WEEK-LONG RESIDENTIAL CLASSES FROM MAY – OCTOBER

The Summer Program, which runs from May through October, is The Clearing’s oldest and the one that most closely resembles Jensen’s original folk school vision. The mainstay of the Summer Program is week-long classes, with 25 to 35 students and instructors living at The Clearing, eating family-style meals and renewing their spirit through close contact with the native landscape. The Clearing experience is made up of many special components. The classes, sense of community, forests, meadows, water, sunsets, home-cooked meals, traditions and history all blend to create a wonderful place to learn, relax, reflect and make new friends.

-click on class titles below for complete class descriptions and to register-

Although it hurt to do it, the situation with the COVID-19 virus made it necessary for us to cancel our 2020 Summer Program season. This decision was both difficult and easy. It was difficult because we missed seeing you and we knew how much you missed being here. But the decision was also easy because nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our guests and staff.

Our new program—Clearing Retreats—the program we created in late spring when we realized that we couldn’t have in-person classes this year, was a wonderful addition to our Summer Program. While not the same as taking a class, the new program did allow around 300 guests to join us. Our last retreat group left on November 21st. And while The Clearing has been very quiet this year compared to a “normal year,” it’s now so much more quiet. The birds and the squirrels and the deer have the run of the place until next spring, since there will be no classes here in our Winter Program for the first time since the winter of 1975.

So we wait for spring. And we wait, and we hope for, good news regarding COVID-19. We hope that, by spring, we’ll be able to have classes. But if we can’t, or if we can’t right away in May, we now know that the Clearing Retreats Program works and that we could start off the season with that program, if necessary. But classes will return. We’re just not sure when. Stay tuned for 2021 program and thanks for your support and for your patience!

Take care, stay safe, be well and do good.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Schneider
Executive Director
The Clearing