Art & Wellness Retreat
Art & Wellness Retreat
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Yoga • Clay Art • Sound Bath • Mindful Living • T’ai Chi • Nature Walk • Ayurveda
Music Therapy • Zentangle Drawing • Keynote Speaker
- Daylong activities beginning with the 8:15 check-in
- Attendees will choose up to five experience sessions to attend throughout the day
- Lunch is provided for all attendees
- Read about the sessions and the exciting lineup of professionals that will lead each experience
- Specific session experience times are being confirmed. Watch for details!
Daylong Art & Wellness Retreat
Spend a rejuvenating day at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, where creativity and wellness come together in a peaceful, inspiring setting. This one-day retreat invites you to slow down, reconnect, and explore practices that nurture both mind and body- no prior experience needed.
Choose from a variety of sessions and curate a day that speaks to you. Offerings may include Yoga + Art, mindful meditation, sound bath, Ayurveda, apothecary and herbal remedies, Tai Chi, pottery, spirit collage, grounding and tapping practices, and a guided nature walk through the Cedarhurst Sculpture Park.
Keynote Speaker: Benjamin Lowder, professional sacred geometry artist and Director of the Fuller Dome at SIU-E.
Whether you’re seeking relaxation, creative inspiration, or simply a meaningful day away, this retreat offers space to explore, restore, and connect.
-Featured Experiences-
Keynote Speaker
Benjamin Lowder will present an insightful talk about his artwork, art making practice and share a personal testimony of how creating art has led to healthier, happier life.
Benjamin Lowder’s artwork reconstitutes aged wood and vintage signs, embracing sacred geometry to build new crystalline patterns and structures. Inspired by architecture and semiotics, Lowder showcases the history of his aged materials to construct contemporary spiritual objects.
“I make this artwork to draw people’s awareness to Nature’s sacred geometry by expressing the forms and patterns that are the universal building blocks of material growth. This matrix of geometry naturally occurs as the total collective of ideas crystalizes and draws balance out of chaos. Aligning our thoughts and creations to these elemental forces will put us on an evolutionary path toward an abundant future. We are working together here and now to ensure that this potential future is brought into existence.” – Benjamin Lowder
Artist at Benjamin Lowder
Board Member at Bucky’s Dome Home
Center Director at SIUE Fuller Dome
Founder at Cherokee Street Gallery
Resonance & Renewal: A Sound Bath Experience
Tammy Koontz is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance–certified yoga teacher with an additional 72 hours of sound healing training. Her calming sound bath experience uses the soothing vibrations of Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and other therapeutic instruments to help quiet the mind, relax the body, and support nervous system balance.
Participants are invited to lie down comfortably, breathe deeply, and allow the resonant frequencies to guide them into a state of peaceful rest, reset, and deep relaxation.
Mindful Living: Meditative Arts
Immerse yourself in one hour of YOU as a work of art! Bonnie will guide you through simple practices rooted in mindfulness and artfulness. If we are what we create in life, let’s dig in and see what’s wanting to be expressed.
Bonnie Burton is passionate about every person being able to express themselves without judgement or limitations. Bonnie has studied the mindbodysoul connection through degrees in art, psychology and religious study and certifications in fitness leadership, spiritual direction and mindfulness meditation. In the end, the messy beauty of human life has been her greatest teacher.
Read more about Bonnie’s background and her offerings at: www.soulintheworld.org
and
www.centerforlostarts.org
Chakra Flow: Yoga & Color Expression
Explore the connection between movement, energy, and creativity in this gentle, all-levels session. We’ll begin with a brief introduction to the chakra energy centers and their associated colors, followed by a Vinyasa Flow yoga practice designed to awaken the body and mind. Beginners will learn foundational poses, while experienced students are welcome to modify and move at their own pace. After a short cool down, Shavasana, and guided meditation, you’ll translate the energy and emotions you experienced into a small, intuitive painting inspired by the colors of the chakras. No art or yoga experience needed—just come ready to move, relax, and create.
Meet Kris:
Kris discovered yoga while recovering from Stage IV cancer and found deep healing through movement and breath. Now an RYT, he teaches accessible, energizing classes helping students connect with strength, resilience, and self-care.
