ArtDialog 

ArtDialog’s mission is to expand the definition of art into the larger cultural context. ArtDialog is based at ArtMill Center for Regenerative Arts https://www.artmill.eu located in the foothills of the Šumava mountains in the Czech Republic, home to an active community of farmers, artists, activists, entrepreneurs and creatives. Through our center we foster creativity and its innate connection to the natural world; a place where nature and culture meet that is experiential, holistic, and regenerative. We foster a praxis-based, educational environment that grows from grassroots organizing, philosophy and civil society, natural sciences, the arts, and alternative systems of organization. Based on our history with the monumental social and political changes in Central Europe in 1989, from whence our organization began, we are committed to the idea of trans-disciplinary art practice that enables a shift in the ontological paradigm surrounding sustainability and regeneration, of both environment and discourse. Formerly The Center for Creative Sustainability, we have renamed ArtMill as the Center for Regenerative Arts. We recognize the limitations of ‘sustainability’ as an insufficient response to the existential polycrisis of planetary scale and are therefore stepping into the regenerative paradigm. We work on bringing the pressing environmental and social issues of our time into tangible art forms that regenerate our environment and the cultural discourse surrounding it. We practice solutions-oriented art forms to inspire, ignite, and engage the public at large. Our collaborative team is comprised of Barbara Benish – Founder, Gabriela Benish-Kalná – Executive Director,

Natália Benish-Kalná – Farm-To-Table Director, Connor Drew – Systems Manager, Stefan Fiedler-Alvarado – Regenerative Economics Advisor, Gilles Yann Smrkovsky – Health & Wellness Coordinator

ArtDialog upcoming projects on Environmental Regeneration:

Inter-Species Refuge

Regeneration and collaborative creation of a food forest sanctuary for human and more-than-human actors, aiding in rewilding, carbon sequestration and climate adaptation of species. Study of this adaptation and keystone species to enable and understand inter-species relationality and the possibilities of future coexistence. Implementation of the transformative art practice of sensing place and environment, observation, interaction and learning from more-than-human actors, moving away from the engrained Anthropocentric approach and human exceptionalism. 

Global Learning Community

Experiential learning with and learning from,within a global learning community, fostering hope-based communication and solutions-oriented art practices as a circular process of grieving lost territory, home and environment. Exploring and practicing social connectivity over territorial belonging and learning from nomadic sensibilities. Somatic experiencing and working with ‘solastalgia’, a neologism for “human emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change”.

Regenerative Economics 

Understanding culture as one key catalyst for regenerating the politics and logistics of economics. As advocates and practitioners of regenerative economics, enabling and protecting a fair and proportional distribution of power and wealth. Recognizing the diverse values and forms of capital, thereby moving away from financial hegemony, and creating the conditions for multi-stakeholder economic design and management. Including practices of alternative and ancestral forms of organization, management, and distribution, self-sufficiency, rejecting planned obsolescence, supporting local businesses, and promoting commons management. 

Queer Hub

Our center is a refuge, bringing together somatic practitioners, bodyworkers and therapists to join forces in creating a nurturing haven for LGBTQIA+ individuals. By weaving together diverse healing modalities, this initiative aims to inspire renewal, empowerment, and holistic well-being within the community.