Commonweal

Today--make a day of it and come out to the coast! Join us in Gallery Commonweal this afternoon from 3-5 pm to celebrate Myra Eastman, whose artwork is in our gallery through March. In this show, Myra features her series of paintings called “Pancreatic Cancer.” A participant in Commonweal’s Cancer Help Program last year, she used her gift as a narrative painter to help process the trauma of her experience with pancreatic cancer. From Myra: “Eight months after successful surgery for pancreatic cancer I had come to the retreat because I knew my body was healing but my mind was stuck. I was ecstatic that I had (so far) survived this deadly, sneaky disease and after surgery I was determined to reclaim my pre-cancer life fast.?But something was wrong. I was haunted by what had happened to me---everything that happens when you have cancer. It was Michael Lerner, during my one-on-one therapy session, who put a name to my distress. He said I had PTSD. His advice? As a narrative painter, I needed to paint what having pancreatic cancer felt like.” Myra Eastman is a narrative painter whose work explores personal, social, and political themes. She worked as an arts educator in the Santa Cruz public schools before retiring and now works full-time in her studio. She is the 2019 recipient of the Santa Cruz County Rydell Fellowship. Her one/two person invitational exhibition venues include: the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Museum Eduardo Carrillo, Monterey Peninsula College, and Gearbox Gallery. She was invited to the Santo Foundation’s 2019 10th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition held at Webster University in Saint Luis, MO. She has work in the Catamaran Literary Reader, Crocker Kingsley, American Art Collector and Studio Visit. Her paintings have recently been purchased by the Contra Costa Medical Center to be a part of their “Resilience Project” permanent collection. #commonweal #gallerycommonweal #artheals #healingart #pancreaticcancer #healingcancer

This Saturday 3-5pm! Join us in Gallery Commonweal to celebrate Myra Eastman, whose artwork is in our gallery through March. In this show, Myra features her series of paintings called “Pancreatic Cancer.” A participant in Commonweal’s Cancer Help Program last year, she used her gift as a narrative painter to help process the trauma of her experience with pancreatic cancer. From Myra: “Eight months after successful surgery for pancreatic cancer I had come to the retreat because I knew my body was healing but my mind was stuck. I was ecstatic that I had (so far) survived this deadly, sneaky disease and after surgery I was determined to reclaim my pre-cancer life fast.?But something was wrong. I was haunted by what had happened to me---everything that happens when you have cancer. It was Michael Lerner, during my one-on-one therapy session, who put a name to my distress. He said I had PTSD. His advice? As a narrative painter, I needed to paint what having pancreatic cancer felt like.” Myra Eastman is a narrative painter whose work explores personal, social, and political themes. She worked as an arts educator in the Santa Cruz public schools before retiring and now works full-time in her studio. She is the 2019 recipient of the Santa Cruz County Rydell Fellowship. Her one/two person invitational exhibition venues include: the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Museum Eduardo Carrillo, Monterey Peninsula College, and Gearbox Gallery. She was invited to the Santo Foundation’s 2019 10th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition held at Webster University in Saint Luis, MO. She has work in the Catamaran Literary Reader, Crocker Kingsley, American Art Collector and Studio Visit. Her paintings have recently been purchased by the Contra Costa Medical Center to be a part of their “Resilience Project” permanent collection. #commonweal #gallerycommonweal #artheals #healingart #pancreaticcancer #healingcancer

This Saturday 3-5pm! Join us in Gallery Commonweal to celebrate Myra Eastman, whose artwork is in our gallery through March. In this show, Myra features her series of paintings called “Pancreatic Cancer.” A participant in Commonweal’s Cancer Help Program last year, she used her gift as a narrative painter to help process the trauma of her experience with pancreatic cancer. From Myra: “Eight months after successful surgery for pancreatic cancer I had come to the retreat because I knew my body was healing but my mind was stuck. I was ecstatic that I had (so far) survived this deadly, sneaky disease and after surgery I was determined to reclaim my pre-cancer life fast.?But something was wrong. I was haunted by what had happened to me---everything that happens when you have cancer. It was Michael Lerner, during my one-on-one therapy session, who put a name to my distress. He said I had PTSD. His advice? As a narrative painter, I needed to paint what having pancreatic cancer felt like.” Myra Eastman is a narrative painter whose work explores personal, social, and political themes. She worked as an arts educator in the Santa Cruz public schools before retiring and now works full-time in her studio. She is the 2019 recipient of the Santa Cruz County Rydell Fellowship. Her one/two person invitational exhibition venues include: the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Museum Eduardo Carrillo, Monterey Peninsula College, and Gearbox Gallery. She was invited to the Santo Foundation’s 2019 10th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition held at Webster University in Saint Luis, MO. She has work in the Catamaran Literary Reader, Crocker Kingsley, American Art Collector and Studio Visit. Her paintings have recently been purchased by the Contra Costa Medical Center to be a part of their “Resilience Project” permanent collection. #commonweal #gallerycommonweal #artheals #healingart #pancreaticcancer #healingcancer

Start your weekend with a conversation from The New School about Visual Thinking, a research-based process developed over decades to help students in schools and museums learn about art, navigate difficult topics, and learn about others and their lived experiences. Tara Geer (Director of Commonweal's Visual Thinking Strategies program) and Host Susan Grelock Yusem What Do We Know? Visual Thinking Strategies tns.commonweal.org “Imagine you are in an aging public school classroom with 30 elementary students. No one is facing forward and everyone is squirming in their seats. You put up an image of a young girl walking with a bear past graffitied doors. There is a sucked-in-breath moment of surprise. You wait, maybe even count silently to five, and then you ask, ‘What’s going on in this picture?’” That is how Tara Geer describes starting a Visual Thinking Strategies session. Tara, an artist and the director of Commonweal’s Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) program, says, “What comes next is always a surprise. If I get it right, I have the honor of hearing the unique minds in that room grappling, judging, wondering, looking, listening—and a weaving together of the real diversity of that classroom.” Join us for a 60-minute conversation with VTS Director Tara Geer, hosted by Commonweal’s Head of Innovation and Strategy, Susan Grelock Yusem. #commonweal #newschoolcommonweal #conversationsthatmatter #visualthinking #healingart #artheals

