In search of an artistic understanding of Anthroposophy
In May of 2024, during the international Co-workers' Gathering in the Netherlands, while looking back on the original intentions of the Youth Section, one of the tasks that came into focus was the development of a kind of youth-oriented Anthroposophy. Maria Röschl, who was the first leader of the Section for the Spiritual Striving of Youth, and Rudolf Steiner intended to rewrite the basic books in a way that was accessible for people as young as 14, 15, 16 years old. Rudolf Steiner said, for instance, that the Philosophy of Freedom (CW4) had been written in a style that in general was accessible for people only when they reach the age of 28. The characteristic that they felt was needed, and what was missing from Anthroposophy the way it was usually presented, had to do with a much stronger pictorial character and imaginative presentation. Something else that you can also gather from Rudolf Steiner's descriptions: it should be thoroughly artistic. In the 100 years that have passed since then, we see an explosion of visual culture, not only in the form of screens, animation, movies, videos, but also in graphic novels, comics, and all manner of creative visual storytelling. This is just one of the directions that we talked about at the international Co-workers' Gathering and a small retreat that followed it. There was a strong desire to work with this and think about it more among those who were present. And by the end of that retreat, in the summer of 2024, it had become one of the goals of the Section's work for the year. In September of 2024, one group of young people decided to work with the ideas of social threefolding through composing new verses to folk songs and making pictures. This was in collaboration with the World Goetheanum Association and was a part of their annual Forum. Now, in February, an event has been prepared which is also dedicated to this task called "A quest for a pictorial understanding of Anthroposophy".
In this event, we wish to ignite this process of rewriting with art. With the help of experienced collaborators, our team will attempt to foster understanding of the Philosophy of Freedom by diving into the ideas using various forms of art.
During these four days, Andreas Schmitt will accompany the event with his insight in the Philosophy of Freedom that he has gained through the development of an annual training. Laura Summer will work with the whole group on the first chapter of the book through artistic exercises. Rik ten Cate will share thoughts on the act of thinking in his contribution, and lead an experience with formdrawing. The participants will also have the opportunity to work in smaller groups, in which they engage more deeply with their chosen form of expression more profoundly. These are: sculpture, led by Rik ten Cate from the Netherlands; theatre, led by Salome Seeberger from Germany; and painting, led by Laura Summer from the United States.
The intention behind these processes is not to achieve the initial mission given to the Youth Section, but to open other possibilities for the comprehension of Anthroposophy through art by youth.
While preparing for the conference, the organizers realized that some young people had not had the chance to read the Philosophy of Freedom or simply didn’t come across it in their lives. Because of that, pre-events were planned, to help incoming participants and other people who enjoy reading anthroposophical literature, where painting and drawing allowed them to come into contact in a more picturesque way with Steiner’s work. In these events, the participants read a sentence from the Philosophy of Freedom and imagined what colors, shapes and textures such a phrase evokes. After that, they chose an art medium, and tried to put that image on paper. Guided by one of the organizers, the first pre-event was held at the Youth Section House in Dornach, on Thursday, the 23rd of January. People who were interested, but couldn’t attend in person, joined via Zoom.
The organizing team is composed of Waldorf alumni who share an interest in Anthroposophy, art and youth work. The members come from different parts of the world, namely Spain, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, and Brazil. This colorful and creative team first started by developing the flow of the days of the event. After that, each member thought about possible collaborators that fit with the idea that weaves the conference.
We contacted those who seemed the most suitable and interested in joining such a project, and then, our team grew bigger. Young people’s needs also came into focus during a lot of the meetings, and because of that, changes and new plans were made, for example, the pre-sessions.
We hope that the three pillars of this conference: young people, art and anthroposophy, can come together and create an environment that invites each individual participant to explore the mysteries of spiritual work and how art is related to it.
The conference will be held in Dornach, at the Goetheanum, from the 13th to the 16th of February.
We kindly encourage you to register by Saturday, the 1st of February so that we can get all logistics in place.
You can find the full program here.