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Our Classes
Virtual Open Studio
with Jane Settle
Join us on zoom every Sunday from 4-6pm for our FREE Open Art Studio!
Open Studio is a safe space to create and meet other creatives in recovery. This is an unstructured free space where you can work on a project you have been working on, or start something new!
We will be meeting on zoom. You will receive the zoom link in your registration confirmation.
Virtual Open Studio is hosted by Jane Settle.Jane Settle, a self-taught mixed media artist and Colorado native, sought a quieter and simpler life, moving to the San Luis Valley 7 years ago and making Crestone her home. Her latest focus is abstract art, and her studio is in a Tiny House she finished herself. Jane’s love for creative expression has taken her on a beautiful journey of healing and self-discovery.
Come get creative with us, and connect with other sober creatives!
Improv Jam
with Ben Michaels
The Improv Jam is a low-pressure environment for everyone to practice their improv skills, experiment with different techniques, explore new comedic approaches, and PLAY!
Absolutely no experience required for this free and fun, no pressure Improv Jam.
With Keith Rains and Ben Michaels
Keith has been improvising in Denver for over 24 years. He trained with Theater Sports, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Rise Comedy, and scores of workshops and intensive sessions with artists from around the country.
He has coached and instructed at Bovine Metropolis, Rise Comedy, and Boulder Improv Collective. Keith regularly performs with Makeshift Shakespeare at Chaos Bloom theater, Hit and Run Musical Improv at Rise comedy, and Once upon a Genre at What If Theater in Lakewood.
Keith believes that improvisation is an expressive art that enhances skills that are part of successful recovery. It fosters being present in the moment, open to what is possible, and full cooperation and trust of oneself and other member of an ensemble.
Ben Michaels is a seasoned live auctioneer, emcee, and actor with over 20 years of entertainment experience and a strong passion for youth advocacy. He leads creative workshops and podcast projects that empower lived experience youth, while also producing engaging events that blend improv, voiceover, and corporate entertainment. Based in Colorado, Ben is known for turning storytelling into impact—on stage, in the studio, and in the community.
Violin Workshop
with Moriah Montiel
Living a new life in Recovery gives us the perfect opportunity to rekindle our creative spark.
Learning to play violin can open up a whole new world of serenity in mind, body, and spirit. The benefits include:
Mind
Improves Cognitive Function | Creates New Pleasure Associations | New Mindfulness Techniques | Self-Discipline
Body
Stress Relief | Muscle Memory | Healing Energy Vibrations | Joy and Laughter | Relaxation
Spirit
Patience | Self-Compassion | Accountability | Progress Not Perfection | Personal Achievement | Humility | Human Connection |Self-Love
In this class we will be exploring beginner violin techniques. We will be covering everything from tuning the instrument, holding the violin and bow, how to practice scales and basic finger style, and learn some basic songs. The violin is a beautiful instrument, and very spiritual, but takes years of practice to master. This class will start you on that musical path of discovery.
But above all, we will have fun, and create a new fellowship of courageous creative souls to walk alongside you on your recovery journey!
About Moriah:
Moriah has been playing the violin for over 20 years! She started her classical training as an elementary school student and continued her studies into college. She has a passion for teaching and music and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with CAiR learners!
Painting with Scissors: Collage Art in the Style of Henri Matisse
with Quána Madison
Step into the colorful world of Henri Matisse and discover how cutting paper can feel as expressive as painting with a brush. In this six-week collage workshop, participants will explore Matisse’s “cut-out” technique—where vibrant shapes, rhythm, and color come together to dance across the page.
Through hands-on weekly projects, you will create joyful, abstract compositions inspired by Henri Matisse. Create a personal series of collage artworks, including a large-scale final piece.
Weekly Themes:
Week 1: Meet Matisse — Introduction to Matisse’s late-life collage works and expressive color philosophy.
Week 2: Color as Emotion — Paint paper in expressive palettes and experiment with organic versus geometric forms.
Week 3: Cutting Rhythm — Explore gesture, repetition, and musical flow through shapeand pattern.
Week 4: Nature Motifs — Create collages inspired by plants, ocean life, and natural movement.
Week 5: Story Through Shape — Build narrative or symbolic compositions using layered collage.
Art materials provided. Bring your own favorite supplies.
