A selection of past workshops appears below. If something piques your interest, let us know, and we’ll see about offering that workshop again!
A PASSION FOR POETRY WITH LORNA CROZIER (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Poets taking part in this retreat will share the desire to hone their craft while creating new poems. The remote wilderness setting offered by Wintergreen is ideal for such work. There will be ample time for writing, reading, one-on-one critiques, and group meetings to discuss various aspects of poetry’s demands and delights.
GUITAR WORKSHOP WITH RICK FINES (2012)
Features a series of workshops on various styles of acoustic blues guitar playing. Workshops will help you develop your skills in rhythm, soloing, slide and fingerstyle blues.
POETRY WITH PATRICK LANE (2012)
This four-day writing retreat provided a nurturing setting for attending writers to create new work. Through a series of daily in-class and extra-class exercises, readings, discussions, and commentaries, fresh approaches to the poem will be explored with a view to not only improving our skills, but opening ourselves to new ways to imagine this wondrous thing we call a poem.
CORDWOOD AND STRAW BALE (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
This hands-on workshop will give you the opportunity to learn about the ancient building technique of cordwood masonry and hone up on some basic carpentry skills in the process. You will also learn how to build and plaster with straw bale. Come with a sense of adventure and we will teach you everything you need to know!
EXPLORING SHORT FICTION WITH STEVEN HEIGHTON (2012)
During this weekend of conversation, guided writing exercises, and on-the-spot writing/work-shopping, we will be focusing on various aspects of the short story. We will discuss the genesis of stories, how to facilitate their gestation from impulse to first draft, how to revise them, and when and how to publish.
COLD PRESS SOAP-MAKING BASICS (2011)
Years ago, people made their own soap from scratch, and this one-day workshop will teach you to do just that, using vegetable oils, lye and water, as you learn about the alchemy of saponification. You will learn the importance of ingredients, measurements, and the properties of different oils, as well as the basic techniques to master this common soap-making method.
PASTELS WITH SUSAN LOW-BEER (2010)
Experience the magic of working with chalk pastel. This is a wonderful medium for use in the landscape as the vivid colour and easy application lend themselves to the scale of the outdoors. You will be encouraged to work with full size pastel papers, but as Susan works with you separately, there is a great deal of flexibility as to mediums and scale.
YOGA AND WATERCOLOURS (2010)
Indulge yourself in two days of yoga, art, and nature while celebrating the Fall Equinox in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, home to Wintergreen Studios. Experience the mind-body connection through yoga and watercolour as we engage in movement-based inquiry to release tension in the body and to still the mind.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS FOR HOME AND FARM (2010)
Learn about both off-grid and on-grid renewable energy projects in this two-part workshop at Wintergreen Studios and the neighbouring Forest Farm. Discussion topics will include solar-powered electricity, solar domestic hot water, straw bale insulation, thermal mass, and living roofs.
NEEDLE FELTING: BROACHES AND BAUBLES WITH ANDREA GRAHAM (2009)
You will be introduced to the magic of needle felting while we create fun wearable art broaches and beads. Using colourful wool fibre, perhaps some bits from nature collected on one of the trails at Wintergreen, and a little imagination, you can create a whole collection of accessories and learn needle felting techniques with endless possibilities.
DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: LISTENING, SOUNDWALKING, FIELD RECORDING AND AUDIO TECHNIQUE WITH MATT ROGALSKY (2009)
Composer and media artist Matt Rogalsky leads this workshop with a focus on audio documentation of “natural” soundscapes throughout the 200+ acres of Wintergreen. Some background to concepts of “soundscape composition,” “acoustic ecology,” and field recording will be covered.
HAIKU POETRY AND BEYOND WITH PHILOMENE KOCHER AND TERRY ANN CARTER (2009)
Haiku poetry celebrates the beauty of the ordinary moment. Derived from the Japanese tradition, haiku is characterized not only by simplicity, but also by reverence for nature. Poets Philomene Kocher and Terry Ann Carter will invite participants to explore haiku through reading and writing exercises within the group and on your own.