“Nature gets into our souls and opens doors to hidden parts of ourselves.” ~ Pamela Heyd

September 14 - 18, 2022

REGISTRATION for 2022 IS NOW CLOSED!

STAY TUNED FOR OUR ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2023 SCHEDULE
Welcome beautiful, creative souls...
THANK YOU for visiting the page to check out our upcoming retreat.​
​On This page you will find information about the September 2022 Sacred Makers Soul Retreat @ Squam Lake in New Hampshire. 
This is a gathering of MAKERS & MYSTICS who are ready for a life affirming, soul soothing journey within.
We hope you will join us! 

Wednesday September 14 - Sunday September 18, 2022

Below you will find the offerings for September 2022. Please read carefully and make sure this is the right retreat for you. 
This is an intimate retreat experience where we limit each class to 12 students per day. We will have most of the campus available to us so we can spread out appropriately.
IMPORTANT: Making the decision to attend a Sacred Makers event should always be a highly personal choice. There is so much to consider — even under the best of times. With concern about being exposed to COVID-19 and all of its variants added into the mix, we trust you will follow the wisdom of your heart. If you have any discomfort about the idea of being in a group environment, please honor that feeling and wait for a future session. Your comfort is essential to a joyful and restorative experience.
It’s a simple thing, really — we throw some clothes in a suitcase, blow a kiss to our loved ones and head to the lake. What isn’t so easy is how to describe the experience which is why it can be helpful to hear from those who previously attended Elizabeth Duvivier's Squam Art Workshops (the lineage of Sacred Makers Soul Retreat). Use the link to read the recaps people share. While we hope our gathering will be unique, it will still include time for play and creative self-expression, space for reflection, a chance to create lasting friendships, and the privilege to experience a most exquisite place in the natural world.
And of course, don’t forget the EXTRAS including dreamy yoga classes, make & takes, stitch-and-mix circles, and conversations about how to make a living selling your handmade goods or teaching your techniques.
2022 REGISTRATION CLOSED

Your September 2022 Teachers

Here are the teachers who have committed to gathering with us at the Lake in September 2022. The photos do not necessarily represent the exact item you'll leave with, but give you the essence of what they plan to share with you and the kind of SACRED MAKER with whom you get to work. These teachers are listed in alphabetical order by last name. More details for each class can be found by clicking the title of the class you are curious about. 
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Emma Freeman
intuitive artist, poet, teacher, deep diver
CLASS TITLE
Create Earth Body Books: Sacred & Somatic Stitching in Tactile Handmade Journals
PictureKiala Givehand
Intuitive Guide, Poet, and
SoulCollage® Facilitator & Trainer
CLASS TITLE
Deep Discovery: An Introduction to the Powerful & Transformational Process of SoulCollage®
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Roben-Marie Smith
Mixed Media Abstract Artist, Art Courses Teacher & Art Journaler
CLASS TITLE
Mixed Media Meet Up
2022 REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Your Guides on This Adventure

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Damon Givehand
Yogi & Author
Kiala Givehand
LifeAlchemist & Multi-Passionate Creative

Damon & Kiala Givehand

Kiala and Damon have been best friends for more than 35 years, a couple for 21 years, and married for 17. 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. 

September 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 2022 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: 

Lisa Shepard, The Maker

Writer, Designer, Teacher, Fabric Collector
Lisa Shepard Stewart is a writer and designer based in New Jersey.  In her books, African Accents: Fabrics and Crafts to Decorate Your Home and Global Expressions: Decorating with Fabrics from Around the World, Lisa encourages others to express themselves creatively through culturally relevant techniques and materials. She published her third book, African Accents On The Go! Designing Accessories with Cultural Style in June 2007, and in 2011 began publishing FABRIGASM magazine, for Lovers of African Textiles.
​Lisa offers classes and events internationally, and travels to Ghana to source artists, fabrics and materials. She also organizes and hosts SewJourns to Ghana, Colorado, New Mexico and other fun destinations.
Lisa has written for various web sites, and trade and consumer publications. and has demonstrated several projects & techniques on HGTV , and its sister network, DIY, along with Discovery Channel and sewing & quilting programs on PBS.
She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City with a Bachelors degree in Marketing and an Associate degree in Communications.
Lisa opened Cultured Expressions first studio location in downtown Rahway, NJ in December 2017. Lisa's obsession with African textiles began in 1986, during a trip to Senegal, West Africa.  In addition to sewing and fabric collecting, she is a part-time vegetarian whose other interests include travel, entertaining, holistic health, and yoga. Connect with Lisa on Instagram. 

