The Jewish Arts Institute
Explore the magic of collaborative art with world-renowned playwright, actor, singer and composer Danny Maseng
WEEK FOUR IS OPEN TO NEW STUDENTS
Join a community of artists and Jewish professionals dedicated to advancing the evolution of Jewish arts education in this country and abroad. The Jewish Arts Institute (JAI), a series of weeklong retreats conducted over the course of two years, offers instruction in effective, integrated teaching methodologies that utilize the arts as a way to make Jewish learning more compelling, relevant and fun. Designed to give artists, teaching professionals and novice practitioners the tools to successfully integrate their art with their Jewish identities and spiritual journeys, the interdisciplinary curriculum includes music, theater, visual arts and creative writing.
JAI’s participant cohort will form a national network of leaders in the arts and arts education within the Jewish Community. A list-serve, blog and other virtual community building technologies will support participant collaboration and connection between retreats and after the institute is completed. Unlike other ECCJS institutes, participants of JAI only have to commit to one retreat at a time. The program fee for each week is $500 and does not include the cost of Room and Board (see below.)
Week 4: January 12-18, 2009
Putting it all Together: The Magic of Collaborative Art
The 4th and final week of the Jewish Arts Institute brings all the elements of the previous three weeks together in a comprehensive, uplifting, emotional and instructive way. Music, theatre, dance, visual arts and the written word are combined to provide both an experiential summation of a two-year process and an instructive blueprint for future implementation in spiritual and educational settings. Danny Maseng and Dr. Richard Chess will bring home the finer points of JAI’s methodology, providing the tools necessary for creating uplifting and transformative experiences. If you have participated in the Jewish Arts Institute already, this final week is a must! If you are new to the program, it will open your eyes and quicken your heart. Come, share in our community of artists, educators and seekers for a transformative week you will not forget for years to come.
Who should apply?
The institute
is designed for all Jewish artists — teaching professionals and novice practitioners
alike. The institute will include Music, Theater, Visual Arts and Creative
writing. It will offer a methodology, a coherent integrative philosophy by
which to approach the arts as a key to unlock Jewish learning in a relevant,
passionate, intellectually stimulating and emotionally fulfilling way.
What's the commitment?
The institute is four one-week sessions spread out over two years — one summer and one winter, each year. Unlike other ECCJS institutes participants of JAI only have to commit to one retreat at a time.
DANNY MASENG, INSTITUTE DIRECTOR
Danny
Maseng is the director and lead teacher of the Jewish Arts Institute. A playwright, actor, singer and composer, he has served as evaluator of New American Plays/Opera-Musical Theater for the National Endowment for the Arts and has been the director of the Spielberg Fellowship for the Foundation for Jewish Camping. Danny was also artistic director of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in California, a center for Jewish culture and learning.
A much sought-after Scholar-in-Resident, Danny is a frequent faculty member of programs run by the Wexner Foundation, Synagogue 2000, Limmud, CAJE, and appears regularly at synagogues and conferences around the world. Danny is also one of the most popular and respected composers of contemporary liturgical and synagogue music.
GUEST FACULTY
Each week features different guest artists who will co-lead with Danny Maseng, sharing wisdom and expertise from their own unique disciplines.
- Ohad Shaltiel is the director of special programming for the Tel-Aviv Museum’s Meyerhoff Art Education Center. For the past fifteen years, he has also directed the Visual Arts program for the URJ’s Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute.
- Dr. Richard Chess, author of three volumes of poetry, is the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and head of the UNCA Center for Jewish Studies.
- Aaron Davidman is the director of the critically acclaimed Traveling Jewish Theatre, based in San Francisco. His work integrates creative movement with midrashic text creation.
- Josefa Briant teaches an innovative form of movement that helps people connect to their soul and express their divine spirit in a Jewish context. Josefa has danced with Merce Cunningham, Maggie Black and Israel’s renowned Bat Sheva Dance Company. Josefa teaches at University of North Carolina and Brandeis-Bardin Institute.
By integrating Judaism and art in four seminars led by passionate Jewish artists, the Jewish Arts Institute promises to engage its participants in intellectually stimulating and emotionally fulfilling ways.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER THE INSTITUTE?
The Jewish Arts Institute participant cohort will form a national network of Jewish leaders in arts and arts education. A list-serve, blog and other virtual community building technologies will support participant collaboration and connection during the two year period, and will continue to be a resource after the institute has been completed.
To apply
To apply, please complete the following form. Space is limited and applicants must demonstrate a commitment to Jewish arts and/or Jewish arts education.
