapists.
Held primarily on the Inspiration Point campus, also home to Opera in the Ozarks, located five miles west of Eureka Springs at 16311 Highway 62 West, the three-day retreat will include lodging in a private room with a shared bath, all meals and a hands-on afternoon at the nearby Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA). Evening entertainment will include performances from Soldier Songs and Voices of Northwest Arkansas and other performers.
“While this program is not intended as a ‘fix’ for problems, it is a sampler of creative arts strategies that the participants may find worth pursuing,” said Nancy Preis, IPCA executive director. “Inspiration Point Center for the Arts is dedicated to lifelong learning of music and allied arts. Its principal program is Opera in the Ozarks, which is just completing its 72nd season of superb opera performances.”
Featured programming during the retreat will focus on three sessions: Play World, Music World and Art World.
Facilitated by board-certified drama therapist Lisa Tricomi, the Play World session begins with exercises designed to get participants to work together, fostering spontaneity, relationship building, and improvisation. The second half of the session moves into deeper play, with participants ultimately working in groups to create their own “play.”
Facilitated by board-certified music therapist Natalie Wlodarczyk, the Music World session also explores how improvisation plays a part in personal growth. Participants will take part in group drumming and improvise with a variety of other simple instruments. With Wlodarczyk’s help, participants will also improvise with songwriting. These experiences will result in improved mood and group cohesion as evidenced by smiling, laughing, verbal sharing, and positive interactions with others.
Facilitated by transformational art therapist Barbara Vaughan, the Art World session will help participants to face their monster, build their strength shield, figure out who their “troops” are, and what they’re fighting for.
Participants will have an opportunity to play with different visual art mediums and then, after lunch, they’ll go to the nearby Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA) to make something with the help of an expert artist. Four ESSA workshop options will be on offer, each of which will focus on making something participants can take home as their own creation. Transportation to ESSA will be provided.
To register for this free three-day retreat, or for more information, call 479-2538595. Capacity is limited, so early registration by July 28 is recommended.
