Workshops
Participatory experiences rooted in art, nature, curiosity & connection
Some of my favourite things happen when a group of people gathers with a little curiosity and a willingness to try something together.
My workshops grow from many of the same ideas that shape my public engagement art—attention, imagination, relationship, creativity, and connection with the living world—but these are experiences that can be adapted and brought to your own group, gathering, school, garden, retreat, or community. We might walk beneath trees, listen for birds, make something with our hands, move, breathe, write, sing, sit quietly, laugh, or experiment with seeing the world from another point of view.
I offer workshops both on my own and in collaboration with other artists and facilitators. Each one shifts a little depending on the people, the place, the season, and what begins to emerge when we are together.
Come curious. We’ll see what wants to happen.
Forest Walks
These integrated and interactive forest walks are designed to create a greater intimacy with the plants and creatures we dwell among. We identify plants and learn something about their properties, listen for birdsong, notice signs of other forest dwellers, and explore the forest through all of our senses. Along the way, we also begin to notice the being-ness of those around us: the tree as more than scenery, the bird as more than its name in a field guide, the creek as more than water rippling past. Each has its own life, presence, relationships, and way of being in the world.
The invitation is not only to learn about the forest, but to begin meeting it differently—as a community of fellow beings rather than a backdrop we happen to be walking through. Participants come away with practical knowledge, but also, perhaps, with an expanded sense of connection and a different way of experiencing the natural world.
Staff Making Workshops
Making a staff begins with connecting with the energy of the tree, and making a relationship with the branch or piece of wood that will become our companion in the process. We may anoint the wood with natural oil and then work with the idea of creating a staff that represents either what supports us or what we support. Each staff is decorated with objects, materials, or markings that feel connected to that intention.
The process can become as much about reflection and relationship as it is about making something with our hands.
Listening, Seeing, Experiencing & Writing from the Perspective of Nature
Through guided walking meditation, movement, and close observation, participants are invited to slow down and imagine the world from another point of view. What might this place feel like to a tree, a bird, a creek, an animal, or even the soil beneath our feet? From there, words, sounds, songs, or movement may emerge—and these are gloriously different for everyone.
Afterwards, we gather in a circle and, if we wish, share what we noticed, what surprised us, and anything that may have shifted in the way we see the living world.
Collaborative Sounding & Song Writing
With joy and playfulness, I create a space where people can connect more freely with their voices and their creative selves. Through guided meditation and play, spontaneous sounds are encouraged to emerge, gradually becoming a collective sounding that can feel both individually and communally freeing. The exploration can go further as each participant finds words for their own sounds, and we begin weaving them together into a collaborative piece.
You do not need to think of yourself as a singer for this one. In fact, it may be better if you don’t.
Chi Kung & Meditation
Working on my own or in collaboration with other artists, I use Chi Kung movement, guided visualization, and meditation to help people settle into an inner space that can open the door to different kinds of creative expression and engagement. Sometimes a few quiet minutes at the beginning changes everything that comes afterwards
Each meditation or practice is shaped to suit the particular activity, group, and experience.
Interested in a Workshop?
Workshops can take many shapes, depending on the people, the place, and what we are curious about together. Many of the public engagement experiences I created during my Artist in Residence work at Darts Hill Garden—forest walks, land-based writing, collaborative art-making, Roots, and other ways of exploring our relationship with the living world—can be adapted for your own group, gathering, or community.
Perhaps one of these is already calling to you. Or perhaps you have an idea that doesn’t quite fit into any of the boxes.
Send me a note at Teresa@treesong.ca. We can talk about possibilities, costs, who you are gathering, and what you might like to explore together. Let’s see what wants to grow.
