Guild Tour to Greece, May 3-16, 2009
Dear Possible Fellow-Travelers,
While it is a challenge to select from the myriad number of significant historical and artistic sites Greece has to offer, and squeeze the final selection into two weeks, I think we have done it.
The first thing we did was removing most of our choices. I did not want a “hop-on-the-bus” travel experience, preferring to spend enough time in a few places, not only to visit them but to spend an entire day or two with them, giving some of us the chance to get out the art supplies and really concentrate.
Greece is the Cradle of Civilization, so it is important that we spend time experiencing the art of the ancients. The day after we arrive in Athens we will have a half-day orienting ourselves and visiting the Acropolis. The next day we will visit Corinth and Mycenae. The next day we will drive to Delphi, but will stop on the way to visit Ossios Loukas, one of the beautiful Byzantine churches of Greece, full of stunning mosaics. Then overnight in Delphi plus the entire next day and night to inhale the beauty and history of this place. Next we drive to Meteora, a mystical site with monasteries sitting atop tall geological formations, seemingly inaccessible. We will gain access, spending two days and two nights there. We return to Athens and prepare to depart the next evening for an overnight boat ride through the Augean to Patmos, the island of St. John and the Book of Revelations. We will have two full days on Patmos, a beautiful island, before returning on an overnight boat back to Athens. (Yes, we will have cabins for sleeping on the boat.) The next morning is free, but in the afternoon we drive to Cape Sounio where we will watch the sunset and have our farewell dinner. No one should leave Greece without doing the Sounio ritual. The following day we transfer to the airport for our flight back to the states, our luggage full of worry beads and sketches.
I hope this is enough to entice you to join us. Send us your names and as soon as we have the exact details and costs, we will let you know. If there are some places in Greece that you don’t see on my description but would like to visit, let me know. If it is on the paths we will be making and is easily accessible, I will look at the possibility of a visit.
I am really looking forward to being your host on what will likely be my final Grünewald Guild study tour.
Richard R. Caemmerer
We only have 25 slots for this trip to Greece, and we have notified those at the top of the list to send in their deposits. If you are interested in going, and some space becomes available, we will notify you. Contact us at office@artfaith.com or call (509) 763-3693.
Academic Partnerships: Jan-Term
We enjoy offering the opportunity for students to expand their educational experience by coming to the Guild for part of their studies. Each January we welcome students from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago for "Art, Liturgy and Sacred Space", facilitated by Director Emeritus Richard Caemmerer. We are open to adding students from other institutions, or any group or individual who wishes to participate in this unique 3-week educational experience.
The focus of this course is on historical and traditional concepts of sacred space, criteria for arriving at appropriate space solutions for a variety of congregational formats and denominational needs and the designing, modeling and creating of art appropriate for worship.
Please take a look at LSTC student experiences on their blogspot, www.grunewaldvisitors.blogspot.com
If you are either a student or a faculty member and would like to partner with the Guild for a creative educational extension program, please contact us at office@artfaith.com or call (509) 763-3693.
Directed Retreats
Some come to the Guild campus merely to enjoy our beautiful setting, warm hospitality and accepting community. Others would like a Guild-directed retreat, whether in art instruction, spiritual direction or a special worship experience. Let us know what you are seeking; the Guild has access to lots of gifted people to create an unforgettable retreat for your group!
Directed Studies
