[RC426] Regenerations: Cultivating Connections to Earth, Art & Activism

About the Retreat

Regenerate: to bring into renewed existence, to replace that which is injured, to give it a new and more vigorous life.

Regenerations: Cultivating Connections to Earth, Art & Activism is an active investigation of our relationships to nature, community, and creative expression through outdoor immersion, writing, and visual art.

Collaboratively taught by visual artist Ivy Kim and writer Molly Murfee, each day explores a different topic and environment on Drala Mountain Center’s stunning mountain campus. Daily sessions will investigate the practices of stillness and noticing, journaling and brainstorming, and ephemeral land art. We will channel our creative skills and tap into deep emotions by playing with the inherent symbolism found in Nature and sculpting with natural and introduced objects in the landscape.

This retreat is a space to reawaken what may have gone dormant, to regenerate our sense of wonder and agency, and to remember that creativity—like the natural world—is both a refuge and a force for transformation. Whether you are a seasoned artist or simply seeking new ways to engage with the world, Regenerations offers a nourishing container to explore, express, and emerge renewed.

These Inspired Activities Will Invite Us To:

Reconnect to our inherent relationship with the earth
Experiment with mixed-media artmaking and word play
Locate an internal sense of creative motivation that is rooted in stillness, curiosity, and reciprocity
Empower our unique creative voices to effect positive change in our home environments and communities

Program Perquisites, Required Equipment, & Physical Ability

Participants do not need to be professional or even aspiring writers or visual artists to take this course – it is open to everyone! We playfully and experimentally use creative expression – both visual and written – as tools for connecting with nature, ourselves, and each other.

A list of walking/hiking and writing/art supplies are listed here. Please note that you are required to bring these supplies yourself.

Moderate hiking required with ability to climb some hills, sit, stand and walk on uneven terrain for the full day. A typical day includes hiking in with activities along the way, staying still in place for activities during the middle portion of the session, then hiking out.

Why Did Past Participants Love this Retreat?

“I have come to realize through my writing exploration and silent still time in nature, that what the both of you are doing and envisioning is what I had buried in my bones when I tried to get a Masters in Botany and felt the dry and brittle world of academic botanical study … I was searching for something much juicier and more meaningful! Your work speaks to me so deeply! Thanks for being you.” – SF

“Molly and Ivy are capable of seeing many perspectives and speaking them with grace and eloquence. They are a pleasure to work with and be around. Conversations with them always leave me looking forward to the next time I can get a glimpse into their minds and hearts. They both have an intelligence that is refreshingly nuanced and refined.” – BH

“After taking your workshops I decided I would try to carry on the torch because it was so meaningful to me. A long-distance friend of mine and I are getting a sit spot zoom nature meditation off the ground! An hour. A call to the directions and a poem or a song. Sign off zoom and go find your spot where you can sit, draw, listen. Sign back onto zoom and share reflections. Closing words! Thank you for the inspiration.” – AN

Retreat Faculty

Molly Murfee

As a creative nonfiction and place-based author, Molly Murfee has studied, written and taught the subjects of earth-based mythology, nature writing and environmental literature, ecofeminism, women’s studies, anthropology, and indigenous culture and history for over 30 years. She has been honored as a: 2024 Aldo & Estella Leopold Writing Resident; 2024 Wild Woman Essay Contest [...]

Ivy Kim

Ivy Kim attributes her affinity with nature to growing up within the urban wilds of Denver, with daily explorations in a nearby field, making friends with flowers in her Grandmother’s garden, and the myriad of outdoor experiences available in Colorado. The directness, flow, and pauses of the multi-voiced conversation in the landscape inspire Ivy’s artwork. [...]

Daily Course Themes

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 (Day 2)

Connecting in Nature: Stillness & Noticing

Slow down. Tap in. And allow the modern world to fall away. Through silence, stillness and observation, reconnect to the deep resource of Nature. Process what you find there through imaginative visual and written art exercises that allow your senses and the floodgates of creativity to open, exploring complexity within the simple.

