New Mexico 2022 alumni retreat

This retreat is now full. Please contact me for a spot on the waiting list. It is always possible someone will cancel.

Dates: November 14-20, 2022
Location: Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos, New Mexico

This retreat is the one rescheduled from January 2022 which was again cancelled due to COVID. I’m anticipating it being the same group that was to come in January 2022, but I will be holding a similar retreat January 19-25, 2023. (Full disclosure, MDL has raised their rates starting that month, so the January retreat will cost more than the November one.)

This page is not linked anywhere in main navigation of my website so bookmark it or keep the email I sent.

Those of you at the 2020 retreat will remember we had a long discussion about how many days we really needed to feel like we had settled in, enjoyed Taos, and got some good tapestry work done. We decided on 6 nights and so MDL continues to give us that length of time. I hope the added time gives us more time for exploration both of our weaving and of Taos.

The Masterclass

This retreat is designed to help you further your personal goals around tapestry weaving, design, and color use. To support the work of the class as a whole, instead of presenting formal lectures on particular topics, we will meet as a group to talk through questions that are coming up in your work. I will be addressing things that always surface such as how to find ideas for your designs, how to simplify images or other inspiration sources, what things are really weave-able in tapestry, and how best to realize your ideas in this medium. To this end we will talk about work happening in the class, work of tapestry artists around the world, and particular color and design concepts that apply to what is happening this week.

Everyone will be working on different things. I’ll ask you to come to the retreat with some direction in mind. For example:

• Do you have a favorite tapestry artist who weaves in a particular way you want to explore? Gather some images of their work or you can explore it at MDL using your internet-connected device (in the lounge—there is no wifi in the workshop room)

• Do you have a set of images that you want to interpret in tapestry but don’t have the design finalized or maybe even started?

• Do you have a collection of images from years of interest in something that you aren’t sure how to turn into weave-able tapestries?

• Perhaps you feel completely stuck about design and aren’t sure where to even start? (If this one is you, we’ll get you unstuck together through some fun exercises and discussions about what interests you.)

• Or maybe you’re deep into your own designs and confident there but want to bounce ideas about color or technique off myself and other participants.

Bring your thoughts and some starting ideas no matter how unformed they are and by the end of the week, you’ll have a direction for your tapestry and maybe your work as a whole.

I will have exercises in color and design available for anyone who just feels stuck with where to start. Sometimes a prompt of some kind can really get your ideas flowing when the instruction “come with ideas” makes you freeze. A prompt or exercise might take you a half a day to work through by which time your ideas are flowing again or you might spend the whole week working through a series of such prompts and find at the end you have a lovely bank of technique, color, and design examples to work from once you get home.

This retreat is all about fueling your personal ideas and practice around tapestry design and execution. It is a great place for people who feel a little (or a lot) stuck on designing for tapestry. There is no better place to knock around ideas, get some suggestions of how to find an idea and work with it, and then start executing it before the end of the retreat.

Private consultation: In 2020 we had time for private chats (just me and you) about whatever you wanted to talk about. Most of you brought questions or design ideas to knock around. Some of you wanted to talk about favorite tapestry artists or ask about potential avenues for further learning and practice. I’ll have times available for anyone who wants to take advantage of this opportunity. And of course spending time talking about your weaving and design with fellow students is immensely valuable and you’re encouraged to do that all week as long as the other person/people are willing.

Prerequisite knowledge: This retreat is not for beginners. You must know how to warp a tapestry loom and weave basic shapes. If you’ve unsure, feel free to email me at hello@rebeccamezoff.com with questions. You don’t have to be cranking out your own original tapestries, you just have to know the basic mechanics of weaving tapestry and have a willingness to dive into design. For people who are ready to push themselves farther in their design skills, this is a unique opportunity to do so in a small group of other weavers.

A schedule of sorts…

Monday, Nov 14

3 pm: Arrival and check-in
3-6pm: unload your weaving equipment at Juniper House
6:30 (tentatively, ask at check-in): Dinner in the main house

Tuesday, Nov 15

Breakfast at whatever time MDL tells us (usually about 7:30)
9: Gather as a group in the yoga studio to plan out the week and get a little inspiration.
10-12: studio work
12-1: Lunch at MDL
1-5: Open studio or explore the surrounding area.
1-3: Consultation time with Rebecca (optional)
Dinner on your own

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday general schedule:

Breakfast at whatever time MDL tells us (usually about 7:30)
9-12: studio work (we will probably have another group meeting on one or two of these days to talk about what we’re learning and any questions everyone wants to discuss together—those meetings are optional of course and I’ll let you know the day before what we’re talking about)
12-1: Lunch at MDL
1-5: Open studio or explore the surrounding area.
1-3: Consultation time with Rebecca (optional)
Dinner on your own

Saturday, Nov 19

General schedule as above
6:30 (tentative time): Dinner with the group

Sunday, Nov 20

Our last breakfast together, meet for a final chat in Juniper house, finish packing up the studio, say goodbye, and head home until next year. Check out of your hotel room by 10:30 am.

