Held via Zoom
Nancy VanKanegan
CEUs: 2

*Limited to 20 participants.

“…it is easy to see how the severe pattern imposed by a circular image of this kind compensates the disorder of the psychic state– namely through the construction of a central point to which everything is related, or by a concentric arrangement of the disordered multiplicity and of contradictory and irreconcilable elements.” Carl Jung

The mandala, an ancient, universal diagram, is both sign and symbol of a spiritual meditative state. Its purpose is to draw the viewer from the outer layer to the center in order to unite the inner and outer aspect of the self, and encourage movement through the layers between. Concentricity invites visual and thoughtful action. Our eyes move around and around and with telescopic radiation our gaze moves to the center and out to the perimeter. This echoes the inner/outer structure found in all aspects of materiality. All forms have a gross and inner structure with a causal pattern determining the outer structure, i.e., the shape of a leaf and the leaf skeleton. The primal (concentric)  shapes of the mandala can be read as psychological symbols corresponding to inner states of human consciousness. Individual shapes enclosed within the ‘layers’ or circles can express personal or universal meaning.

We will 1) discuss the symbolic spiritual and metaphysical meaning of mandala diagrams, 2) explore how this design has been employed in secular contemporary art and design, and 3) create a personal mandala.

About the Instructor
Nancy VanKanegan has been a practicing artist/yogi for all of her adult life. She presently teaches art and yoga at Columbia College Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, and DePaul University. Her personal art practice is informed by her lifelong yoga practice and study of the arts and ideas of world cultures. Notable public works include a Moveable Labyrinth in parking lots around Chicago and 2 versions of Memory Mandala, a large mandala created using found and repurposed objects. Visit her website nancyvankanegan.net for more information about her visual art.

Recommended Readings
Memories, Dreams and Reflections – C.G. Jung
The Koshas 5 layers of Being – Lynda Johnson
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/the-koshas-5-layers-of-being

Attendees will need the following supplies (your choice of drawing tools):
Blank paper- at least 3 sheets
Drawing tools – pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons
Circular templates- jar lids or plastic container tops work very well

*Program CEUs are an additional $15 processing fee. Please note that the current CEU processing time is around 3-4 weeks during this time of limited office use.