Founded in 2011, the Vita Institute for the Arts is an artist-run non-profit arts education organization dedicated to meeting the needs of practitioners in the arts, as well as those who desire to recommit to their creative practices after a prolonged absence. Vita Institute offers professional development programs and workshops taught by working artists with years of successful teaching experience. These programs and workshops offer participants new creative directions, intensities, and/or a renewal of their personal artistic practice.
At present there are few opportunities for people seeking professional development opportunities in the arts that are not structured within the format of the contemporary University. Vita Institute for the Arts is organized around the principles of unrestricted and open inquiry that emphasize the development of the artist rather than adherence to some external formula required by agencies usually unaffiliated or unfamiliar with the demands of artistic practice.
This intensive workshop is designed for anyone who would like to develop their artists skills and understand how to apply the fundamental aspects of color, light and shadows in their work.
This five-week workshop is devoted to the creation of dynamic and meaningful compositions. The workshop will meet Mondays beginning on September 16th through October 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the Gunnison Center for the Ain Gunnison, Colorado. The program is intended for participants with experience in water-based media (watercolor and/or acrylic paints), colored pencils, pastels, and/or graphite
Sunday morning course:
Jar Lid Reliquary Necklaces –2 hour online workshop demonstrating how to turn old jar lids into necklaces that may double as a small reliquary. Using very basic materials I will offer a variety of demonstrations on how to approach this style of necklace. It is the perfect way for people of all ages, friends and families to spend a weekend morning, in a stress-free, creative environment. I will be available to answer questions and will have examples and a PDF handout available for all participants. Participants should come ready to begin making. Once I have demonstrated, there will be time for people to begin making and ask questions. A materials list is supplied for the basics, beyond that, participants are asked to have any material that they emotionally respond to, have in surplus, love the color of, want to try out, or want to get rid of. We’ll layer it all together to create our own Reliquary Necklaces!
Writing a short play is a great way for theatre people or writers in other genres to get acquainted with playwriting. This workshop will review the essential elements of dramatic writing in general, and the specific conventions of the short play.
Participants will have written an initial draft of a short play by the conclusion of the workshop. A short play festival is planned for some time in Spring 2025.
It is hard to put into words, but all I can say is Absolutely Life Changing! Not only did I learn a lot about art and history but also I learned a lot about myself and grew as a person. Don and Paul set up a framework that allowed me to see a new and foreign place in different perspectives that definitely allowed for much more exploration into another side of Italy that a normal tourist in a foreign country would see. There is a reason I have taken three of their classes! I have made life long friends while on these trips and will be returning as soon as I can manage!
The course I took with Dr. Seastrum and Dr. Edwards, Aesthetics: Frame and Lens,â encompassed our entire experience in Florence and other areas of northern Italy. We focused on the perspectives of our perceptions, which allowed for an extraordinarily cognitive experience while absorbing the rich, intensive art culture and history of Italy. The opportunity to take this class was life-changing for me; the lenses that I acquired while I was experiencing the course and a foreign country provided the true essence and meaning for such an incredibly compositional experience within my life. I expected my focus to be on art and the history that I knew I would be surrounded by in the streets of Florence, but I soon learned that my focus was less on the art and more on the people and the culture, the people who lived in all of the dirty yellow buildings with giant wooden doors and washed out green shutters. I learned to walk down unknown paths, eat unknown foods, go unknown places, and make temporary friends with unknown people who I may never see again but who will always be a part of who I am. I learned to walk through unknown doors by myself, and this has provided me with a confidence and a courage and a desire to take off into the unknown and experience it for all that it is worth with any and all of the characters along the way.â
The experience I had in Italy was unlike any other. I learned so much about the world outside my front door. I was indeed skeptical and nervous at first; I will say taking the leap to get out of my small town was the best decision Iâve ever made. I made so many friendly acquaintances with the locals, seen wondrous monuments, and beautiful breathtaking landscapes. But I wasnât alone on this trip; I had my peers and professors to enjoy this journey. I had the opportunity of a lifetime to explore my horizons and now I want to venture further into the world. Thanks to Don Seastrum and Paul Edwards for opening the door.
Studying in Italy with Dr. Seastrum and Dr. Edwards was an amazing time. Don and Paul are funny, laid back and yet organized as well as having insider knowledge. Both know the Italian culture well and make a seamless transition between the classroom and historical sites.
This was the first class of itâs kind that I experienced. It was a âeureka moment.â so fundamental to creating, assessing and understanding art! Don is a great professor, so knowledgeable and present the material in the best way to understand some complex concepts.
The instructor is not only very knowledgeable on all art, related topics, his teaching style ensures each participant learns and can apply presented principles. When anyone asked a question he can turn on a dime, give us information needs and ensures we comprehend, amazingly gifted. I am stunned at the amount of information he gives us and even more amazed that I understand, remember and can apply to my work.