RETREAT
Photo credit Andrew Avrin
About
The original GROUNDWORK! GROUNDWORK Retreats are opportunities for participants to strengthen their connections to place, people, and process, thereby fertilizing new ideas and cultivating the not-yet-imaginable. They are interdisciplinary, personal or professional development experiences for a curated cohort of individuals or teams of colleagues from any field or way of knowing.
In a world that is overworked and virtual, there is an increasing lack of genuine engagement with other humans as well as with the world writ large. Casual moments of sincere connection are not built into most days and as a result, opportunities for growth are continually missed. GROUNDWORK retreats respond to this reality by providing carefully curated space, facilitation, and nourishment for a cohort of individuals or an established team of colleagues. After initial, pre-retreat creative consultation sessions, participants come together for a few days to share, explore, and develop ideas of their choosing while simultaneously doing the same with each other. Inevitably, this sharing, exploring, and developing becomes nonlinear, and the experience coheres as a resilient and productive feedback ecosystem: participants give in order to receive and make space in order to expand. By the end, participants depart with a more intimate understanding of their projects’ innerworkings and potentials – as well as of their own.
Daonne Huff’s workshop, “Hallmark Cards, in pursuit of…”
Cohort of Individuals
STRUCTURE: GROUNDWORK condenses the critique, engagement, socializing, and networking aspects of a traditional residency into one fully present, active retreat weekend. Upon applying, each participant proposes the idea they would like to workshop with the group. In the weeks leading up to the retreat, Rita and Chris consult with each participant individually to help them structure a way to workshop their idea such that they get the most out of their fellow participants. The weekend begins on Friday evening with an introductory dinner and continues through the weekend with participant workshops, Chris’ “Informance Interludes,” elegant home cookin’, and social relaxation. We conclude on Sunday afternoon over a smorgasbord of the weekend’s delights.
LOCATION: GROUNDWORK began based out of New York City and most sessions are within a 2-2.5hr radius of NYC. That said, GROUNDWORK V & VII took place in Maine, so there is no telling where we might go next!
TRANSPORTATION: Carpools and train/bus pick-ups are coordinated on a per-session basis. Cost of transportation is not included.
FOOD: All food is homemade on location by chef Clara DeAngelo who works hard to keep our cuisine at the intersection of healthy, fresh, and delicious: “rustic chic.” Food restrictions are handled with sensitivity. BYOB.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all disciplines, schools of thought, ways of knowing; anyone with an idea is encouraged to apply.
FEES: We try to keep costs as low as possible while still providing a comfortable setting and great food. Since we know different disciplines have different budgets, we ask our participants to pay what they feel comfortable within the range of $275-$600 for the full weekend retreat. However, if you are unable to pay within the sliding scale, we encourage you to include a Fellowship Statement in your application.
TO APPLY: We accept applications on a rolling basis; please email groundworkretreat@gmail.com with the following items: name, email, address, phone number, website if applicable, CV, short summary of your idea. When we gather a full cohort, we will be in touch for further details!
Rich Blundell, “Radical Affection Between Trees”
Team of Colleagues
STRUCTURE: When we have a pre-established team, we keep the retreat flexible in structure while mindfully incorporating our foundational principles. Depending on your group’s goals for the experience, duration could span from one hour to several days. After an initial consultation, we will advise on the logistics we believe will best fulfill your ambitions. From there, we determine together what will best suit your group.
LOCATION: This is largely up to your needs as a group in addition to your budget. Similar to the structure and timeline, location solutions are flexible.
TRANSPORTATION: Transportation to and from the experience location is the responsibility of the participating organization.
FOOD: Another flexible category, but since we believe food is a major component of relationship building, we prefer to come with our own chef. Chef Clara DeAngelo is an expert at cuisine that falls at the intersection of healthy, fresh, and delicious. Food restrictions are handled with sensitivity.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all institutions, organizations, companies; anyone with an idea is encouraged to apply.
FEES: We know well that different companies have very different bottom lines, and our intention is to make this experience feasible for all organizations. Because there are many personalized factors that contribute to the cost, there is a lot of variability, please reach out for a specific quote.
TO BOOK: Contact groundworkretreat@gmail.com.
Chef Clara DeAngelo
“I was sooooo satisfied with the food!!!”