How should we best spend our time? How do our emotions impact our art-making? What role does self-control play in making meaningful art? Are our actions guided by our intentions? This virtual workshop for dancers, musicians, painters, filmmakers, crafters, writers, actors—artists of any type—guides participants through deep discussions, investigates views by prominent philosophers and scientists, and provides individual artistic mentorship.

Speakers
Isabella Tommasone Poet
Alex Ketley Choreographer/Visual Artist/Actor
Daniel Smith Composer/Florida State University

Bios

Isabella Tommasone is a poet currently based in Tallahassee, Florida. Her work is particularly interested in queerness, fashion, and trauma healing.

Bridget Close is an ecocentric maker, storyteller, director, actor, dancer, visual artist, and embodied research practitioner. She draws from philosophies and movement practices developed by Mary Overlie (S.P.A.C.E.), Rudolf Laban (Efforts and Platonic Solids), Jaques Lecoq (Mask work and Elemental Embodiment), Richard Schechner (Rasaboxes: hopscotch of the emotions), and Joséphine Garibaldi and Paul Zmolek (Dialogical Devising).

Daniel Smith, the Director of AST, is an acclaimed pianist and composer best known for his work with leading dance institutions, including Martha Graham Dance Company and Suzanne Farrell Ballet. He is a faculty member at Florida State University where he teaches cross-disciplinary courses that merge philosophy, science, and the arts.

Schedule
10:00–11:15 The First and Greatest Victory, Daniel Smith
1:00–2:15 Isabella Tommasone’s Thoughts on Temperance
4:00–5:15 Artistic Sharing, facilitated by Daniel Smith
7:00–8:15 Bridget Close’s Thoughts on Emotional Intelligence

AST provides online workshops and master classes for artists that integrate philosophy, science, and aesthetics. Each of our events explores one of six core character attributes: happiness, wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, and temperance. We investigate leading philosophical and scientific understandings of these virtues and mentor artists as they wrestle with rich, enduring questions in the pursuits of bettering themselves and expanding their capacity to make impactful art. Our workshops and master classes are held online via group video chats (NOT webinars), allowing you to see and talk with us, our guests, and other participants from anywhere in the world. If you’re involved in an arts-related field and want to engage with passionate, insightful speakers and guest artists, you’ve come to the right place!

For additional information, visit ArtistsSeekingTranscendence.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.