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Nature and Art Retreat


Trees

Take a break from the fast-paced, tech-driven world and rediscover your connection to nature and art in this three-day retreat.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Interlochen’s 1,200-acre campus in northern Michigan, this immersive experience invites you to tune into the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural world while exploring the art created within it. Over the course of the retreat, you’ll rejuvenate your sense of well-being through a profound connection to nature and art, with the scientific benefits of boosting your immune system, reducing stress, enhancing attention, and deepening your sense of awe.

Drawing from the Japanese practice of forest bathing, this program emphasizes a mindful approach, featuring low-impact daily walks through the campus's preserved natural forests and art-making spaces, including music, visual arts, creative writing, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to experience sunrise yoga sessions, canoeing in the campus’s lakes, joining an excursion to Michigan Art Legacy Park, and participating in story circles with participants to share about your life and build community with others. You’ll be encouraged to journal throughout the retreat, and if you so choose, express yourself through an artistic medium such as writing, visual storytelling, music, dance, or another form. Bring a notebook, poetry, paints, or any tools that help you express your creative voice.

By the end of the retreat, you’ll have rekindled your relationship with the natural world, reawakened your artistic spirit, and emerged with a renewed sense of clarity, inspiration, and awe for the world around you.

Dates

July 13 - 16, 2025

Early Registration Fee

$386

Fee increases after April 1 

On-Campus Lodging

Participants can enjoy 10% off at the Stone Hotel and Cottages

Meet the Faculty

Jane West

Jane West

Director of the Nature and Art Retreat

Questions? Contact us.

Email: college@interlochen.org 

Phone: 231.276.7340 

Discover more programs for adult artists

View all of our in-person and online programs for adults, or sign up for new program announcements.

Interlochen College of Creative Arts student paints en plein air