JOIN THE NEW SCHOOL LIVE TOMORROW (online or in person) Tuesday, December 10 | 10am-12pm Pacific Time Words, Worry, Wonder | Rabbi Irwin Keller and Host Michael Lerner Join Host Michael Lerner for another conversation with New School friend and sometimes-host Rabbi Irwin Keller. A former lawyer and drag queen, Irwin has released a long-awaited volume of essays, memoir, and poetry, entitled Shechinah at the Art Institute: Words, Worry, Wonder. In this book, Irwin, most recently known for his viral protest poem, “Taking Sides,” leads us on dazzling journeys into Jewish mysticism, love, loss, memory, gender, AIDS, and the Milky Way itself. Co-presented with the The Mesa Refuge. find our more and register: tns.commonweal.org Photo: Adam Shemper #shechinah?#jewishmysticism#newschoolcommonweal?#commonweal #irwinkeller #poetry #healingart

Commonweal has three job openings! Apply by sending cover letter and resume to [email protected] Human Resources Manager—looking for an HR manager that wants to make a difference!?You will join our six-member finance and accounting team, and we will match responsibilities to accommodate your experience. Duties will include: implementing HR policies and procedures; maintaining HRIS platform; leading hiring, orientation, and exit process; federal, state, and other reporting; and projects. Full or part time, remote/hybrid, $90,000-$100,000 + benefits.?Read more and find out how to apply. Director of Advancement—Join?a development team of three, be part of the Stewardship Circle that is the leadership body of Commonweal, and partner with a motivated veteran Executive Director and a passionate board to build on a development program supporting Commonweal's administation and programs. Full-time, hybrid position, $120,000-$140,000 + benefits.?Read more and find out how to apply. Development Associate—Join our development team, working closely with both the donor and grants managers to assist with all phases of the grant process and the donation process. Primary responsibilities include accurate and timely data entry, report generation, accurate filing of documents, and effective communication with team members and stakeholders. Full-time, hybrid position, $25-$29 per hour + benefits.?Read more and find out how to apply. Find our job listings at commonweal.org/contact

We're #hiring a new Director of Advancement in Bolinas, California. Apply today or share this post with your network.

Healing Art: A Journey through Pancreatic Cancer -- an article by Myra Eastman, an alumna from our April 2024 Cancer Help Program I was eight months post surgery. My body was recovering, my hair growing back. I was ecstatic that I had (so far) survived this deadly disease. Friends called me the “miracle girl.” I was so lucky. I was determined to reclaim my pre-cancer life and jumped back into what I had lost: my working life as an artist, exercise, and time with family and friends. I wanted to move on, fast. But something was terribly wrong. I could feel it. I was haunted by what had happened and was experiencing flashbacks. I couldn’t sit still or relax during the day. Anything that reminded me of being sick caused anxiety. My body was slowly coming back but my mind was stuck. That's why I knew I had to go to the Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreat. I knew I had to go alone—apart from my loving family and friends who had cared so deeply for me. I needed to confront the trauma in a safe place. Finally, the right time had come. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e7YTUsuU #commonweal #cancerhealing #healingart #artishealing #cancer #pancreaticcancer #cancerhelp

"You have the right to say what happens to your stuff---and so few people exercise that right!" ---Kim Klein, fundraising expert and author of Fundraising for Social Change Commonweal is part of a consortium of West Marin non-profit organizations that are promoting legacy giving this fall. Funded by West Marin Fund, the efforts have resulted in eight workshops in various locations in West Marin, answering questions and offering resources for creating or updating wills and trusts that can leave a lasting legacy for your values and your possessions. Legacy giving is not just for the wealthy--everyone has something to leave behind to organizations that mirror your values. Join one of the remaining free workshops! https://lnkd.in/gHQ9kfqk Tuesday October 1 ? 5-7pm Tomales Town Hall (Interpretación en espa?ol disponible) Sunday October 6 ? 10am-12pm Lodge at Marconi, Marshall Sunday October 13 ? 10:30am-12:30pm San Geronimo Valley Community Center Wednesday October 23 ? 11am-1pm Bolinas Museum #wills #lastinglegacy #legacygiving #bequest

We're #hiring a new Senior Director, Youth Education and Art! The YEA! Senior Director is an entrepreneurial new exciting role that?will work closely with the program directors of the Commonweal programs?Visual Thinking Strategies?(VTS),?Partners for Youth Empowerment?(PYE) and?Collaboration of Teachers and Artists?(CoTA) to develop a vibrant and innovative new arts and education collaborative within Commonweal’s body of programs and the art education sector. This director will work in partnership with the Commonweal Executive Director and the Head of Strategies and Innovation to grow, deepen and sustain the art education programming at Commonweal. This role’s responsibilities will include broadening program offering, expanding reach, developing a business plan,?increasing earned revenue and philanthropic support, supporting partnerships, cultivating joint programming, marketing, and fostering engagement in the Art Education and Commonweal communities.?This role directly supports Commonweal’s vision of healing for ourselves and the planet by supporting resilience for young people and helping to create more vibrant and generative education settings.?