Studio time discussions: I’ll pull together slides of tapestries and other resources to talk about based on your questions and thoughts during the retreat. These will likely happen at 9am in the yoga studio, but I’ll let you know if that changes. I anticipate a few of these during the week. Of course we’ll have lots of informal discussion as we work together.

The studio in Juniper House is always available to you. You’ll have a key to get in. Please make sure the door is locked if you’re the last one out.

COVID information

I am still watching the COVID situation. I have 10 of you from the cancelled January event and I anticipate keeping the size to 10 participants. Spouses are still welcome. That means we may have up to 11 people in the workshop room and a total group of 9-15. MDL is allowing us to use the yoga studio again also, so if it is more comfortable we can spread out into two spaces to work at any point.

COVID requirements at this time. These are subject to change depending on MDL and the State of New Mexico’s requirements in November.

• All attendees, students and spouses, must provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. I’d love it if you’d also get any boosters recommended by your medical team.

• Mask requirements will be reviewed as we get closer. I most likely will be wearing a mask indoors except when eating though that depends on COVID numbers in November.

• Handwashing/sanitation: Please take care to wash hands whenever possible, especially if you go into town for meals, etc. Anyone can be a carrier and many vaccinated people do pass the virus to other vaccinated people. As we all know by now, this virus passes easily and vaccinated people are still getting very sick. No one wants their vacation ruined at the very least!

• A negative COVID test within 72 hours of workshop start. If you are positive, please do not attend and I’ll work with you on a refund for this reason. PLEASE be careful in the weeks leading up to this retreat.

Mabel Dodge Luhan House

NOTE fall of 2022: I have you all in assigned housing from January. There is some wiggle room if you need to change for example if your spouse isn’t coming with you. I’ll send everyone a reminder email about what housing you asked for earlier, but just email me at hello@rebeccamezoff.com if you have questions right now.

MDL is a warm and inviting place. In November there will be a fire in the lounge (unless it is unusually warm!). If you choose a room with a fireplace, you can build a fire in your room if you wish. You’ve all been here before, but you can refresh your memory on the rooms on the website here: http://mabeldodgeluhan.com/. Housing is based on Historic House or Juniper House. Rooms in Juniper House are slightly less expensive. This is also where the workshop room is. All provided meals are in the Historic House. Remember that there may be snow and that the surfaces at MDL are uneven and can be precarious. Bring good winter shoes and anything else you need to feel secure walking on their old, rocky walkways! (I’m not above using trekking poles when it is slippery!)

Mabel Dodge Luhan House (MDL) is a retreat-style facility with no televisions, alarm clocks, or telephones. There is wifi only in the main lounge area. You will have a key to this area (for 24 hour access) which includes sitting areas, fireplaces, and internet access on your own device. Please embrace this retreat as a time to get off your devices and into the experience of weaving in a beautiful setting. There is cell service and MDL House is within walking distance of downtown Taos.

Many rooms have two beds. Some are double/queen plus a twin, some are two twins.

Please note that the entrance to the Solarium is a ladder. MDL staff can help you bring a suitcase up there, but you can’t even classify it as stairs. For the adventurous, it is an amazing room (see images in the gallery). Mabel’s room is gorgeous (!), but it is also right over the lounge, so if you’re an early-to-bed sort of person, it might be noisy for you. It is up a stairway that is narrow but has railings. Tony’s room has the best bathroom in the whole place, the D.H. Lawrence bathroom, but it is not quite directly connected to the room (same stairway). It also has a huge porch. The rest of the rooms are a little more removed from the main house and are all very quiet.

Housing choices

NOTE fall 2022: I will carry over your housing choices unless you let me know otherwise. Most of the remaining rooms are in Juniper House.

Extending your stay: MDL holds all the rooms from bed and breakfast registrations until a month before our retreat. If you’d like to extend your stay, you can arrange with MDL to do so. You’ll need to call them, tell them you’re part of my retreat, and you can reserve additional nights. If you’d like to stay in the same room, make sure to tell them which room you’re assigned to. They will release those rooms October 14th, so make those reservations before that date. MDL phone: 575-751-9686

Spouses

You may bring a spouse with you if they are able to entertain themselves while you’re at the workshop. See additional rates under Pricing below. They are welcome at all meals.

Meals

Breakfast and lunch: These meals are provided in the MDL dining room each day of our stay ending with breakfast on the last day. MDL will give us a time they’d like us to come for breakfast and it is helpful if you can try to come during that half hour. They will potentially be feeding a few other B&B guests and when the guests have eaten, the staff gets what is left. We will be the only people at lunch each day.

