LEARNING ARTS
Every person carries a unique way of perceiving the world and organizing experience into a personal method for navigating life. This rich diversity of perspectives, styles, talents, and aptitudes is the greatest resource we have as a global community.
The imaginalArts mission is to help people expand their perception beyond the limitations of the rational mind. To also pay attention to the subtle sensations of the body, to listen to the quiet voice of intuition, and to give credence to the mythopoetic language of dreams. At points in our lives, we are called by a deep longing that tugs on the soul. It beckons us to find meaning, to connect with our innate gift and life purpose. These other ways of knowing are the pathway to finding the way.
I design and facilitate transformative learning experiences that ignite the imagination, and reacquaint people with the authentic voice of their heart. My methods include creative rituals, ceremonial practices, council circles, yoga, visual art, mythic imagination, and mindfulness meditation. I am available for consultations, program and curriculum design, and facilitation of Rites of Passage.
Offerings
Rites of Passage for Teens
Our contemporary education system has forgotten one of its critical responsibilities, to initiate our young people into adulthood as responsible participatory change makers who trust their innate and distinct gifts as precious contributions to our needy world.
A Teen Rite of Passage is a transformative experience that calls forth an awareness of the interconnected web that supports their lives. This ceremony lifts them out of their self-serving childish nature and opens them up to the realization that their life is intrinsically connected to all those they love and all those who love them. In recognizing the generous blessings of support, love, and kindness given to them, they are then tasked with the responsibility to give back. This initiation into adulthood proposes that the fundamental purpose of life is to recognize and develop the unique genius born within as a gift to serve others, the community, and all of life on earth. A gift is only a gift when given. So with generosity of spirit and sacred reciprocity, they can begin to forge their path into adulthood.
The Way of Council
Based on the traditional practice of oral storytelling, Council is a structured dialogic practice in which all voices are heard in an environment of trust. Participants sit in a circle to share stories from their life experience, fostering the recognition of a shared humanity and interconnectedness. Council encourages deep listening without judgment to cultivate compassionate connections and appreciation for differences. When Council is incorporated into the fabric of school culture as a collaborative approach to social and emotional learning, it improves emotional resilience,deepens interpersonal relationships, and enhances the sense of belonging and community. The general sense of well-being can be felt throughout the school and student outcomes improve.
Testimonials
“Lucia’s contributions to Topa Institutes teen Rites of Passage programs have been inspirational. As a consultant and facilitator, her mythopoetic voice invites us to venture beyond everyday life to the “world behind the world” and into the deep inner realms of our own true nature. By illuminating the visible world with the light of imagination she creates a truly transformative experience.
Not only is Lucia a key member of our team of facilitators, but as a consultant, her critical contributions to revising Topa’s Teen Rites of Passage programs have generated enthusiastic feedback from both the schools we work with and appreciative parents.
Lucia has also been a mentor to me, encouraging me to trust my inner wisdom and realize the strength of my leadership skills. I am endlessly grateful for her support in my life and in the lives of these young folks.”
~ O’Kawai Kin Director of Educational Programs at Topa Institute in Ojai CA
“Lucia Vinograd is a compassionate, heart-centered educator who has served not only as a trusted advisor to me personally, but also to our executive team here at Southern Oregon University. She brings insight, experience, wisdom, thoughtfulness, and love to everyone around her, and is a proven, effective guide for anyone seeking to bring teams together in a harmonious, productive, and joyful way. She is an absolute superstar."
~ Richard J. Bailey - President of Southern Oregon University
“At last, an educational leader devoted to addressing the yearning for deep human connection in learning communities. Lucia Vinograd has a profoundly moving, utterly passionate, and inspired articulation of the call for more heart at the center of what we are doing. Through her Learning Arts branch, she consults with schools and colleges to design customized programs for learners of all ages and backgrounds. These enhance the sense of belonging, meaning-making, and clarity about the passages we all make through our various developmental stages. She then facilitates dynamic experiences employing pedagogies that undergird some of the most innovative approaches in American education: The Way of Council, Mindfulness Education, and Social Emotional Learning. Her work is informed by an ongoing commitment to the visual arts and many years of teaching and leading. I can also say this: after collaborating with Lucia on an important project in higher education, I know she is great to work with: engaging, flexible, and fun!
~ John Braman - Senior Program Advisor, Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute (RGMI), MA, Educational Administration, Teachers College, Columbia University - Past President, Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)
“I want you to know that you are one of the teachers who made a difference in my life… studying with you was the foundation of my career in architecture which has been really rewarding. Thanks!! Ali”
~ Student - from an independent school in Los Angeles
“Thank you for living what you believe. Through your quiet example - you have provided the support and strength I needed to break boundaries within myself as a person, a teacher, and a student, especially in this classroom. You are the shamanistic character I have been waiting for - teaching by doing and not saying… allowing the space for individual growth and conclusion. I cannot fully express all that I have learned from you just in this week even what it really means. I think it will reveal itself as I continue my process of unfoldment. I am grateful for your guidance and your generosity…Your dynamic and healing energy will be missed as I return to my life in Chicago.”
~ Kelly, elementary school teacher in Chicago public schools