June 5 - 9, 2024
Your June 2024 Teachers
Colleen Attara
CLASS FOCUS: Visual Storytelling 
Deanna Strachan-Wilson
CLASS FOCUS: Collaged Portraits |
Tiffany Smith
CLASS FOCUS: Eco Dyeing |
Cindy Gilstrap
CLASS FOCUS: Painted & Stitched Collage 
Rachel Barclay
CLASS: Sashiko AND Hanafukin Flower Cloth |
Your Guides on This Adventure
Damon Givehand
Yogi & Author Kiala Givehand LifeAlchemist & Multi-Passionate Creative |
Damon & Kiala GivehandKiala and Damon have been best friends for more than 36 years, a couple for 23 years, and married for 19. They have birthed many things together, raised their nephew as their son, hosted several in-person transformational retreats, and taught online courses on self-discovery and cultivating happiness.
Damon is a yogi, author, and mystic who resonates deeply with Vedic chanting. He spends his time studying ancient texts, practicing yoga, and writing. Kiala is a poet, bookbinder, seeker, and Life & Creative Alchemist. She guides women through creative and spiritual awakening and supports them on their journey back to themselves. Together they create safe spaces for humans to do the beautiful and messy work of shedding old stories, healing, and connecting to the Divine within. |
June 2024 Artist & Maker in Residence
In an effort to open the discussion around the intersection of Mixed Media and Fiber Arts, we have invited two amazing artists who are pillars in their industries. Our Artist & Maker program is designed to foster conversations across the gaps in the creative industry. Please join us in celebrating, honoring, and experiencing the creative expressions of:
Maker -- Kymona Tracey
Kymona Tracey
Quilter, Weaver, Crafter Kymona Tracey is a quilter, crafter, and writer who has been blogging at Kreative Kymona since 2013. By day, Kymona works full-time at a hospital and has a background in public health. In addition to quilting and sewing, she also dabbles in leather crafting, weaving, and wood carving. Kymona has been making cards and papercrafting since 2004 and has been published in Craft Stamper Magazine and was a monthly contributor for Die Cut Crazy Magazine. As a frequent collaborator with the quilt industry businesses, Kymona is a BERNINA Ambassador and a contributing writer for Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine and Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine. She was also an Aurifil Artisan. Kymona lives in New York and is a proud single mother of two beautiful children. You can follow her crafting adventures on Instagram @ kreativekymona.
We hope you get the opportunity to connect with Kymona at the lake this June. She has a beautiful energy around creating and creativity. She recently started making her own furniture and learning to weave. |
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The maker in residence program is our way of pouring into the community of creatives who give generously of their time, energy, gifts, talents, and passions.
They show up in beautiful ways in order to promote their industry, inspire others, and represent the voices that may otherwise not be seen or heard. Those selected are given an opportunity come to the retreat and use it as a time of respite and renewal or as a time to learn something new and work on their own projects. |
Why Sacred Makers?
The short version is rather simple -- creativity is abundant. It always has been, always is and always will be. Every soul on this planet is creative (yes, animals and creatures too). The act of making something with your hands infuses your energy into the thing being made. Whether you do that intentionally or not, it IS happening.
Sacred Makers understand this and are also aware that this energy transfer can be mundane or it can be magical. We can intentionally infuse our love, light, kindness, compassion, fear, anger, frustration, joy, calm, peace, and everything else into a blanket, scarf, shirt, skein of yarn, yard of fabric, painting, weaving, or the pages of a handmade book. We are that powerful.
If we treat it as a sacred act, every stroke becomes ethereal and has the ability to shift the energy, mood, and disposition of the person who gets to come into contact with it. That's what sacred making is all about. We can shift the energy of the world with our hands.
Sacred Makers understand this and are also aware that this energy transfer can be mundane or it can be magical. We can intentionally infuse our love, light, kindness, compassion, fear, anger, frustration, joy, calm, peace, and everything else into a blanket, scarf, shirt, skein of yarn, yard of fabric, painting, weaving, or the pages of a handmade book. We are that powerful.
If we treat it as a sacred act, every stroke becomes ethereal and has the ability to shift the energy, mood, and disposition of the person who gets to come into contact with it. That's what sacred making is all about. We can shift the energy of the world with our hands.
Why Squam Lake?
In 2021 Damon and I made our way to the lake and needless to say, it was life changing for us both. It's still hard for us to describe the experience we had. From the way nature welcomed us and held us so beautifully, to the transformative conversations we had with students, teachers, and partners who braved the trip with their loved ones. It was a unique experience that afforded us the time to create, contemplate, and reflect. We made beautiful relationships that we are sure will last a lifetime.
It was both an honor and a privilege to spend time in such an exquisite place where we felt the energy of the natural world all around us. And with the same energy, we return to the Lake over and over to meet you on the path.
Let's gather...soul to soul...and create...
xo
Kiala & Damon
It was both an honor and a privilege to spend time in such an exquisite place where we felt the energy of the natural world all around us. And with the same energy, we return to the Lake over and over to meet you on the path.
Let's gather...soul to soul...and create...
xo
Kiala & Damon