Colleen Attara, The Artist

Storyteller, Photographer, Mixed Media Artist
Colleen Attara is a mixed-media artist who finds goodness in the pieces left behind. She is a storyteller, a treasure hunter and has designed a line of greeting cards and prints that are sold in stores across the country and in Canada.She is passionate about giving people spaces to hold their stories through old books, thread and gesso.  Colleen can usually be found in her studio cottage in the middle of a historic farm in beautiful Bucks County, PA. Music is always playing inside and her hands and heart are working instinctually while her mind quiets. She adores thread and knows that it is “the tangles that hold us close”.
Colleen’s work on healing and altered books have been published in a London medical journal. She has written several articles for Stampington Magazines and her studio was recently featured in “Where Women Create” magazine. Her artwork is in private collections across the United States and Europe and her public installations are in hospitals and schools in the northeast.
Colleen and her husband recently sold most of what they own and relocated to the small city of Lambertville, NJ so they can walk everywhere. Connect with her on Instagram. 

All the details you need...

Expand for More Juicy Details

Important to note

  • Our location is the beautifully majestic RDC at Squam Lake in Holderness, New Hampshire.
  • We have a stellar lineup of TEN amazing fiber arts and mixed media teachers.
  • Seating is limited.
  • 10 Core Teachers
  • We will have the Deephaven side of the campus mostly to ourselves during our retreat. 
  • You will have access to daily Yoga sessions with Damon Givehand.​​
  • Kiala & Damon Givehand are co-creating a safe, sacred, and special experience for all who attend.
  • Conversations around to the ways creativity and our connection to the divine / nature / the mystical inform one another.
  • A balance of fiber arts and mixed media arts (and a look at where the two intersect). 
  • Interactive discussions about the business of being a maker.
  • An Artist in Residence AND a Maker in Residence with an emphasis on restoring, renewing, and reconnecting. 
  • ​Optional create & chat opportunities.
PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU REGISTER

Please Note:

Due to the need for social distancing, we are creating the space needed for social distancing.
  • There will be a maximum of one hundred and eight attendees and no more than 11 people in most classes at each of the sessions. We will have most of the campus available to us so we can spread out appropriately.
  • We will host a ‘pop-up’ market for teachers and attendees who want to sell some of their work, art, and crafts. This is a very informal "event" and only for the people who are taking part in the weekend gathering and those staying at RDC during our time there. 
IMPORTANT: Making the decision to attend the Sacred Makers Soul Retreat is a highly personal experience. There is a great deal to consider — even under the best of times. With concern about being exposed to COVID-19 added into the mix, we trust you will follow the wisdom of your heart. If you have any discomfort about the idea of being in a group environment, please honor that prompt and wait for a future year. Your comfort is essential to a joyful and restorative experience. 
Please take time to review the RDC Website for updates on the expectations . CLICK HERE for more info. 
The SCHEDULE
A more detailed, time driven schedule will be provided on or before July 1, 2022. There will be a variety of optional activities (see sample schedule below) for you to attend should you want a little extra time with your peers, teachers, and the Artist & Maker in Residence. For now, here's what you should know: 
  • Wednesday is arrival day. Registration begins at 2pm. 
    • Dinner is from 5:30 to 6:30pm
    • Opening Ceremony is from 7pm to 8pm
  • Thursday & Friday look the same
    • Breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:30
    • Classes begin at 9am
    • Lunch is from 12:15 to 1:15
    • Classes resume at 1:30 and end at 3:30
    • Yoga is from 4:15pm to 5pm
    • Dinner is from 6pm to 7pm
  • Saturday is a free / adventure day / art market day
    • Breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:30
    • ​Vedic Chanting with Damon from 9AM to 10AM
    • Lunch is from 12:15 to 1:15
    • Our group photo is at 1:30pm ON THE DOT
    • Yoga is from 4:15pm to 5pm
    • Dinner is from 6pm to 7pm
    • Closing Ceremony is from 7:30pm to 8:30pm
  • Sunday is our final day together
    • Breakfast is from 7:30am to 8:30am
    • Check-out is 11am
Some of the optional activities may include a make-and-take session, Vedic chanting with Damon, a knitting circle, a mixed media open studio, a panel discussion on The Business of Being a Maker, Earth Mandalas, open mic night, and a few others we are bouncing around.
Location & travel info
HOW DO I GET THERE?
​RDC is approximately 2.5 hrs from Boston, MA and 1 hour north of Concord, NH.

