BUT.... (just stop, ok--you deserve a retreat!!!)
YOU deserve to take a break from regular life & give yourself this retreat-TREAT! Give yourself the space & time needed to CREATE!
You'll have a GREAT & PRODUCTIVE experience! Don't take my word for it--here's what past participants have said about MG retreats:
-Lisa Janice Cohen, novelist: Once in a Blue Muse
-January Gill O'Neil, poet: PoetMom Pix, & 10 Ways to Have a Successful Retreat
-Kathryn Kulpa, fictionist: BoNoProMo
-Rebecca Oleander, poet and editor (from her closing survey): "I had an amazing time! The weekend was very productive, fun, and relaxing - a perfect mix! This seemed true across the board, despite varying genres of art being worked on by attendees and those folks having different goals. Thanks to [Co-Directors, Sebastien and Jennifer] for setting a tone that supported parallel creativity, respect for individual process, and camaraderie amongst artists. If time allows, I would happily return for another Morning Garden retreat!"
-Jennifer Martelli, poet (this "testimonial" was originally posted on the Drunken Boat blog):
The sun is rising over Gloucester Harbor: I can see it through the small leaded panes. I can hear the first birds, too, and the boats leaving from America’s oldest working waterfront. Think: Olson’s I, Maximus of Gloucester to You. Think: Marsden Hartley’s wild Dogtown paintings. Think: George Clooney in The Perfect Storm. I’m tucked in my bed, quiet so I don’t wake my roommate (a good friend and editor of my chapbook). Today, I might walk The Boulevard to Main Street and check out the used book store before I begin re-organizing my full-length manuscript. Or, I’ll re-organize my manuscript first, then walk along Fresh Water Cove to Stage Fort Park. I’m trying to decide while looking out the window in this 1846 Tudor-style mansion. If you were to drive here past the harbor on Route 127, you might miss it because of the high bushes and end up down the road, at Hammond Castle. You’ve missed the first mansion on this road: The Morning Garden Artist Retreat.
The Morning Garden Artist Retreat is the creation of poet Jennifer Jean and her husband, the musician/composer, Sebastian Jean. They wanted a space where artists--poets, prose writers at first, later, musicians and visual artists--could carve out a sacred bit of time to create. Morning Garden offers this in a small but gorgeous package. The retreat spans a weekend, which was perfect for me: I have two kids and two cats, so it’s hard to be away for weeks at a time. Morning Garden encompasses the closeness of an artistic group within the confines of a sprawling mansion. The history of the house is fascinating: first a mansion built by the man who invented the remote control (this story was told by the wonderful caretakers), then used by the Catholic Church as a home for retired clergy, then as a religious retreat center. Though definitely dated by some 1960’s touches (let’s call it “retro kitsch”) like the wall-to-wall carpeting, MG offers big bedrooms (2 per room) with private baths, and large spaces to work: a sprawling common room, a rec room with a pool table, a paneled study. The mansion accommodates up to twenty-five people (with limited room for visual artists and folks needing instrument and practice space). My friend was able to spread her manuscript (all 61 pages) out on the floor of the rec room and re-arrange it like a giant card game! I went to this retreat with a purpose: to re-order my poems and to generate new ones for another manuscript. This is where the camaraderie came in handy: there were pockets of conversations throughout the mansion, folks who would listen to a quirky line, read a few pages of my work, trade poems. Throughout the day, some of us would break away to one of the multi-windowed nooks to have a quick workshop.
On Friday, the first night, we gathered in the common room, to meet Jennifer and Seb, who presented their mission statements, and then the caretakers, Silvia and Manuel Quesada, who told the story of the home and really went out of their way to be gracious. There is a shy cat who remains hidden: it is my goal to have this cat love me by the end of one of these retreats. The first night was devoted to introductions and stating our goals: generating work, organizing, finalizing, fine-tuning, or simply being in this space of artists. Saturday was a full work day. Many of us utilized the common room: long dining tables allowed us to spread out pages of writing; plus, the coffee maker is there! Jennifer checked in mid-day, but really, Saturday was our oyster. There is a glorious stone tower, “The Tower of Inspiration”, on the grounds where Seb set up a music studio for composition and performance. On Saturday night, most of us went into town for dinner and to celebrate. The last evening, Sunday at twilight, the group entered The Tower of Inspiration and sat around a fire, reading our work, sharing what we’d accomplished: a sweet closing to the weekend. The view from the top of the tower is magnificent: past the Harbor, beyond to Wingaersheek Beach, and farther, Rockport.
