Notes from the Director

What a delight this summer has been. Life in Saas Fee, Switzerland, for almost two months soothes the soul and enlivens the spirit. Expressive arts is alive and well in the Swiss Alps on the breathtaking campus of the European Graduate School (EGS). I had the privilege of teaching several courses on both the Master’s and Post Master’s level that left me inspired and eager to continue learning about this beautiful work. My mentor of 28 years, Paolo Knill, continues to do ground- breaking work; we co-led a course on the Didactics of Community Art and led community art gatherings throughout the summer.

Coming home to Edmonton is a blessing. The work of preparing for the coming year with World Arts is exciting; many details to attend to with space, students and all of the things involved in running an expressive arts training program. The fact that World Arts interfaces with the European Graduate School makes the transition from Summer to Fall an easy one. It’s a lovely partnership that is mutually supportive. I’ve never been more encouraged by the quality of the students in both Switzerland and here in Edmonton.

World Arts has a wonderful space at the Roots on Whyte Community Building in a great part of Edmonton. The building is new, vibrant, and it feels so healthy to be there. It’s a wonderful gathering of practitioners who do what they do with enthusiasm and gusto....we fit right in. So, off we go into another year of stepping into the Arts Lab to see what works; to see what matters and to do our best to take what we learn out into the community with as much ingenuity and passion as we can. 

I hope to see you in one of the many trainings coming up for us to create art and create community. Cheers and please stay in touch.