Driving Directions: Take I-93 to Exit 24 in Ashland, NH.
Take a Right off the Highway and follow US Route 3 & 25 east (approx. 4.2 miles) to Holderness. Take a Left on NH Route 113 just before the Holderness Bridge (Walter´s Basin Restaurant).
Travel northeast on Route 113 for 5.0 miles to Pinehurst Road. “Rockywold Deephaven Camps” sign is on the right.
Take a Right on Pinehurst Road and continue for 0.6 mile and take a right at the main entrance (Armstrong Road).

WHERE IS THE CLOSEST AIRPORT?
Manchester Airport in Manchester, NH, is 1hr 15 mins away by car and a big hub for Southwest Airlines.
Logan Airport in Boston, MA is about 2.5 hours away by car.
Rental cars are available at both airports, or check out the shuttle services below.

IS THERE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT?
Below is contact information for a local shuttle service. Please contact them directly to arrange transportation.
Lakes Region Airport Shuttle  603.286.8181

Concord Trailways has very limited service to Center Harbor, NH, which is 15 minutes away from Squam Lake. If you choose this option we can work with you to arrange a ride to campus.

HOW DO I ARRANGE CARPOOLING OR MAKE CONTACT WITH OTHER SACRED MAKERS?
All registered participants will have the option to join a free and private group on Mighty Network.  This is a fabulous place to ask questions, meet new friends, and make arrangements for carpooling.

DRIVING DISTANCES (APPROXIMATE)
Boston, MA 2.5 hours
Portsmouth, NH 1.5 hours
Hartford, CT 3.5 hours
New York City, NY 6 hours
Montreal, Canada 4 hours
Closest Airport is Manchester, NH (MHT)
Also check out a Google map of the area.
Pricing
PRICES SEPTEMBER SESSION 2022
Pricing for the retreat ranges from $1590 USD to $2240 USD depending on the lodging you select. 
This will include all workshops, evening events, Saturday extras, 4 nights lodging, full meal plan (dinner on Wednesday, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday). 
You will have the option to book a private space, a shared cabin with private room, or a shared room in a shared cabin. And we have a few spots for OFF-Campus attendees. You have an option to break your payment in two.

NOTE: Also, there will not be any one-day classes available. This is a five-day retreat and we are not able to offer any partial attendance at this time. Thank you for your kind understanding.

Cancellation Policy:  No refunds after July 15th, 2022. Deposits ($750 of your payment) are non-refundable and non-transferable (means you may not apply them to other offerings or transfer them to another attendee). There are no exceptions. All requests for refunds must be received in writing before July 15th, 2022. In the case of acts of God, war, disaster or unforeseen circumstances, Healing Arts Creative Studio LLC reserves the right to reschedule The Sacred Makers Soul Retreat. In the event of a resurgence of the pandemic which requires a cancellation of the event, we will refund ALL monies paid to date, minus a 300 USD admin fee. 
FAQs
WITH REGARD TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WILL YOU AND RDC BE FOLLOWING LOCAL, STATE AND CDC GUIDELINES?
Yes. Please read the section above that says "PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU REGISTER"

MAY I BRING A GUEST WHO IS NOT TAKING CLASSES?
Yes. $900 is the cost of room and board for the non-participant(s). It includes lodging and all meals. 

WHAT ELSE OF INTEREST IS NEARBY FOR MY GUEST/FAMILY TO SEE AND DO WHILE I’M IN CLASS?
Check out the list on the RDC website. This includes area galleries, attractions, dining options, etc.

