Merging Into The Beauty Of Art
A Multidisciplinary Performing Art Non-For-Profit Organization
Based out of the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 2007 by visionary Sicilian Artistic Director Laura Inserra, Samavesha creates an occasion for both performers and participants to become fully immersed in the nature of art.
Our mission is to create intersections of ancient art forms and contemporary artistic languages, to awaken and express personal creativity, to embrace and value diversity, to foster collaboration, to connect people with nature, and to increase awareness of the vital importance of creativity as an inexhaustible source of meaning, inspiration, and healthy living.
Often taking place in nature and bridging traditional and contemporary world art forms, our work fosters intercultural dialogue, artistic innovation, connection with nature, and environmental action.
Samavesha is the Sanskrit word for ‘divine union’ or ‘immersion into divine consciousness’. This word holds a double meaning: to immerse yourself in something and to become that you immerse yourself into. Our productions create an occasion for bothperformers and audience to immerse themselves and become what is being created.
We believe that experience is best elicited by reaching out through as many sensory gates as possible. In this experientially-based expression of art, we extend the definition of art beyond the usual performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts, to include expressions such as culinary arts, costumes, martial arts, circus arts, crafts, and more.
We draw upon a vibrant international network of artists and artisans of all disciplines to bring you unforgettable experiences.
Samavesha aims to bring people back into their essence through the medium of creativity.
Samavesha aims to produce events in which the boundaries between performer and audience melt away to reveal immersion and deeper connection for all those in attendance.
Samavesha engages local and international artists in collaborative and experientially-based events showcasing all forms of artistic expression.
Samavesha’s events strengthen our connection with the natural world and each other, and inspire environmental action.
Samavesha is dedicated to creating financially accessible, interactive, educational, and fully immersive artistic experiences for the public.
Focused on building community through creative collective actions, Samavesha produces:
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Art in Nature Festival in Redwood Regional Park, Oakland
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The Cave Concert Series in the Marin Headlands
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The annual Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration at Stinson Beach
In addition, Samavesha offers a Community Program, the Rose Labyrinth Series, workshops, and a variety of concerts and site-specific performances around the globe.
sam·a·vesh·a [sam-Ah-vesh-ah]
noun
1. immersion into divine consciousness, losing duality, divine union
2. a practice, a state of being, (to immerse,) a goal (to be immersed)
3. entering into ones’ true nature
4. a non-profit based out of Berkeley, that melting away boundaries between artists and art goers, traditional divisions of class, ethnicity and religion, nature and urban jungle, personhood and community, self and other, antiquity and future, and all conceivable artistic mediums through highly improvisational (r)evolutionary collaborations in caves, redwood forests, homes, labyrinths, and performance venues near you.
5. liberation, creation
Origin: [approximately 1500s – 500s B.C..] Sanskrit
ART IN NATURE
FESTIVAL
Laura Inserra is the Founder and Artistic Director of Art in Nature Festival a full day interdisciplinary, interactive, site-specific, multi-sensory, intercultural, and intergenerational immersion into art, nature, and the nature of art.
Art in Nature Festival takes place annually along the Stream Trail of Oaklandʼs Redwood Regional Park.
It is a full day immersion into art, nature, and the nature of art.
Stroll along the mile-long Stream Trail, experience art in nature, and delve into the nature of art throughout 12 theme areas featuring music, dance, sculpture, painting, martial arts, poetry, body painting, circus arts, theater, visual arts, storytelling, arts & crafts, kids activities and more.
With 350+ artists involved, the vision is that Art, like Nature, is one ‘body’ expressing itself in different forms through a creative process and for one day, Art in Nature Festival re-creates the wholeness of that ‘body’.
The festival reflects two distinct aims:
Art in Nature: different expressions of art exposed and performed in nature.
The Nature of Art: revealing the artists’ processes, techniques, and tools.
Art in Nature seeks:
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To make world-class arts and nature accessible to all
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To awaken and express personal creativity
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To foster collaborative synergy
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To encourage diverse and resilient communities
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To connect people with nature and inspire environmental awareness.
CAVE CONCERT SERIES
You will enter a resonant chamber of suspended time & space, becoming the sound itself.
The Cave Concerts are a series of concerts performed at Hawk Hill Tunnel. The tunnel is located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), part of the Marin Headlands, on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate, with breath-taking views of San Francisco and the pacific ocean.
The Tunnel was designed during World War II as the future home of guns. The earthworks that crown the unfinished fortifications now serve as the site of wildlife observation and annual bird counts. The Tunnel itself offers incredible resonance and is sealed off on one end by the event crew and transformed into a Cave. This event is made possible with permits through GGNRA.
Past Cave Concerts:
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Into The Sound – May 18, 2013
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The Eternal Presence – May 5, 2012
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Kitka and Laura Inserra – June 25, 2011
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HANG Rhapsody – October 17, 2009
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Jai Uttal (Kirtan) – May 16, 2009
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Karashay – September 20, 2008
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Vibrational Masters – October 13, 2007
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The Tesla Group ( Earth Day) – April 21, 2007
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Tesla Duo (New Moon) – November 18, 2006
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Transformance – June 4, 2005
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Chirgilchin (throat singing ensemble from Tuva with Stephen Kent) – Saturday October 22, 2005
COMMUNITY PROGRAM
The events, workshops, and artist residencies of our Community Program advance the Samavesha mission by bringing art into the lives of a diverse public. The program is sited at schools, camps, health care facilities, community centers, parks, hospitals and festivals – engaging the public with an array of Samavesha artists and collaborators.
Past, ongoing, and future projects include the annual Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration at Stinson Beach, the Art in Nature Festival, a series of Rock Balancing Gatherings, and San Francisco Bay Area Park events; concerts, workshops, and interactive activities in public and private schools, camps, hospices, and hospitals; plus multi-disciplinary performances for festival and fairs. We love to work with and for diverse communities.
