Womanspace Programs for December 2011

Contact: Gale Ketteler, Program Coordinator/Marketing Specialist, gale@womanspace-rockford.org, 815-877-0118

Womanspace announces the following programs, art classes and special events on their campus, located one half mile west of Rock Valley College at 3333 Maria Linden Drive in Rockford. Info at 815-877-0118, info@womanspace-rockfor.org or www.womanspace-rockford.org. Visit www.facebook.com/Womanspace for regular updates on Womanspace.

Program titles link to website listings.

Holiday Art & Craft Sale Open Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-5:00pm through December 15, plus evenings and weekends when programs are scheduled. This festive event features original holiday gift items and décor created by members, including a wide variety of art, jewelry, pottery and stoneware, wood craft, clothing, handmade cards, knitted hats, mittens and slippers, scarves, quilts, children’s items, Christmas originals, handmade holiday cards, and much more. 40% of your purchase benefits Womanspace. Sponsored by David Boccignone of Ameriprise Financial.

Yoga for Women with Una Ryan December 1, 8, & 15; 9:30-10:45am in the Womanspace Library. Cost: $36 or $13/class (members $30 or $12/class) Yoga is an easy-to-learn workout program that not only improves flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina, but also reduces anxiety and stress. This basic Hatha Yoga class for adults will also help improve mental clarity, so the time spent in practice is more than worth it. Dress comfortably and bring a sticky mat. 

Womanspace Barnes & Noble Bookfair & NOOK Tablet™ Raffle 

Saturday, December 3; 9:00am-9:00pm at Barnes & Noble in the District in CherryVale Mall. Make your holiday gift purchases to support Womanspace and enjoy special events throughout the day. New York Times best-selling children’s book author and illustrator, Tom Lichtenheld appears at 3:00pm with his latest release E-MERGENCY! Lichtenheld will talk about his books, invite youth to read Duck! Rabbit!, and create live interactive drawings and stories with the audience. Womanspace has raffle tickets for the new NOOK Tablet™ on sale now for $5 each, or 5 tickets for $20 in their offices or at http://www.womanspace-rockford.org/pages/news/specialevents/specialevents.htm#bn. The drawing will be at 8:00pm at the Bookfair. A portion of purchases will benefit Womanspace when local and national in-store shoppers verbally designate “Womanspace” or provide the Bookfair Voucher with ID#10519254 at check-out on December 3. The fundraiser is also online December 3-8.

Insight Meditation Tuesday, December 6 6:30–8:00pm with Dorothy Bock in the Womanspace Library. Cost: $15 (Members $12). Ages 15 & up. Treat yourself to the practice of meditation, also known as Vipassana, as it teaches us to calm and steady our minds by grounding our attention to the present moment. The desired result is openness and clarity. Through periods of silent sitting we learn to pay attention to our breath and body, allowing silence, sound, and word or visual images to build awareness and transform our hearts and minds. Wear comfortable clothes. Paced for beginners as well as occasional meditators. All are welcome-women, men, and teens.

Dorothy earned her BA at Alverno College, her MA in English Literature at Marquette University, and completed her MFA in Art at the University of Notre Dame. She has been a teacher of art, literature and the humanities since 1950.

Lunch and Learn: Feldenkrais – Awareness through Movement with Laurie Drake.  Wednesday, December 7; Noon-1:00 in the Fountain View Room.  Cost: $12 (members $10) Register by December 5.  Increase awareness of excess tension and pain in your body and learn how to relieve them through Feldenkrais and pelvic muscle relaxation. Laurie will share better breath and posture approaches, plus ways to move more efficiently and live stress-free. Sponsored by Sandra J Slaga-Attorney at Law.  Laurie received a BA in Psychology from the University of Tampa and a BS in Physical Therapy from Daemen College. She works at Advanced Therapy Solutions in Rockford and specializes in abdominal and pelvic floor disorders. Her passion is developing a team approach, blending Eastern and Western methodologies and she has studied Feldenkrais extensively.

Movie Night: The Story of Dorothy Day–Warrior for Peace & Champion of the Poor Wednesday December 7; 7:00-8:30pm in the Fountain View Room.  Cost:  $12 (members $10).  Please register by December 5.  Don’t miss this special video presentation of the one-woman play we planned to present last fall. It was cancelled due to Sarah Melici’s illness, but she has given us permission to show you the DVD.

Dorothy Day was jailed as a suffragette in the 1920s and faced great challenges throughout her life, including failed love affairs, poverty, and social and political injustice. She was a committed pacifist and the play opens with 75 year-old Day once again in jail for picketing, this time with Cesar Chavez and the California grape growers. Portraying multiple characters, Ms. Melici reflects on the incidents, turning points and pivotal people in Day’s life. Her soup kitchens and houses of hospitality were gathering spots and places of refuge, not only for the poor, but for social activists, religious intellectuals, reformers, and radicals. Don’t miss this story of a woman whose folly surpassed the wisdom of this world.