WHERE’S THE NEAREST…?
Please note that RDC has an on-campus store (with limited hours) where you can get your cappuccino, sun screen, bug spray, soda, toiletries, snacks and sweatshirts.
ATM and Gas -- Merrill’s Convenience Store in Holderness
General Store for snack, beer, wine and sundries -- Squam Lake Marketplace, Holderness
Grocery Store -- Bob’s Shurfine in Ashland (exit 24 Rt 93), Heath’s in Center Harbor or Hannaford’s in Meredith
Pharmacy -- Rite-Aide in Meredith

WHAT ABOUT MEALS? I HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES / I AM VEGETARIAN/VEGAN.
RDC is prepared to cater to various food allergies such as gluten or lactose-intolerance. Meals are offered buffet-style and always have a wide variety of options, including a huge organic salad bar with all the fixings. If in doubt about a dish, the staff is very helpful about asking the chef about the ingredients. In the past, many of our attendees have been gluten-free and have raved about the food. Contact us if you have major concerns.

WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE? WHAT CLOTHES SHOULD I BRING?
​Weather in NH can vary wildly in the course of a single day, from cold to hot and back to cold again. So, bring layers. You’ll likely have a hoodie on in the morning, take that off in the afternoon, and don a fleece or jacket once evening sets. Sneakers are your best bet for footwear, but also bring something for your feet in case of rain. And speaking of rain, you’ll want an anorak or rain jacket with a hood on hand as well as an umbrella to ensure that it doesn’t rain ;-). For sleeping, consider warm socks, pjs and/or sweats, and a bathrobe for snuggling up in front of the fire with your new friends. Although the down comforters will keep you warm and cozy, cabins are not insulated. Some attendees bring a knit hat to sleep in. And dare we suggest a bathing suit?

WHAT OTHER THINGS SHOULD I BRING?
Flashlight (with extra batteries) is a must-have. Also consider: camera, alarm clock, small reading light, ear plugs, bug repellant, bottle opener, hat, phone charger, travel mug (for coffee or tea from the dining hall or in your cabin), snacks (there is no cafe on campus for in-between meals). Cabins have small iceboxes (not refrigerators), but no microwaves. You may bring your own small coffee maker or electric tea kettle for early morning/late evening beverages. Don’t forget the fixings (honey, creamer, etc.)! The paths between classrooms and cabins are lovely and blanketed with pine needles, but not paved, so a rolling cart for your art supplies would be tough to manage. We suggest a backpack or carryall bag.

MAY I SHIP MY ART SUPPLIES AHEAD OF TIME?
You are welcome to ship your materials ahead to NH so you can travel more easily. Please follow the instructions below:
Address your box clearly to:
YOU, c/o Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, 18 Bacon Rd, Holderness, NH 03245
For all shipping, YOUR NAME and Sacred Makers Retreat must be clearly indicated so they know to hold it aside for you. Please do not ship your materials more than three weeks before your session begins. Our storage space is limited! This bit is important: to ship things home again you must repack your box so it can be shipped directly from RDC. We will not have any shipping materials for you, so put them in the box you ship out. All boxes to be shipped must be left at the RDC office packed and ready to go. Once the box is in the mail we will send you a bill by email.

MAY I ATTEND JUST ONE DAY, ONE WORKSHOP OR AN EVENING EVENT?
There are no one-day classes available or single events available. This is a five-day retreat and we are not able to offer any partial attendance at this time. You are welcome to come to the art marketplace on Saturday from 11am to 12pm and support our teachers and vending participants. Thank you for your kind understanding.

WHAT CONTACT INFORMATION SHOULD I LEAVE FOR MY FAMILY?
The main number for the Rockywold Office is 603.968.3313. Cell phone reception at RDC is fairly good. Wireless is available in most locations. Also, leave them with the RDC website.

IS THIS JUST FOR WOMEN?
No. Don’t let the photos fool you. Although it is true that the majority of people who are likely to attend the Sacred Makers Soul Retreat @ Squam Lake will identify as female, we hope to have more men at every session as we grow. We welcome EVERYONE and look forward to the growing diversity every year. To be clear, Sacred Makers Soul Retreat @ Squam Lake is open to all loving souls. 

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. 

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 (We're looking at you Elizabeth D.).

​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 in June 2022 to meet you on the path. 
Let's gather...soul to soul...and create...
xo
​Kiala & Damon