Meet Brandon:
Brandon is a mixed-media artist working in paint, collage, and 2D/3D materials. A Cedarhurst Docents Committee member, he leads gallery and sculpture park tours and has exhibited work at the Cedarhurst Craft Fair and Christmas Market.
Hike In Slow Motion
Jen Wharton is a macro-nature photographer, artist, and educator who believes in the therapeutic power of reclaiming the connections between humans and the natural world. Jen will lead an interpretive gentle walk through the woods on Cedarhurst’s campus where participants will exercise their eyes and minds to expand their attention to the magical details we often stroll right past. Interested participants will have the opportunity to learn a few beginner-friendly photography tips on light and composition. Jen will provide guidance for ethical collection of natural objects, and participants will spend the second portion of the session creating individual mandala arrangements with their natural treasures to photograph and release back into the woods.
Mindful Doodling: The Art of Zentangle
Discover the simple, relaxing practice of Zentangle drawing—no artistic experience required. In this playful session, you’ll explore a variety of fun lines, patterns, and marks (perfect for anyone who “can’t draw a straight line”—because straight lines are boring anyway!). We’ll practice building small compositions that turn simple doodles into beautiful designs. Zentangle is an easy way to slow down, put your phone away, and bring a few mindful moments of creativity into everyday life—whether you’re waiting somewhere or taking a short break. You’ll leave with ideas, inspiration, and the tools to make just a few minutes of daily drawing part of a creative, happier routine.
Carrie Stover is Director of the Shrode Art Center at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, where she has worked since 2006. An award-winning arts professional, she was named 2022 Museum Professional of the Year by the Illinois Association of Museums and received the 2024 Outstanding Alumni in Fine Arts award from Murray State University. Stover is a practicing ceramic artist whose work explores themes of womanhood, family, and creativity; she also enjoys creating chalk pastel drawings and teaching art to all ages at Cedarhurst.
Tranquility Collage
Tranquility Collage invites participants to “go to their Happy Place” through a gentle, guided meditation to visualize their own personal haven of tranquility. Participants will then bring their visualization to life through the creation of an intuitive collage, a keepsake which they can use to return to their Happy Place any time they choose.
Laurel Dingman is a Southern Illinois native with a passion for art, healing, nature, and community. She specializes in healing portraiture, a unique experience where meditation meets candid photography.
Supplies for this class have been generously provided by Wildflower Holistic Studio.
The Creative Soul's Toolkit - Foundations for Healing, Well-Being, and Flourishing Creativity
The goal of The Creative Soul’s Toolkit session is to help participants flourish from the inside out by integrating creativity, emotional wellness, and spiritual grounding into daily life. Participants will leave with practical tools they can continue using long after the retreat—tools that support balanced well-being, renewed purpose, and a more compassionate relationship with themselves.
Drawing from expressive arts, somatic grounding, and evidence-based therapeutic practices, Twana will guide participants through a gentle process of creative self-discovery and emotional renewal.
This session offers a restorative space to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the creative spark within. It’s an invitation to step into healing, clarity, and flourishing with intention and grace.
Twana Curry, LCSW, a trauma-informed, faith-rooted online therapist, working in mental health for over 25 years and founder of Curry Counseling Holistic Behavioral Health & Wellness
Clay Wishing Jars
Whenever we feel worried or overwhelmed by anxious thoughts, a wishing jar can be a powerful tool for letting go and shifting our mindset in a positive direction. In this session students will create their own lidded jars out of clay, using textures and patterns of their choice. Once the jars have been fired in the kiln, they can be used to hold small pieces of paper containing written prayers, intentions, or wishes. The act of writing down our thoughts and placing them in a special, handmade container can be both healing and comforting. Finished jars will be fired and ready to be picked-up two weeks after the retreat.
Carrie Stover is Director of the Shrode Art Center at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, where she has worked since 2006. An award-winning arts professional, she was named 2022 Museum Professional of the Year by the Illinois Association of Museums and received the 2024 Outstanding Alumni in Fine Arts award from Murray State University. Stover is a practicing ceramic artist whose work explores themes of womanhood, family, and creativity; she also enjoys creating chalk pastel drawings and teaching art to all ages at Cedarhurst.