MG is the perfect weekend residency to get in touch with—or to re-invigorate--your art and, more important, to be among artists. It takes very little planning, and the application is simple: email Jennifer Jean your intention to attend, then pay the retreat fee via Paypal 3 weeks prior to the date (the retreats are held in May and October). If you are in eastern Massachusetts, you can reach the retreat by the commuter rail: the purple line takes you right to downtown Gloucester. I’d say it’s best to go if you have a project in mind, but I don’t know how true that is. The brevity of the stay condenses the creativity, makes the stay intense: seventy-two hours of community with poets, writers, musicians, so even without “a goal,” much can be gained.
The cost of Morning Garden Artist Retreat is $160.00 and includes 2-person bedroom with bath, coffee and tea, free wifi, gorgeous places to write and 10% discount if you want to hire Jennifer for manuscript consultation. You are responsible for your own food. Most of us brought our favorite supplies. There is a huge, fully-equipped kitchen (restaurant quality) with a giant freezer. I brought my own coffee (I make a great cup of coffee) and my breakfast food to the retreat; I ate out Friday and Saturday nights (Gloucester has amazing seafood restaurants, most reasonably priced). The light in Gloucester at Morning Garden Artist Retreat is like no other place in May and in October...
-Melissa Silva
This weekend retreat saved me months of time. Jennifer and Sebastien create an open, flexible container for artistry to arise. I enjoyed the multi-discipline approach, and met other artists who work in media different from my own. All the participants were very focused. The writing workshops, and quiet in the lovely Gloucester town definitely helped improved my poetry.
-Renuka Raghavan, poet: Out of the Blue
Morning Garden is a great opportunity to foster internal creativity into concrete external bodies of work. There is something very magical about spending time out of your everyday life, a mindfulness that spills into your art.
-Jean Levasseur
This retreat was the perfect transition from a busy teaching semester into a creative and open-ended summer. Having focused, dedicated time to work is an invaluable commodity in my life. What was the most surprising to me was how inspiring it was to be working along other equally focused artists. It made me want to buckle down even that much further, and get things done so I could look everyone in the eye at the end and say that I met my goals.
And dinner out was a great way to get some of the community building that is so important.
You'll have a GREAT & PRODUCTIVE experience! Don't take my word for it--here's what past participants have said about MG retreats:
-Lisa Janice Cohen, novelist: Once in a Blue Muse
-January Gill O'Neil, poet: PoetMom Pix, & 10 Ways to Have a Successful Retreat
-Kathryn Kulpa, fictionist: BoNoProMo
-Rebecca Oleander, poet and editor (from her closing survey): "I had an amazing time! The weekend was very productive, fun, and relaxing - a perfect mix! This seemed true across the board, despite varying genres of art being worked on by attendees and those folks having different goals. Thanks to [Co-Directors, Sebastien and Jennifer] for setting a tone that supported parallel creativity, respect for individual process, and camaraderie amongst artists. If time allows, I would happily return for another Morning Garden retreat!"
-Jennifer Martelli, poet (this "testimonial" was originally posted on the Drunken Boat blog):
The sun is rising over Gloucester Harbor: I can see it through the small leaded panes. I can hear the first birds, too, and the boats leaving from America’s oldest working waterfront. Think: Olson’s I, Maximus of Gloucester to You. Think: Marsden Hartley’s wild Dogtown paintings. Think: George Clooney in The Perfect Storm. I’m tucked in my bed, quiet so I don’t wake my roommate (a good friend and editor of my chapbook). Today, I might walk The Boulevard to Main Street and check out the used book store before I begin re-organizing my full-length manuscript. Or, I’ll re-organize my manuscript first, then walk along Fresh Water Cove to Stage Fort Park. I’m trying to decide while looking out the window in this 1846 Tudor-style mansion. If you were to drive here past the harbor on Route 127, you might miss it because of the high bushes and end up down the road, at Hammond Castle. You’ve missed the first mansion on this road: The Morning Garden Artist Retreat.