This
program is made possible through a grant from the Mazer Family Fund of the
UJA-Federation of New York.
Registration Information
Program Fees
The tuition for this institute is $500 per week and does not include the cost of Room and Board. We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. For information about Financial Aid, please see below.
Room and Board
Our goal is to help you feel at home while on retreat. We provide you with comfortable accommodations in a beautiful, natural setting and three homemade meals prepared each day with your health and well-being in mind.
Room and board rates are per person and include housing, meals and full use of our facility. To calculate the cost of your stay, add the program fee above and your room and board rate below.
We offer a variety of housing accommodations that enable individuals with a wide range of financial capabilities to participate in our programs. All rooms are air-conditioned in the summer, heated in the winter, and simply decorated in a country style without modern multimedia distractions.
Rooms are available as single or double occupancy, with private, shared, or hall bathrooms. If you are coming alone and request a shared room, you will be paired with a roommate of the same gender. Please note, however, that some cabins and shared bathrooms may be co-ed.
For children's rates as well as commuting and tenting options, please see below.
Standard Plus Rooms: Weinberg, May
Standard plus rooms have private bathrooms and are available with either two queen-sized beds or three twin-sized beds.
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Standard Plus Rooms
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Single Occupancy
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Double Occupancy
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Standard Rooms: Scheuer, Pine, Cedar, Maple, Blue Heron
Standard rooms have either a private bathroom or a bathroom shared with one other room. Most standard rooms have twin-sized beds; queen-sized beds may be available on a limited basis.
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Standard Rooms
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Single Occupancy
with Private Bath
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Single Occupancy
with Shared Bath
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Double Occupancy
with Private Bath
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Double Occupancy
with Shared Bath
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Economy Rooms: Elm, Kaufman
Economy rooms have twin-sized beds and a shared bathroom in the hall.
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Economy Rooms
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Single Occupancy
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Double Occupancy
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Camping
Campers supply their own tents and equipment and have access to bathrooms and showers. Camping fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.
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Camping Rates
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Each Camper
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Commuter
The commuter fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.
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Commuter Rates
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Each Commuter
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Children's Rates
There is no charge for infants and children ages 3 and under. Children ages 4–17 must share a room with at least one parent or guardian. Young adults ages 18 and above must pay the regular rates.
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Children's Rates
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Each Child
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Financial Assistance
One of our core values is that our programs should be accessible to everyone. We provide limited financial aid for Room and Board fees. This financial support is only available for dormitory rooms with hall baths and economy rooms for couples and families. If you would like to request financial support, please complete the Application for Financial Aid. In your request, please consider that we have a limited pool of resources.
All requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the retreat.
Please note that we are not able to make any refunds in order to grant an aid request. If you choose to register prior to being awarded aid, and your remaining balance is less than the aid award, you will forfeit any award in excess of your outstanding balance.
Please support our ability to continue to provide financial aid by making a donation online or by calling 800.398.2630.
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Cancellation Policy
Payments made will be refunded in full (less a $50 processing fee) if you cancel more than 14 days prior to your arrival. If you cancel between 13 days and 72 hours prior to a retreat for which you have registered, a non-refundable, non-transferable credit (less a $50 processing fee) will be held for one year from the date of issue. No credit or refund is available if you cancel within 72 hours of a retreat or on the retreat arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave a retreat early for any reason.
Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In the event of such a cancellation, you will receive a complete refund.
Inclement Weather: Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel a retreat due to inclement weather if, in its judgment, it will be unable to operate safely. In the event of such a cancellation, a full refund will be made to all registrants. In the event that the retreat proceeds as scheduled, no refund or credit will be available.
Shuttle and Transportation Fees: A full transportation refund is available if you cancel a transportation reservation at least 3 days (72 hours) in advance. No refund is available if less than 3 days notice is given.
Training Institutes: If you are participating in a two-year training institute and you miss or cancel one of the weeklong retreat sessions, your room and board fee will be refunded according to the policy above, but the program fee for a missed or cancelled retreat session is still due. Withdrawal is permitted only after the first retreat session. If you withdraw from a training institute after the first retreat session, or if you are asked by faculty to leave the institute, you will receive a full refund on your program fee for any remaining pre-paid retreats.
Travel Insurance: We recommend you contact your travel agent to purchase travel insurance in the event that you need to cancel or change your travel plans.
Exceptions: Exceptions to these policies may be available in the event of severe weather emergencies or the death of a close family member. To request a non-transferable credit for one of these reasons, please submit a written request to registrar@isabellafreedman.org no more than three days after the start of the event.
