EXPRESSIVE KAVANNAH - An Intermodal Educational Experience
Edna with students at a Purim mask-making workshop.
Expressive Kavannah combines Edna Miron-Wapner's two fields of interest.
"Expressive" connotes the field of Intermodal (combining the arts) Expressive
Arts Therapy and "Kavannah", a term meaning "focused intention", inspired
by the Jewish Spiritual Tradition.
Expressive Kavannah is an intermodal educational experience where
participants find inspiration and meaning in art expression, music, dance,
poetry and creative writing within a Jewish framework. A session lasts three
hours, in which participants are introduced to a Jewish theme (such as a text,
a prayer, or torah portion), followed by meditation and spontaneous creation
to conclude with processing in a supportive atmosphere.
Jewish identity and spirituality find inspiration in art, music, dance and poetry.
The arts are crucial to Jewish Culture and Education as they add a new
dimension that takes us out of the intellectual, the worldly, the tangible. The
Expressive Kavannah experience offers that other dimension by combining
Expressive Arts with the wisdom of Jewish text and tradition.
Handmade mezuzot
PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THE EXPRESSIVE KAVANNAH WORKSHOP
Expressive Kavannah can be taught as an ongoing yearly class, a semester,
an intensive workshop for a day or over a period of days; or as part of a
larger conference or colloquium. The individual session is held over a three
hour period and requires basic art supplies and a sound system. The theme
of the workshop is very adaptable to different frameworks.
Expressive
Kavannah taught on a weekly basis has often been inspired by the weekly
Torah portion, taking an essential theme to develop creatively and
introspectively. As an intensive workshop for a day, or over a period of days,
the program is flexible to examine contemporary topics of attitudes towards
prayer, Jewish philosophical issues or practices of holidays to give some
examples.
The population most appropriate for Expressive Kavannah is teens,
young adults and adults. They can all benefit from the three-hour period of
"flow". This gives them the opportunity to delve into the topic in enough
depth to give personal meaning and a feeling of accomplishment.
COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS
"In Expressive Kavannah, I have explored and resolved issues both visually
and through the process of creating. I have played freely with color and
geometry. I have exercised personal and demonic feelings during my most
troubled times. And I have expressed ideas about Jewish topics achieving a
sense of resolution."
M. R.
"Expressive Kavannah enabled me to synthesize my (Jewish) learning.
After spending intensive hours at Pardes and intense days in Israel, I needed
a place where I could let go."
R.B-F
"With each meditative experience and experiment in various media, I found
myself getting closer to my inner spirit".
L.D.L
"In Expressive Kavannah, meditation, music and verbal cues take text study
beyond intellectual grappling and into a personal, nonverbal realm in which
Torah study infuses our personal lives".
R.S.
Tamara "Parshat Vayeira" (Genesis 18:1-22:24)
Jean - Rosh Hashana
Mindy and Sharon - The Shema
The results are as original and different as the people who created them.