SPIRITS OF THE CLOTH: A DESIGN AND TEXTILE RETREAT
DATE: January 20 - February 3, 2009

Plan now for Full Circle’s Spirits of the Cloth: A Design and Textile Retreat to the magical country of Ghana, West Africa! This exciting retreat is for textile artists, quilters or anyone interested in the rich textile and symbolic traditions of Ghana! Unlike other large group tours, this retreat is designed to provide you with personalized cultural and learning experiences that will increase your knowledge of the meanings and history of the magnificent textiles of this West African country. One of the ways that Full Circle Retreats are special is that we’ve arranged actual hands-on experiences with several of the great masters of the textile traditions in Ghana! You’ll spend time creating the art of the colorful batiks! You’ll weave in the rich traditions of kente, the cloth of royalty! You’ll learn the meanings of the adinkra symbols and create your own adinkra cloth! And we've just added special demonstrations of bead-making in the amazing traditions of the Krobos people of Ghana! All this and more, as we take in the beautiful sights, fabulous sounds AND gorgeous beaches that this coastal country has to offer!

This two-week retreat is exceptionally priced at $4600**, which includes roundtrip airfare from Chicago, air-conditioned rooms, many delicious West African meals, all transportation during the retreat, all entrance fees to historical cultural sites and all course fees for your cloth and textile classes!

The spirit of the cloth is calling you! Don’t miss your chance to enjoy Ghana, West Africa! Space is limited and available on a first come-first served basis. Click on the register icon on this page and print the registration form. But don’t wait too long! Your registration form and a $500** deposit guarantee that you’ll be with us in Ghana in 2009!

The Full Circle Deadline for your non-refundable deposit is August 1, 2008.
Balance Due: November 1, 2008
Departure city: Chicago
Retreat Cost: $4600***



SANKOFA RETREAT: EXPLORING THE ROOTS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
DATE: July 21 - August 4, 2009

What IS the connection between African and African American culture? The Full Circle Sankofa Retreat is based on the Akan proverb that stresses the need to "go back and fetch it." On our Sankofa Retreat, you will do just that: Go back to Ghana, West Africa, to deepen your understandings of the roots of African American heritage and culture! We'll start in the capitol city of Accra, where you'll have the chance to orient yourself to Ghana through visits to major museums and cultural sites. We'll travel to Kumasi, home of the mighty Ashanti people, and explore the connections and carryovers of African culture, particularly in styles of leadership and crafts traditions. We'll then travel and trace a part of the historic routes of enslaved African people through the country, ending at the historic cities of Cape Coast and Elmina, home of two of the largest slave dungeons along the coast of the African continent. We'll engage in lectures and discussions by African elders and craftspeople about African history and culture, both on the continent and in the diaspora. Finally we'll return to Accra and deepen our knowledge and connections through visits to cultural sites directly connected to African American culture and heritage including the W.E.B. DuBois Center and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial.

This is an important opportunity for teachers, school administrators, social service workers, and others interested in knowing the deep and profound roots of African American culture that began in West Africa and not in the slavery experience in the United States - and the way that re-framing one's perspectives about African American culture from an African point of view can profoundly change your way of being in the world!

Don't miss your chance to be a part of our 2009 Sankofa Retreat! Space is limited and available on a first-come, first served basis! Click on the register icon on this page to print the registration form. And don't wait too long! Your registration form and a $500 deposit will guarantee that you'll be going back to fetch what YOU need in Ghana, West Africa!

The Full Circle Deadline for your non-refundable deposit is January 5, 2009.
Balance Due: April 1, 2009
Departure city: Columbus or Chicago
Retreat Cost: $4800***



SACRED CIRCLES: A BEADING RETREAT
DATE: July 20 - August 3, 2010

If you love beads and beading, then our Full Circle Sacred Circles Retreat is for you! Designed for glass and bead makers, artists, and those who love beautiful jewelry and adornments, this retreat will offer you the chance to explore the culture and bead-making traditions of Ghana, West Africa and the ways that bead traditions from throughout the world have influenced one another. Mentored by master bead artists in Ghana, you will have the hands-on opportunity to learn the art of glass bead, powdered and fused glass bead-making and enameled bead design works! You'll learn about the gold and brass bead traditions of the Ashanti people of Ghana, particularly focused on the lost-wax method of brass castings of beads and adornments! We'll engage in lectures and discussions by African elders and craftspeople about the sacred nature of the beads. Finally, we will participate in beachside beading workshops on beading techniques and design including prayer/meditation beads! Our Sacred Circles Retreat will also include visits to several major cultural and historical sites to deepen our knowledge about the roles of sacred circles in African history - and of course, lots of shopping for the exquisite beads that Ghana has to offer!

Don't miss your chance to be a part of our Sacred Circles Retreat! Space is limited and available on a first-come, first served basis! Click on the register icon on this page to print the registration form. And don't wait too long! Your registration form and a $500 deposit will guarantee that you'll be creating and beading your own sacred circles in Ghana in 2010!

The Full Circle Deadline for your non-refundable deposit is January 5, 2010.
Balance Due: April 1, 2010
Departure city: Columbus or Chicago
Retreat Cost: $4800***



Questions? Contact me at cbdillard@fullcircleretreats.com.

COME BACK AND VISIT US FOR MORE DETAILS!