FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • PETITC@HILLSTEAD.ORG
WELLNESS WEEKEND at HILL-STEAD
In Partnership with UConn Health, Copper Beech Institute and Duncaster
Saturday, April 13th to Sunday, April 14th
March 20, 2019 (Farmington) – Hill-Stead Museum, UConn Health, Copper Beech Institute and Duncaster are proud to offer Wellness Weekend, a celebration of the mind, body and spirit at Hill-Stead. Although there is no fee for workshops, you may reserve your place by registering at https://hillstead-museum-wellness-weekend.eventbrite.com.
Participants in Wellness Weekend workshops will receive a special discount on museum admissions – only $10 to tour the museum during Wellness Weekend! Hill-Stead members enjoy free admission to the museum and all workshops.
Saturday, April 13
YOGA
Feel blissful from taking this All-Levels Yoga class with Sarah Wadsworth at 9:30 am in the Makeshift Theater—bring your mat and don your favorite yoga gear for one hour of practice and relaxation inside this historic space. $10 class fee.
MUSEUM
Take a guided tour of Hill-Stead Museum on Saturday between 10am-3pm. Last tour departs at 3pm. Participants in Wellness Weekend workshops will receive a special discount – only $10 to tour the museum during Wellness Weekend, as members are always free to tour.
WORKSHOPS
The same workshop will be repeated (morning and afternoon) for participants to take both classes.
Photography Workshop: The Joy of Self Expression Using Your Smart Phone
Facilitated by Laurie Klein
10:30am-12:30pm and 1:45-3:45pm in the Pope Board Room
Come play with Laurie Klein and learn how to tap into your creative juices! Everyone has a smart phone these days-one of the most accessible creative tools we have at our fingertips. Through a series of exercises, you will realize how taking photographs can be transformative, healing and fun.
What you need to bring: Smart Phone—fully charged.
Download the free app “Snapseed” from the app store, before or during class.
Expressive Art Wellness Workshop
Co-Facilitated by Elisabeth Moss and Marjorie Jung
10:45am-12:45pm; and 1:45-3:45pm in the Makeshift Theater
Come explore your visual voice and fall in love with your creative energy, using multi-media art supplies. Simple guided meditation invites us into the quiet within, where our creative voice arises naturally. Expressive art promotes joy, relaxation and our interconnectedness with all life. No previous art experience is needed to enjoy this workshop, as expressive art is about play, self-discovery and letting go of where we are going.
ARTS & WELLNESS DISCUSSION
1-1:15pm in the Makeshift Theater
Join three experts for a discussion about the benefits of integrating arts into your personal heath and wellness practices. Drs. Mary Guerrera, Elizabeth Plotkin Simmons and Karen Steinberg will provide information and inspiration to help participants understand the many benefits the arts bring to life. Bring your own brown-bag lunch for this exciting conversational break between workshops.
HIKING
All Day
Enjoy self-guided nature walks on the museum’s trail system—Please check in at the Museum Shop for trail maps and to learn about other opportunities during Wellness Weekend.
Sunday, April 14
MUSEUM
10am-3pm
Take a guided tour of Hill-Stead Museum on Saturday between 10-3pm. Last tour departs at 3pm. Free for museum members or $16 general admission. Participants in Wellness Weekend workshops will receive a special discount – only $10 to tour the museum during Wellness Weekend!
WELLNESS WALK
9-10am
Embark on an unexpected sensory experience of our beautiful wooded trails with mindfulness practice. Copper Beech Institute will guide you through and an inner and outer journey while uncovering some of the mysteries of mindfulness and its many practices.
QIGONG
11am-Noon
Qigong is moving meditation that coordinates slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. Qigong is practiced worldwide for exercise, recreation and relaxation. It has been used successfully as an integrative therapy to help treat symptoms of pain, hypertension and much more, while improving overall quality of life. Led by Mary Ellen Mullins, Duncaster Wellness instructor.
SEATED STRETCH
Noon-1pm
Garden longer and move with ease by learning simple seated stretches you can do before and after gardening to improve overall range of motion and add flexibility. Whatever your garden plans include this spring, begin with the basics: focus on improving balance and alignment and learn proper body dynamics to keep you moving freely – longer! Led by Lucy Eyre, Duncaster Wellness and Fitness Coordinator.
