Join poet Dan Beachy-Quick for an expansive two-day workshop inspired by the paintings of Charles Ross. Participants will grapple with what it means to make art of cosmic care and work towards making an art-piece (be it poem, micro-fiction, micro-essay, painting, pottery, etc.) that considers the larger mystery of the world.

Space is limited in this collaborative workshop that will take place in the Harwood galleries and studio. Basic materials provided. Ages 16+.

Dates: August 9 & 10, 2025

Time: 9am–12pm. Harwood Studio open to participants after the workshop.

Charles Ross creates cosmic art—the stars are one of his primary cares, but not only the stars themselves. He works towards a complex understanding of cosmic pattern, and the hidden mutability in what seems, over the course of a single human life, unchanging and eternal, but is not. Drawing from the disciplines of fine art, philosophy, astronomy, and astrology, Ross is an artist who reminds us that consideration and constellation are cognate, and that to learn to think is also to draw a shape in the night sky that tells us the story of who it is we are. Using Charles Ross’s paintings as our most immediate inspiration and considering a number of fragmented texts from some of our most ancient philosophers in the Western tradition—Thales (credited with creating ancient astrology), Heraclitus, Anaximenes, and Empedocles—on our first day we’ll discuss art and art-making, and work toward a generative sense of possibility for each one of us. The second day will create space for sharing and reflection with the goal of leaving with the inspiration we always seek but seldom find: an urge to make what art we make because the world needs it, and so do we.

For more information.