Bloom from Within: Somatic Yoga and Reflective Collage
Jess will guide participants through a gentle somatic yoga flow designed to promote relaxation, breath awareness, and connection to the body. This slow, accessible practice includes mindful movement, light stretching, grounding and breath awareness, and a brief guided meditation. The session concludes with creating a colorful flower collage as a reflection of your experience. Using colored paper, magazine clippings, and markers, design a flower where the center represents you in the present moment and each petal represents a sensation, emotion, word, or image noticed during yoga. This creative activity encourages reflection and personal expression – no artistic skill required.
Jessica Ashlock (Jess) is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with over 20 years of experience in mental health and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200). A Mount Vernon native, she is the owner of Worthy Life Wellness counseling practice and HoneyBloom Yoga studio. Jess integrates mindfulness, somatic awareness, and creative expression to help individuals reconnect with themselves through counseling, gentle movement, and reflective practices support whole-person wellness.
Sacred Sound Bath - Sonic Therapy
Sonic Therapy sessions blend gongs, crystal and brass bowls, chimes, drums and intentional space-holding to help participants release stress, soften into their bodies, and tap into a more balanced, grounded state—without overthinking it.
Amanda’s work is known for being equal parts calming and playful, creating spaces that feel welcoming, a little mystical, and fully human. Whether at intimate gatherings, wellness days, or festivals, Girl Gong Wild is all about coming as you are, getting cozy, and letting the sound do the work
Amanda Holm is the creative force behind Girl Gong Wild, offering immersive sonic sound therapy experiences that invite others to slow down, reset, and reconnect. As a certified sonic sound therapist, Amanda has been guiding sound journeys since 2020, with a focus on nervous system regulation and deep, accessible rest and relaxation.
Simple Ayurvedic Practices for Everyday Life
In this session, you’ll learn simple, realistic ways to support your body during the transition into spring using Ayurvedic principles. We’ll explore how digestion, energy, and mood shift with the seasons, and how small daily rituals can help you feel lighter, clearer, and more connected.
Kacy Mugrage is an Ayurveda Wellness Practitioner and Seasonal Living Guide who helps others reconnect with their bodies through simple, practical, and nature-based approaches to health. Drawing from her training in Ayurvedic coaching, counseling, and practice, she shares realistic tools to support digestion, energy, and overall well-being. Kacy is passionate about helping people feel more at home in their bodies through seasonal rhythms, daily rituals, and mindful living.
Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/ayurvedakacy
Website:
https://herbveda.carrd.co/
T'ai Chi
T’ai Chi Ch’uan is a gentle moving exercise that gives students relaxation and movement coordinated with your breath and with a focus on balance and avoiding falls. This session will offer a brief introduction into this gentle exercise to give you a window into this ancient meditative art and the benefits it provides, especially for those getting older.
We will do some of the Eight Pieces of Brocade Warm-Up Exercises and show you the Yang Style Short Form exercise. Moving meditation and breathing make up this gentle exercise for all ages. Often called “moving yoga,” T’ai Chi has shown remarkable health benefits; improving balance, improving leg strength and offering quiet, calming meditation as the form is slowly practiced. T’ai Chi has also shown improved “mind/body” connection during practice.
No special equipment is necessary, simply comfortable shoes and clothes. And all ages and body-types can do this exercise.
Chip Forrester has been teaching T’ai Chi Ch’uan for over 30 years. He makes understanding this exercise form simple and easy for beginners and experienced T’ai Chi practitioners alike.
At the Mt. Vernon YMCA, twice a week, he offers students a 1-hour class for quiet, gentle meditative exercises.
The Healing Power of Music
This session invites you to relax, reconnect, and express yourself through various forms of music. Music therapy gives participants of all experience levels the opportunity to explore their creativity and support their emotional well-being through mindful listening, energetic drumming, or shared music making
Emily Miller, LPMT, MT-BC | SSM Music Therapist is a licensed and board-certified music therapist with almost 10 years of clinical experience. Emily focuses on meeting clients where they are at and truly believes in the healing power of music.
Spring Cleanse & Detox
In this session, attendees will learn how cleansing and detoxification support the body. Shake off the sluggish winter blues while discovering how certain foods can cleanse and energize the body. The discussion will also cover ways to reduce pain and manage seasonal allergies. Participants will enjoy samples of foods and herbal tastings during this informative and engaging session.
Susan Kamil is a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist. Her expertise includes acupressure, herbal medicine, energetic healing, pulse and tongue diagnosis, nutritional counseling, postural alignment, yoga, and more
