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The mission of the Okanagan Institute is to contribute to the quality of creative engagement in the Okanagan through publications, events and collaborations. » Home » Events » Publications » Collaborations » The Institute » Contact  Kelowna BC Canada Telephone 250.870.2690 Email: Click here  Click here to help us improve our programs. |
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» Thursday 10 April 2008 | 4:30 pm » Hanna's Lounge, 1392 Water Street An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Arts. Join us as artist and writer Karen Close explores the breakthrough ideas and influence of Dr. Gene D. Cohen and Eckhart Tolle. » This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost. » Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE Sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna Artist and Writer Explores the Nature of Creativity Creativity is the language of the heart. It is the gift within each of us for the processing and releasing of emotion, and the sharing of our uniqueness with each other. This Thursday April 10, at 4:30 p.m. at Hanna's Lounge, the Okanagan Institute continues its Express cultural series with The Healing Power of Creativity - featuring Karen Close, a retired teacher who has developed an innovative program designed to help people of all ages engage in art and from there find their artistic voice. Karen Close is an artist and writer, a former schoolteacher and the author of Unfinished Women: Seeds from My Friendship with Reva Brooks. Since moving to Kelowna, she has been involved in many arts pursuits. She offers a program that explores the nature of creativity at the Rotary Centre."The program is designed to encourage participants to see with fresh eyes and to feel the joy of expressing with 'heArt'," says Close. "Teaching people to have faith in the creative urgings of their hearts is the most important lesson I try to impart." Her approach is from the perspective that creativity has been proven to improve health. Her worshops are developed from Dr Gene D. Cohen's work on creativity and the process of aging, and demonstrate that this type of work has been clincally proven to improve all bodily systems. Close states, "Creative invention protects and empowers. When we create we build an imaginary world in which we solve the problems that seem unsolvable in our reality. Nurture your creativity." She encourages participants to make themselves "heArt fit", and also draws inspiration from the writings of Eckhart Tolle. Dr. Gene D. Cohen is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of aging, widely known for his books on aging which include The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life and The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain. Much of his work has focused on the powerful positive effects of community based art programs, and how becoming involved in dance and painting classes, art exhibits and performance-based events are a lot more than just having fun. They also help maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle. Cohen states, "Cutting edge neuroscience and groundbreaking psychology advise that Creative Fitness directly affects the health of all bodily systems." Eckhart Tolle is the author of the bestseller The Power of Now and A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential books of our time. Eckhart's profound yet simple teachings have helped countless people discover greater fulfillment in their lives, through the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. Since 1995 he has lived in Vancouver. Tolle states, "The surrendered state of consciousness opens up the vertical dimension in your life, the dimension of depth. Something will then come forth from that dimension into this world, something of infinite value that otherwise would have remained unmanifested." By exploring the ideas and influence of these two important thinkers, Karen Close reveals much about the nature of creativity and how it impacts our lives. 
The Healing Power of Creativity is a free event, and takes place at Hanna's Lounge. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing.
Express is sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, and supports the work of Project Literacy Kelowna.
 Okanagan Insitute at Hanna's Lounge A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Expresss is a cultural tonic that refreshes the mind. Join us at Hanna's Lounge after work on Thursdays for a free hour of stimulation that will get your synapses tingling with new ideas and fresh images. Designed for inquiring minds looking for, among other things, the wild blue yonder.
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