The School for the Sacred Arts

The School for the Sacred Arts takes a fresh approach to the arts by focusing on art as a powerful means of connecting with the sacred and on artistic expression as an important source of spirituality. Art forms like music, dance, theater, visual arts, and the written and spoken arts, as well as more contemporary forms like film, computer graphics, and multi-media performance, are explored from this perspective of the sacred, both for the artist and the audience. This exploration includes not only western 'high art' traditions, but artistic expression in popular culture (i.e. rock, hip hop, poetry slams, Burning Man), and in non-western cultures from all over the world (i.e. Buddhist, Hindu, African, Native American). It also includes examining the creative process as a significant part of many people's spiritual path and the communities that form around various arts scenes. Our approach is inclu-sive, acknowledging that there are many legitimate artistic paths to the sacred worthy of study and practice but, at the same time, leaving the center empty of any one aesthetic criterion or cultural context.

Classes are taught by practicing artists with a strong grounding in the craft of their particular art form or by scholarly experts with firsthand experience, and always include both an informed discursive component and a strong hands-on component. For example, classes in poetry are taught by practicing poets, and include the background history and cultural context of poetic movements, instruction in poetic techniques, and writing and reading one's own poetry. However, what distinguishes these classes from a typical poetry class or workshop is that both the discursive and hands-on practice components focus on poetry as a means of connecting with the sacred and a source of spirituality. For example, in studying Rumi, one might examine his unique expression of Sufi spiritual themes, his use of ecstatic states and spontaneous writing, how these themes and states impact one's own experience of the sacred, or even experiment with such themes, techniques, and states in one's own poetry.

Another central aspect of our approach is to integrate class material into our daily lives, so that art and creative expression are not abstract and unattainable but, rather, something concrete and practical that serves us in the mundane details of the real world we actually live in. In this regard, we also seek to create a sense of artistic community that will support each of us on our creative path, including ongoing opportun- ities for sharing our art through performances, installations, and innovative events. Individual work is obviously important, but it is equally important to be able to draw strength and understanding from our fellow travelers, knowing we are not alone in facing the challenges along the way. This is just as true for our teachers as it is for our students and, accordingly, teachers also share the personal aspects of their knowledge and practice in order to demonstrate and model the complexities and nuances of following an artistic path in today's world.