Organized by the Portland Underground Grad School.
We lead hectic, disconnected, and busy lives. Even when we are supposed to be relaxing it can feel like we're just trying to check something off our to-do list. Creating Meditative Plant Art is a practice for getting out of that "always-going," goal-oriented mode and slowing down to notice the Sacred in the ordinary all around you.
Through the process of making ephemeral art with mindfully gathered plant materials you can (re)connect with your creative flow, the present moment, your self, and Nature as a whole. In this workshop we will explore the ideas that surround Meditative Plant Art and dive in to the process together. Come and take a walk with eyes open to natural beauty, playfully engage your creativity, make inherently beautiful ephemeral art, and allow your self to simply pause.
In this workshop we will first discuss Mandalas, an ancient practice and meditation tool. With that context, we will explore the similarities and differences between meditative plant art and mandalas, setting the conceptual framework for process-oriented, ephemeral art-making. Together, we will make one large plant art design. Then we will dive deeper into the aspect of collaborating with the plants and connecting with Nature by going on a plant walk around the neighborhood. Making sure to be mindfully grounded in the present, everyone will then create their own meditative plant art, experiencing the full process with support and help from Jen. Finally, we will reflect together and celebrate the work we have each done in our own unique ways. Special plant-based refreshments will be provided, as well as plant material for the process.
About the Instructor
Jen has been called "The Girl Who Plays With Flowers" and that is how she prefers to describe herself, but there is much more to it than that. With a bachelors degree in social work and trained in Horticultural Therapy, Jen has always had a passion for facilitating healing interactions between people and Nature. When she started making meditative plant art 4 years ago, it was simply a meditative hobby. But when she began sharing photographs of the designs with others on social media, people began to respond to it, asking for commission and prints, sharing their own connection with Nature, finding peace in the beauty of the intricate designs. What started as a hobby, has now become a perfect convergence of the wide variety of skills that Jen has gained through the years working with people, plants, and mindful creativity. She is currently the Learning Garden Educator at Portland Community College. You can find out more at her website or her Instagram, which has over 7,200 followers.
About PUGS
PUGS is based on the idea that you can't stop learning at any point of your life. Our goal is to create a lifelong learning community that works for everyone's real lives. That means education that fits in work schedules and are priced to be accessible to all. We are here to provide Portlanders with grad-school level education that everyone can afford.
Local experts with real-life experience in their field are your teachers. We believe that knowledge isn't locked up in the ivory tower; it's everywhere and in everyone. We provide a platform for local experts to share their knowledge and insight with others without the high cost or bureaucracy of the university system. We are fundamentally about lifelong education for social justice, personal empowerment, and Portland civics.
