Moonlight Retreat Builds Connection

Since 2018, MIAD faculty member Naomi Shersty has been creating space for artists and nonartists alike to step away from the demands of everyday life and reconnect through creativity, community and nature.

Inspired by her experiences as a camp counselor, art educator and community builder, Shersty founded Moonlight Retreat as a welcoming environment where participants can learn, create, rest and form meaningful connections. “I wanted to create a positive, safer space where people could experience the joy, support, creativity and sense of connection” that shaped her own experiences, she said.

The annual retreat combines art and wellness workshops, outdoor activities, shared meals and time for reflection in a rural Wisconsin setting. For Shersty, creating opportunities to disconnect from the constant demands of modern life is central to the experience.

“Downtime is just as important as up-time,” she said. “It’s good for us to unplug.”

By stepping away from screens and daily routines, participants can focus on creativity, play and genuine human connection. Shersty describes Moonlight Retreat as a “welcoming nonjudgmental” space that offers art, wellness and hands-on workshops alongside nutritious meals, water sports, bonfires, games and “plenty of shenanigans” in the rural, “southeastern Wisconsin landscape”. “MLR isn’t just about learning new skills and making new friends,” she said. “It’s also about letting your guard down, making lifetime memories and having fun.”

MIAD alum Rachel L. Hausmann Schall ’15 (Integrated Studio Arts) captured that spirit in her Sixty Inches From Center article, Creative Processing: Taking a Break at Moonlight Retreat.

Over the years, Moonlight Retreat has become known for fostering lasting friendships, creative collaborations and a sense of belonging that extends well beyond a single weekend. Shersty points to the retreat’s final-night talent show and the relationships that continue long after camp as some of its most meaningful outcomes.

That community-centered approach recently received support from The Open Fund, which champions experimental, collaborative and public-facing artist projects. The grant will help sustain and expand Moonlight Retreat as it celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2027.

“Moonlight Retreat is grant-dependent,” Shersty said. “The Open Fund has helped keep us afloat, and I feel extraordinarily lucky.”

For Shersty, the retreat’s continued growth is rooted in the same values that guide her teaching: creativity, curiosity, compassion and connection. “The joy, experimentation and community-centered spirit of the retreat directly influences my teaching at MIAD,” she said.

Project support was provided by The Open Fund through the Poor Farm, with funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Ruth Foundation for the Arts.

Since 2018, MIAD faculty member Naomi Shersty has been creating space for artists and nonartists alike to step away from the demands of everyday life and reconnect through creativity, community and nature.

Inspired by her experiences as a camp counselor, art educator and community builder, Shersty founded Moonlight Retreat as a welcoming environment where participants can learn, create, rest and form meaningful connections. “I wanted to create a positive, safer space where people could experience the joy, support, creativity and sense of connection” that shaped her own experiences, she said.

The annual retreat combines art and wellness workshops, outdoor activities, shared meals and time for reflection in a rural Wisconsin setting. For Shersty, creating opportunities to disconnect from the constant demands of modern life is central to the experience.

“Downtime is just as important as up-time,” she said. “It’s good for us to unplug.”

By stepping away from screens and daily routines, participants can focus on creativity, play and genuine human connection. Shersty describes Moonlight Retreat as a “welcoming nonjudgmental” space that offers art, wellness and hands-on workshops alongside nutritious meals, water sports, bonfires, games and “plenty of shenanigans” in the rural, “southeastern Wisconsin landscape”. “MLR isn’t just about learning new skills and making new friends,” she said. “It’s also about letting your guard down, making lifetime memories and having fun.”

MIAD alum Rachel L. Hausmann Schall ’15 (Integrated Studio Arts) captured that spirit in her Sixty Inches From Center article, Creative Processing: Taking a Break at Moonlight Retreat.

Over the years, Moonlight Retreat has become known for fostering lasting friendships, creative collaborations and a sense of belonging that extends well beyond a single weekend. Shersty points to the retreat’s final-night talent show and the relationships that continue long after camp as some of its most meaningful outcomes.

That community-centered approach recently received support from The Open Fund, which champions experimental, collaborative and public-facing artist projects. The grant will help sustain and expand Moonlight Retreat as it celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2027.

“Moonlight Retreat is grant-dependent,” Shersty said. “The Open Fund has helped keep us afloat, and I feel extraordinarily lucky.”

For Shersty, the retreat’s continued growth is rooted in the same values that guide her teaching: creativity, curiosity, compassion and connection. “The joy, experimentation and community-centered spirit of the retreat directly influences my teaching at MIAD,” she said.

Project support was provided by The Open Fund through the Poor Farm, with funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Ruth Foundation for the Arts.