The Morning Garden Artist Retreat is the creation of poet Jennifer Jean and her husband, the musician/composer, Sebastian Jean. They wanted a space where artists--poets, prose writers at first, later, musicians and visual artists--could carve out a sacred bit of time to create. Morning Garden offers this in a small but gorgeous package. The retreat spans a weekend, which was perfect for me: I have two kids and two cats, so it’s hard to be away for weeks at a time. Morning Garden encompasses the closeness of an artistic group within the confines of a sprawling mansion. The history of the house is fascinating: first a mansion built by the man who invented the remote control (this story was told by the wonderful caretakers), then used by the Catholic Church as a home for retired clergy, then as a religious retreat center. Though definitely dated by some 1960’s touches (let’s call it “retro kitsch”) like the wall-to-wall carpeting, MG offers big bedrooms (2 per room) with private baths, and large spaces to work: a sprawling common room, a rec room with a pool table, a paneled study. The mansion accommodates up to twenty-five people (with limited room for visual artists and folks needing instrument and practice space). My friend was able to spread her manuscript (all 61 pages) out on the floor of the rec room and re-arrange it like a giant card game! I went to this retreat with a purpose: to re-order my poems and to generate new ones for another manuscript. This is where the camaraderie came in handy: there were pockets of conversations throughout the mansion, folks who would listen to a quirky line, read a few pages of my work, trade poems. Throughout the day, some of us would break away to one of the multi-windowed nooks to have a quick workshop.
On Friday, the first night, we gathered in the common room, to meet Jennifer and Seb, who presented their mission statements, and then the caretakers, Silvia and Manuel Quesada, who told the story of the home and really went out of their way to be gracious. There is a shy cat who remains hidden: it is my goal to have this cat love me by the end of one of these retreats. The first night was devoted to introductions and stating our goals: generating work, organizing, finalizing, fine-tuning, or simply being in this space of artists. Saturday was a full work day. Many of us utilized the common room: long dining tables allowed us to spread out pages of writing; plus, the coffee maker is there! Jennifer checked in mid-day, but really, Saturday was our oyster. There is a glorious stone tower, “The Tower of Inspiration”, on the grounds where Seb set up a music studio for composition and performance. On Saturday night, most of us went into town for dinner and to celebrate. The last evening, Sunday at twilight, the group entered The Tower of Inspiration and sat around a fire, reading our work, sharing what we’d accomplished: a sweet closing to the weekend. The view from the top of the tower is magnificent: past the Harbor, beyond to Wingaersheek Beach, and farther, Rockport.
MG is the perfect weekend residency to get in touch with—or to re-invigorate--your art and, more important, to be among artists. It takes very little planning, and the application is simple: email Jennifer Jean your intention to attend, then pay the retreat fee via Paypal 3 weeks prior to the date (the retreats are held in May and October). If you are in eastern Massachusetts, you can reach the retreat by the commuter rail: the purple line takes you right to downtown Gloucester. I’d say it’s best to go if you have a project in mind, but I don’t know how true that is. The brevity of the stay condenses the creativity, makes the stay intense: seventy-two hours of community with poets, writers, musicians, so even without “a goal,” much can be gained.
The cost of Morning Garden Artist Retreat is $160.00 and includes 2-person bedroom with bath, coffee and tea, free wifi, gorgeous places to write and 10% discount if you want to hire Jennifer for manuscript consultation. You are responsible for your own food. Most of us brought our favorite supplies. There is a huge, fully-equipped kitchen (restaurant quality) with a giant freezer. I brought my own coffee (I make a great cup of coffee) and my breakfast food to the retreat; I ate out Friday and Saturday nights (Gloucester has amazing seafood restaurants, most reasonably priced). The light in Gloucester at Morning Garden Artist Retreat is like no other place in May and in October...
-Melissa Silva
This weekend retreat saved me months of time. Jennifer and Sebastien create an open, flexible container for artistry to arise. I enjoyed the multi-discipline approach, and met other artists who work in media different from my own. All the participants were very focused. The writing workshops, and quiet in the lovely Gloucester town definitely helped improved my poetry.
-Renuka Raghavan, poet: Out of the Blue
Morning Garden is a great opportunity to foster internal creativity into concrete external bodies of work. There is something very magical about spending time out of your everyday life, a mindfulness that spills into your art.
-Jean Levasseur
This retreat was the perfect transition from a busy teaching semester into a creative and open-ended summer. Having focused, dedicated time to work is an invaluable commodity in my life. What was the most surprising to me was how inspiring it was to be working along other equally focused artists. It made me want to buckle down even that much further, and get things done so I could look everyone in the eye at the end and say that I met my goals.
And dinner out was a great way to get some of the community building that is so important.