Thursday, April 30, 2026 (Day 3)

Nature as Healer: Finding the Regenerative Creative Resource

Identify your personal “Nature as source” through investigating concepts of beauty, solace and appreciation. How does Nature support you? What does it have to teach you? Notice how Nature arrives to relationship with you. Celebrate these sources through art and words that recognize and honor place.

Friday, May 1, 2026 (Day 4)

Nature & Despair: Accompanying & Transforming Grief

Acknowledge the difficulty of despair that is a part of being awake to these turbulent times and destruction of the environment. Explore how to creatively honor the wisdom of grief that can propel the hero’s and heroine’s journey forward towards empowerment and positive action. Learn how to process and express these raw emotions through land + art sculpture projects and powerful yet organized writing.

Saturday, May 2, 2026 (Day 5)

Creative Voice in Nature: Activating Your Expression

Explore how Nature can intersect with and support your creative vision. Ponder the concept of expression, how it moves through you and what you feel compelled to express while in collaboration with the natural world. What do you want to say about your relationship to Nature? Your joy or despair in it? How do you take these concepts and translate them?

Sunday, May 3, 2026 (Day 6)

Creativity & Nature Activism: Inspiration, Approaches and Actions

Investigate historical and contemporary approaches for creatively engaged activism within the visual and written arts. Experiment with expressing your creative vision that incorporates your connection to Nature and playful activism as a way to shift culture towards a more compassionate, sustainable relationship with the Earth.

Please note: This course focuses on conducting all sessions outside in nature. We will often go out for the day with a pack lunch, spending the day on the trails around campus, and return for the evening meal. Program sessions will include group activities and discussions as well as personal time to work with the contents of the course.

Program Schedule

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 (Day 1)

2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Check-in and Registration
5:30 p.m. Orientation with Drala On-Land Program Coordinator
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Welcome / Course

Wednesday, April 29 – Saturday, May 2, 2026 (Days 2 – 5)

7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 – 12:30 p.m. Program Session
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 – 5:00 p.m. Program Session
6:00 – 7:00 pm Dinner

Closing Day: Sunday, May 3, 2026 (Day 6)

7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Check out
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Program Session
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch & Departure

Lodging

We have several accommodations to choose from during checkout.
All options include our healthy meals and drinks. Inc V, VG, GF.

Off Land
Participants who wish to commute from home or arrange their own accommodations off-campus (for example, a bed and breakfast, camping nearby) pay tuition, plus $54/night for meals (3 meals per day) and use of our facilities.

Car Camping
We have 5 primitive parking spots in the Rigden parking lot, for simply parking and sleeping. This includes food and access our bathhouses in Rigden Lodge
Note: We don’t have any water or electric hook ups for RV’s.

Dormitories
Rooms with beds for up to 7-8 people. Gender-segregated with men in their own dorm and women in another. The dorms use a shared bathroom down the hall, which is also equipped with shower stalls.

Monk Rooms
A cost-effective option for participants looking for indoor, solitary lodging, but who don’t mind using a shared bathroom or are looking for a more affordable retreat solution. These rooms are in the same hall as the Ridgen Dormitories, but offer more privacy than the dorms. In addition to a bed, bedding, a private room and closet, the monk rooms also have a large window and a desk and desk chair for added comfort.

Single and Double Rooms
The perfect choice for a retreat where you want both your own space and your own bathroom. Each room offers a little more space, a dresser and closet, and a 3/4s bathroom (toilet, sink, and shower, no bathtub) attached to each room.

Junior Suite
Our Lodge Junior Suites include a queen-size bed topped by a cozy comforter, a desk, dresser, closet and private bath with bathtub, plus a sitting area.

Program Details

Dates: April 28–May 3, 2026

Tuition: Tuition $510 + 5 nights lodging lodging

Faculty: