| The Icon Retreat 2012 St. John Neumann Renewal Center
Icons appeal to believers and nonbelievers. The images peer out from a dimension beyond space and time. At once Byzantine and yet modern, the icon provokes a desire to know more about the image, ourselves, and the universe.
The North Florida Iconography Institute fosters personal growth, embracing renewal of the body, mind and spirit. Twice a year, in January and June, the Institute hosts a 10-day full-immersion retreat and studio experience at the Saint John Neumann Renewal Center in Tallahassee. Daily workshops provide group and individual instruction in the traditional Byzantine and Russian techniques used in creating religious icons. And time is set aside each day for personal study and reflection and group meditation, prayer and worship. The all inclusive cost of the retreat is $950.
The Icon Retreat is a unique experience that combines art instruction (aesthetics, and technique) with theology and spirituality in Traditional, Byzantine iconography, which has been handed down to us through the ages by Orthodox and Eastern-rite Catholic faiths. The orthodox canon of iconography, a set of rules that maintain the fundamental guidelines regarding subject, color, attributes, wording, etc., is presented as a language for students to learn. Workshops accommodate participants at all levels of artistic training and ability. Participants learn basic drawing, color theory, and simple geometry. Experienced participants, with teacher approval, may create more complex icons. All learn basic gilding techniques and egg tempera painting, using dry pigment with an egg yolk mixture as a binder. Participants progress at their own speed. Generally, about one-third of those attending each session have attended a previous session. Through the intensive studio experience, all develop a greater understanding of iconography and gain a greater appreciation for stylistic differences between the masters.
The creation of an icon and the mastery of technique require dedication and patience. Participants experience a daily routine that is free from the usual distractions of daily life. The use of cell phones and personal communications devices is discouraged. The focus is on renewal and artistic growth through the study of iconography.
While participants are offered daily worship opportunities as a foundation for spiritual growth, participation is optional. Worship is solidly grounded in the Christian faith and appeals generally to Christians, with persons from many Protestant denominations represented, along with those of Orthodox and Catholic faiths. However, we welcome participants from all faith traditions.
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