Beverly Gordon
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Upcoming Workshops and Programs
  • He[art]Space Blog: Inner Nature Art Adventures
  • Artwork
    • Tierras and other assemblage sculpture >
      • "Reconfigured"--the movie about my work
      • Processing materials
    • Collage
    • Miscellaneous Sculptural Forms
    • Photographs
    • Exhibitions
  • SoulCollage®
    • A sample of my SoulCollage® cards
  • Workshops, Lectures and Teaching
    • Recorded presentations
    • Workshop images and Student Work
    • Art and intuitive spiritual discovery workshops
    • Available services: lectures, workshops, faciltation
    • Ongoing classes: college or adult education
    • Death and Dying
    • A Taste of Past Offerings
  • Writings: books, essays, poems
    • Selected articles, essays and book chapters
    • Academic and Professional Consulting
    • Poetry
    • The Fiber of Our Lives: Why Textiles Matter -- slide show
  • Contact
Veil Between the Worlds (Day of the Dead SoulCollage:® workshop)
Sunday Nov 1, 1-5 pm  Madison Location
In Mexico, this is the time of the year when the souls of the dead are believed to return to be honored and recognized. In alignment with this idea, on this day we honor the memory of ancestors, friends, and all those who have gone before. We thank them for their help and attune to their guidance. Our cards may take a variety of forms: they may follow the idea of the SoulCollage® community suit, where they embody particular individuals in our lives, or they may reflect any kind of wisdom that comes through to us, even between the worlds. All materials provided. Cost: $35 prepaid; $40 day of workshop.




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SoulCollage: Moving Toward Thanksgiving
Sunday Nov 15, 1-5 p.m.,    Madison Location
As we near the holiday of Thanksgiving, we turn to the theme of gratitude. We explore what gratitude means and how it can strengthen us and make our lives more meaningful.  All materials provided. Cost: $35 prepaid; $40 day of workshop.



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Up Close and Personal with The Forms of Nature:
The Art of Beverly Gordon
(a slide presentation)

Saturday, Oct. 24, 12:30 pm and 3pm
Wisconsin Institute of Discovery,
330 North Orchard St., Madison

Join Beverly Gordon as she shares her inventive nature artwork. Her assemblage sculptures call attention to the forms that comprise them, often in surprising ways (e.g., a deer leg becomes a figure’s neck and head; bird and fish bones look like parts of trees.). Gordon collects and transforms the kind of natural detritus we might all encounter-- shells, driftwood, seed pods, barks, feathers, strands of kelp, etc.—into figural forms and narrative imagery. Gordon will recount her “natural adventures,” starting with her discoveries in the natural world and the kind of hunting/gathering/collecting processes she experiences. She will take you step-by-step through the various stages that ensue: the kinds of questions she asks about the materials and how she finds the answers; how she learns (often through trial-and-error) how to clean, preserve, store and organize her diverse collections; how she “re-animates” the disparate pieces into new sculptural forms; and how she “listens” to and communes with them further.

Gordon’s talk is intended to inspire you and have you look at the world around you with new curiosity and appreciation—to look closely at structures, textures, and the endless variety (and unity) of nature. (She will know she has succeeded if you feel you “can't wait to get out into the woods” for your own adventure.) Gordon helps us see how art and science come together and how we can enrich our daily experience of nature through artistic engagement.


https://www.wisconsinsciencefest.org/program-guide.wsf?e=165

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 SoulCollage_® Autumn Afternoon: Stepping Into The Wisdom of Trees
Sunday Oct 11, 1-5 pm        Madison Location
As a way of accessing our inner guidance in this workshop, we will use the theme of the tree. There is so much to draw from: roots, branches, leaves, seasons and cycles, types of trees, the critters that live on trees, and so on. (The cards we make need not literally include images of trees, but tree wisdom will guide the journey.  The cards may also fit into any of the SoulCollage® suits, depending on what emerges.) The workshop will begin with a short exploration of trees—imagery, ideas, perhaps poems—and then we will move into card-making.  We will conclude with a reading of our images and a brief tree-related closing ritual. All materials provided. Cost: $35 prepaid; $40 day of workshop.

 

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Cloth and Memory - Exploring Memory Cloths
Wed.., September 23 and Thurs, September 24, 2015,  10am - 4pm
Maiwa Textile Symposium,
Vancouver, British Columbia

 
A “memory cloth” is a piece of handwork that, through the meditative processes of stitching and appliqué, allows us to feel good as well as capture memories or ideas. It may help us preserve and/or release the past, get closer to our own stories (and thus learn about ourselves), keep close to loved ones, and embed new ideas in our consciousness. In this workshop, we will explore the concept of memory cloths by looking at expressions from around the world—e.g., Chilean arpilleras, South African embroideries, Afghan war rugs, American album and memorial quilts, teddy bears made from loved ones’ clothes, and contemporary fibre art. We will use easy, exploratory writing exercises to bring out our ideas, and work on our own cloth in ways that feel comfortable and fun.

No special skills or background are needed—this is a workshop to explore, experiment, and discover. You can stitch, embellish, knit, or otherwise work with fibre and fabric, uncovering images and words that help you express your own voice and experience.  (Embroidery /embellishment instruction will not be provided, but the instructor and the group itself will provide a resource for getting started, feeling confident, solving problems, and stitching something meaningful.)


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Adventures with World Textiles 
Mon., September 21 and Tues., September 22, 2015,  10am - 4pm
Maiwa Textile Symposium, Vancouver, British Columbia

We will not produce textiles in this seminar-like class but will delve into an eclectic study of world textile traditions with the goal of discovering, appreciating, and exposing ourselves to new techniques and ideas. The instructor will provide slide shows and videos on selected textile traditions (examples: Ugandan barkcloth, Cuna Indian molas, Wounaan baskets, Central Asian felt, American Indian quill and beadwork, and African wax and “fancy” prints), and students are encouraged to bring textiles they may have and to share what they know about these and other topics. Together, we can better understand the creativity and commonalities of people’s relationships with textiles, the full range of materials and approaches that textile-making may entail, and issues that threaten or enhance fibre traditions (including world markets). No experience or knowledge base is required—just interest and a sense of curiosity. It is inspiring and energizing to share this exploration with a group of fellow textile enthusiasts, and we will all come out feeling more connected, both to one another and to textile-makers throughout the world.


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