YOGA
10-11am
Feel blissful from taking this All-Levels Yoga class with Sarah Wadsworth at 10am in the Makeshift Theater—bring your mat and don your favorite yoga gear for practice and relaxation inside this historic space. $10 class fee
HIKING
All Day
Enjoy self-guided nature walks on the museum’s trail system—please check in at the Museum Shop for trail maps and to learn about other opportunities during Wellness Weekend.
MEET THE FACILITATORS
Dr. Mary P. Guerrera is Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine and Director of Integrative Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She received her A.B. cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and her M.D. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Guerrera is Board Certified in Medical Acupuncture, is a Founding Diplomate of American Board of Integrative Medicine and has completed advanced training in Mind-Body Medicine. She was inducted into the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society in 2004.
Elizabeth Plotkin Simmons, M. D. is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. As a medical retina specialist, Dr. Simmons treats disease like diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Dr. Simmons completed her undergraduate degrees in English and Biology at Brown University. She earned her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Simmons did her ophthalmology residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and her fellowship at Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center. Dr. Simmons joined the UConn faculty in 2006. She teaches The Healer’s Art as well as a Literature and Medicine elective for medical and dental students.
Karen Steinberg, M.D. Karen is a clinical psychologist and Associate professor of psychiatry at UConn Medical School. She provides psychotherapy, conducts research, and is engaged in teaching medical and graduate students, residents, and fellows, with a focus on attachment, trauma recovery, addiction, and early intervention and prevention. She incorporates a variety of mind-body practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and creative expression, into her work for increasing health and healing.
About the Artist : Laurie Klein is an author, educator, and award-winning photographer. She has an MFA from Ohio University and a BFA from RIT, and has studied with Ansel Adams. Laurie and her son, a graduate of UConn Medical School, work together on Expressive Art for Transformation and Wellness. 
About the artist: Elisabeth Moss BFA Rhode Island School Of Design, Certified Expressive Art Facilitator, is a painter of 43 years. She has been leading Expressive Art workshops since 2003. By creating a non-judgmental atmosphere – requiring no special training- we are free to visually “speak” and experience freedom, emotional unburdening, and the joy of our innate beauty. To view her art, current exhibitions and expressive art teaching schedule visit 
About the Artist: Marjorie Jung (BA, MS, CGS/CAGS) is a certified Expressive Art Facilitator with an educational background in Theater Arts, Audiology, and Expressive Arts. She is also an emeritus member of the first clinical faculty with UCONN Health where she served for 25 years as a program developer, clinician, and educator in the field of audiology. Marjorie co-authored the book, Nature and the ART of Self-Expression, and is currently conducting Expressive Art workshops that use various art forms to nurture the mind, body, and spirit. She also established the “Marjorie D. Jung Expressive and Creative Arts Endowment Fund” through the UCONN Foundation in 2015. Ms. Jung created this fund to help inspire UCONN students and healthcare professionals to use nature and expressive and creative arts to help reduce stress; invite mindfulness, and promote a consciousness of our interconnectedness with all of life. The fund is used to help support honorariums, materials, etc. for regional artists who are invited to participate in workshops, presentations, and other UCONN Health sponsored activities. (
Sarah Wadsworth is a traveling yoga teacher looking to come to workplaces and homes for all levels yoga classes in the Farmington Valley area. Her journey to a healthy lifestyle really began ten years ago when she chose to become a vegan. From there the discovery that gluten was detrimental to her physically and emotionally led to an even higher elevation of energy. Consistently practicing yoga and loving kindness have added yet another level to her well-being. All of these life-style changes and practices are a joy for her to share with all as she continues her journey.
Duncaster, a locally-founded not-for-profit, is located in Bloomfield, Connecticut. A Life Plan Community celebrating its 35th anniversary, Duncaster sits on 94 beautiful acres and offers options for senior adults seeking independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehab services, and long-term care. Duncaster was voted the Best Retirement Community by readers of Hartford Magazine, is CARF/CCAC certified, and rated 5-Star by the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services. For more information, call us at 860-380-5021.