Sarah Melici has starred on stage and screen, and collaborated on the script for The Story of Dorothy Day. She has extensive acting credits in regional theater, plus a national tour of Driving Miss Daisy. Ms. Melici appeared in Temptation by Vaclav Havel at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Other credits include Law and Order, The Golden Years and Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories.

EarthMatters Group Wednesday, December 14; Noon-1:15 in the Fountain View Room. Freewill offering-suggested donation $5.  Whether you’re a novice or active “greenie,” this group is a fun and positive way to share information and accept the challenge of helping our environment. Each month an environmental topic with a wealth of background and research is presented and discussed. Prior attendance is not required. Bring a sack lunch.

For girls ages 9–13 Book vs Movie: Flipped with Pat Lai and Carol Valaitis. Friday, December 16; 6:00-9:00pm in the Womanspace Library.  Cost: $10. Please register by December 14. Read this fun book (available at Wonderland Books & Toys) ahead of time, and then join us for the film. Afterward, we’ll discuss the story. Which one will win—the book or the movie? Ever since she saw Bryce’s baby blue eyes back in second grade, Juli has been smitten. Unfortunately, Bryce has never felt the same. Frankly, he thinks Juli is a little weird. Then, in eighth grade, everything changes. Bryce begins to see that Juli’s unusual interests and pride in her family are, well, kind of cool. And Juli starts to think that maybe Bryce’s baby blues are as empty as the rest of him.

Candlelight Winter Solstice Celebration with Dorothy Bock.  Wednesday, December 21; 6:00-8:00pm in the Fountain View Room.  Cost: $10 (members: $5) please register by December 19.  Gather around the fireplace to reflect upon the past year — challenges we’ve met, times of joy and accomplishments, losses sustained. Candles will be lit to remember friends or family we have lost and hold dear. Weather permitting, we will close with intentions around the fire pit in ceremony and prayer. As co-founder of Womanspace and “resident crone,” Dorothy is well experienced in leading rituals and facilitating ceremonies.

ONGOING:

Green Fundraiser

EarthMatters is both our environmental group and a beautiful and functional and reusable shopping bag! Come to Womanspace and get your environmentally-sound reusable totes for just $10 each. They’re made by a woman-owned and operated company here in the U.S. from 100% post-consumer recycled water bottles, and they make a great statement! 

Walk the Labyrinth

The Womanspace labyrinth and other gardens are free and open to the public daily during daylight hours. Labyrinths have been used by many spiritual traditions for over 4000 years. Our 11-circuit design is modeled after the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France and features an echoing energy vortex at the center. Labyrinths open you to a meditative and transformative experience - the ancient practice of circling to the center, incorporating the imagery of the spiral into a meandering, but purposeful path. Its many turns reflect the journey of life, which involves change and transition, rites of passage and cycles of nature. Starting at the circle drive, follow the prayer ribbon hoops through the woods, turn right at the bench and onto the prairie to discover the labyrinth.  Allow yourself an hour to fully experience the journey to the center and back out again.

Holistic Health Room

Womanspace has a wonderful space for providing massage therapy, reflexology, Reiki, and other bodywork. Appointments are made directly with the service provider, who will inform you of fees and other details. To contact a provider or learn more about our rental contract, contact us at info@womanspace-rockford.org or 815-877-0118.

Ceremonies, Gatherings and Celebrations at Womanspace

Consider Womanspace for your wedding, memorial service, renewal of wedding vows or other celebrations. Over the past decades, many people have enjoyed ceremonies on our grounds and in our facilities. Contact Womanspace at info@womanspace-rockford.org or 815-877-0118 for rental fees and information on how we can provide a one-of-a-kind experience in our new Anjali Pavilion, gardens, pine forest, Labyrinth and other meeting areas.

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Our mission: Connecting, empowering, creating and transforming our world – one woman at a time.

About Womanspace: Womanspace seeks to inspire individuals to discover new talents, interests and friendships, and is dedicated to helping people live their best lives through programs that enhance mind, body and spirit. Situated on a seven-acre campus with art studios, galleries, Gallery2Go gift shop, beautiful gardens and a labyrinth, Womanspace has touched the lives of more than 20,000 men, women and children since its founding in Rockford, Illinois in 1975. Womanspace operates as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Directions: From Mulford or Alpine/Spring Creek, take Spring Brook Road to Applewood Lane.  Travel one block north on Applewood and then turn left on Maria Linden Drive. Travel through the gate and at the top of the hill, veer right around the lot for Provena Cor Mariae until you reach the drive and lot for Womanspace.