Dinner: We will have dinner together the first night as we get reacquainted and talk about what we’re going to do during our week together. We’ll have dinner together the last night to say farewell. The other four nights are open for you to explore the dining options in Taos. Check in with the group on the first day of class for some excellent suggestions and to find dining companions if you’d like them.

It has become a tradition to bring some wine to share during the first and last night dinners. If you are a wine drinker and would like to bring a bottle to share, please do. Please do not feel this contribution is in any way mandatory. I’ll pick up a few local bottles to contribute. I will also bring some non-alcoholic bubbly stuff for those of us (sadly this now includes me for the most part) who aren’t drinking wine.

WHAT TO BRING

For the workshop:

• Looms: You must bring your own loom. It can be any loom you can get to Taos and that works for you.

• Tools: Please bring all your own weaving tools.

• Yarn: Please bring the warp and weft yarn you need for what you think you’ll work on. I won’t be bringing yarn to this retreat, so bring what you need!

• Design materials: If you love colored pencils or paint or tracing paper, please bring some. I will have some limited supplies because you don’t always know WHAT you’ll want or what new design technique might be the one for you. But please do bring the sorts of materials you like to play with while designing.

• Headphones for your music. People have vastly different taste in music and auditory tolerance. Please use headphones.

• Task light: The light in the Juniper House studio is fair but not great. Light in the yoga studio is poor. A task light is useful for most people. If you are driving please also bring an extension cord and if a few people have a power strip they can bring, we could use a few of those also.

For Taos:

• casual dress, clothing for winter in Taos (15-50 degrees)

• walking shoes if you’re exploring the town of Taos or going hiking on the gorge or along the Rio Grande

• It sometimes snows in Taos in January and you’ll remember that the surfaces at MDL are uneven and sometimes slippery. Bring good shoes for this environment.

PRICING

Price is based on the housing you choose. There are four options. For details on the rooms, visit Mabel Dodge Luhan’s website here: http://mabeldodgeluhan.com/accommodations/rooms/. Please note that the housing rates on their website are not the ones for us as we have additional fees for the conference and food. Those are the rates if you are extending your stay.

Prices below are all inclusive for 6 nights, 7 days. This includes your housing, taxes, the included meals, the workshop fee, plus all handouts and workshop extras.

Historic House Rates

Private room: $2,225
Shared room: $1,900

Juniper House Rates

Private room: $2,025
Shared room: $1,850

Companions: You may bring a significant other to this retreat. Your room will be billed at the private room rate and a fee of $455 which covers the double occupancy and extra meals that MDL charges me. For example, if you want to stay in the Historic House, you’d register for a private room for you and your companion. The total amount paid would be the private room fee of $2,225 plus $455 = $2,680. Companions are welcome at all meals and are free the rest of the time to enjoy Northern New Mexico.

Deposit: I am not doing deposits for this retreat unless you want to approach this as a sort of payment plan (contact me if so). Full payment is due by October 10, 2022. If you know how to use PayPal so that it doesn’t incur a credit card processing fee for me (these are hefty—please pay attention!), you may do that. Otherwise I would greatly appreciate a check mailed to:
Rebecca Mezoff Tapestry Studio
PO Box 273131
Fort Collins, CO 80527

I will contact you if I don’t receive your full payment by 10/10/22. If I don’t hear from you by 10/17/22, your spot will go to the first person on the waiting list.

CANCELLATION TERMS

I will refund your payment until October 17, 2022 in full. After that date, nothing is refundable unless I can find someone to fill your spot in which case, I’ll send you a refund minus a $200 “I have to spend a lot of time filling your spot” fee.

I will make refund exceptions for COVID positivity on a case by case basis because no one wants you to come if you have it!

What to do next: Registration

I will have you fill out this registration form again just in case anything has changed in the past year. I’ve removed the housing question so just email me privately if you have questions about that or want different housing than what you asked for at the January 2022 retreat that was cancelled. You can register now to hold your spot, no deposit needed for this original group!

Important dates

September 26, 2022: Decision day! Please let me know by this date whether or not you are coming to the November 2022 retreat.
October 10, 2022: Payment in full due, check preferred because credit card fees are really expensive! Please help me keep the cost of these retreats as low as possible for all of you.
October 14, 2022: Last day to extend your stay at MDL. If you want to come early or stay later, you need to call MDL and make that accommodation. Just let them know you’re in my retreat and what room you’re in. 575-751-9686
October 17, 2022: Last day for a refund. After this point, I’ll give a refund IF I can fill your spot minus a processing fee of $200.
November 14, 2022: Check-in at 3 pm, dinner provided, time to be announced at check-in.
November 14-20, 2022: See you in Taos!

Remember how much fun we had? (Registration form is after this gallery)

I can’t wait to do it again. Gallery images below are just for fun as you have all been to MDL. Click to enlarge, hover for captions, arrows to scroll.

Registration for Taos November, 2022

Thank you for registering!

Rebecca will get back to you as soon as she can but within 24 hours with a reminder of what housing you requested initially.