“Took part in a potpourri arts festival this past weekend called Art In Nature: The Nature of Art.* 200 artists -- from musicians to painters to circus artists -- sharing their talents over a mile long stretch of redwood forrest in the Oakland hills.

The vision for the festival came one day to Laura Inserra as she suddenly realized that the old-growth redwood forrest she was walking through was calling to be transformed into a living stage for multidisciplinary arts. The multidisciplinary aspect is captured in the Sanksrit word 'Samavesha', also the name of the non-profit Laura founded, which means "immersion," or "union with the divine" -- not just in something else per se, but also a realization that you are /already/ immersed in sacred, teeming life. The role of the arts then, is to open our consciousness to that sacred immersion.

Many beautiful moments … imagine wandering through the woods and softly approaching melodic signing over a hang drum percussing sweet rhythms underneath 300-foot tall redwood trees. Or approaching an open field with a giant circle of harmonious Russian folk singing on the right, and off to the left a group of capoieristas clapping and spar-dancing.

The event was designed for the ecology that hosted it (and was LNT -- leave no trace), and was put on gift-economy style: volunteer run and completely donation based.

If you think about the festival separately, it's a bunch of artists and audience gathering for a day to have a good time. If you think about it in the context of say, The Great Turning**, then it provides a living example in response to the question: what is the role of the arts in shifting our culture towards a life-sustaining society?” Article written by Chris Johnnidis.