About Quana:
Quána Madison is an artist, mindfulness teacher, healing arts workshop facilitator and self-leadership coach. She combines inner wellness practices with expressive arts to promote creative expression, community and holistic well-being. A graduate of New York University and Colorado College, Quána holds a MA in Education and a BA in Philosophy. More information is available at www.quanamadison.com
Journey Writing Circle for Creative Recovery - Virtual Class
with Shani Raviv
Journey Writing is a practice of writing and witnessing our truths. We gather in virtual circle to listen to powerful, contemporary poems from a diverse range of poets with themes related to addiction, recovery, and ultimately, self-love. Each circle begins with a heart-opening writing exercise followed by a poem that offers the creative inspiration as well as the prompts for a process of free-flow writing that empties your heart onto the page. We then take turns sharing what we have written out loud and being witnessed in the circle. This work is creative, connecting, and cathartic.
*No writing experience needed. Everyone is welcome!
There is no feedback or critiquing, only witnessing and thanking.
In Circle you will:
- Be supported to express whatever it is you are longing to release or manifest
- Experience the magic of synchronicity as you resonate with other people's stories
- Feel accepted for who you are and where you are at on your recovery journey
Virtual Class on Zoom - You will receive the zoom link once registered.
Shani Raviv Bio:
Shani Raviv is a writer, circle holder, and author of Being Ana: a memoir of anorexia nervosa. Shani has been leading healing Journey Writing Circles for the past six years in her communities and more recently at The Rose House treatment center and at 5280 High School (a recovery high school). Shani believes that writing truth heals, and that recovery is a spiritual journey of learning to love yourself and contribute your soul's gifts to humanity. She lives in a semi-rural co-housing community with her 12-year-old son and her partner and loves to camp in the mountains, drink tea in her garden hammock between the Aspens, and share her 25-year love of yoga with her communities. She feels blessed to bring her passion for Journey Writing to the CAiR community!
Improv Jam
with Ben Michaels
The Improv Jam is a low-pressure environment for everyone to practice their improv skills, experiment with different techniques, explore new comedic approaches, and PLAY!
Absolutely no experience required for this free and fun, no pressure Improv Jam.
With Keith Rains and Ben Michaels
Keith has been improvising in Denver for over 24 years. He trained with Theater Sports, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Rise Comedy, and scores of workshops and intensive sessions with artists from around the country.
He has coached and instructed at Bovine Metropolis, Rise Comedy, and Boulder Improv Collective. Keith regularly performs with Makeshift Shakespeare at Chaos Bloom theater, Hit and Run Musical Improv at Rise comedy, and Once upon a Genre at What If Theater in Lakewood.
Keith believes that improvisation is an expressive art that enhances skills that are part of successful recovery. It fosters being present in the moment, open to what is possible, and full cooperation and trust of oneself and other member of an ensemble.
Ben Michaels is a seasoned live auctioneer, emcee, and actor with over 20 years of entertainment experience and a strong passion for youth advocacy. He leads creative workshops and podcast projects that empower lived experience youth, while also producing engaging events that blend improv, voiceover, and corporate entertainment. Based in Colorado, Ben is known for turning storytelling into impact—on stage, in the studio, and in the community.
Improv Jam
with Keith Rains
The Improv Jam is a low-pressure environment for everyone to practice their improv skills, experiment with different techniques, explore new comedic approaches, and PLAY!
Absolutely no experience required for this free and fun, no pressure Improv Jam.
With Keith Rains and Ben Michaels
Keith has been improvising in Denver for over 24 years. He trained with Theater Sports, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Rise Comedy, and scores of workshops and intensive sessions with artists from around the country.
He has coached and instructed at Bovine Metropolis, Rise Comedy, and Boulder Improv Collective. Keith regularly performs with Makeshift Shakespeare at Chaos Bloom theater, Hit and Run Musical Improv at Rise comedy, and Once upon a Genre at What If Theater in Lakewood.
Keith believes that improvisation is an expressive art that enhances skills that are part of successful recovery. It fosters being present in the moment, open to what is possible, and full cooperation and trust of oneself and other member of an ensemble.
Ben Michaels is a seasoned live auctioneer, emcee, and actor with over 20 years of entertainment experience and a strong passion for youth advocacy. He leads creative workshops and podcast projects that empower lived experience youth, while also producing engaging events that blend improv, voiceover, and corporate entertainment. Based in Colorado, Ben is known for turning storytelling into impact—on stage, in the studio, and in the community.