Shantigar Foundation
in Western Massachusetts
Arts
Meditation
Nature
Jean-Claude van Itallie, Founder
1936 - 2021
Jean-Claude van Itallie
Scholarship Fund
CREATIVE ARTS
Acting & Being
Theatre Conversations
Voice & Music
Chi Kung
Continuum Movement
Drawing & Plein Air Painting
MEDITATION
21-Day Meditation Challenges
Meditation Sangha
Lojong Study
Taoism & Shamanism
Yoga & Wellness
NATURE
Trail Walks
Bird Watching
Mushroom Hunt
Book Talks
Zen Meditation Walks
Workshop Leaders & Teachers
Shantigar is devoted to the practices of creative arts, meditation, and engagement with nature—and discovering where these practices meet.
Josh Adler
Josh has co-led our Meditation Challenges and hosts Shantigar gatherings around regenerative land use and stewardship.
He is an American artist, filmmaker, and conservationist based in Quebec.
Tony Allicino
Tony teaches Taoism and Shamanism. He has studied with shamans in Nepal and North and South America and also shares his practices in indigenous and ecstatic dance, reiki, qigong, and Vipassana meditation.
Megan Bathory-Peeler
Megan teaches our Continuum workshops. She is a choreographer and performer and is licensed in Massage, Bodywork, and Somatic Therapy. Megan teaches dance, experiential anatomy, and the creative process.
Emily Boss
The Franklin Land Trust is a cherished partner, helping to preserve more than 200 acres of Shantigar land. Emily is a FLT staff member who leads hikes on our trails.
Elaine Colandrea
Elaine teaches our Continuum workshops. She is a dancer, somatic educator, choreographer, and bodyworker. Dance critics described Elaine as an “alchemist and her medium is the human body.”
Melanie Gambino
Melanie teaches our Continuum workshops. She is a registered Somatic Movement therapist and educator who maintains a private healing practice and contributes to clinical research and practice.
Jonathan Hart Makwaia
Jonathan leads our Voice & Music workshops. He is the foremost US teacher of the Roy Hart Theatre approach to voice training. Jonathan teaches at NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing.
Richard McCarthy
Richard leads discussions arising from his book KUNI: A Japanese Vision & Practice for Urban-Rural Connections. He plays hyper-local and global roles in growing community through food.
John Meyer
John teaches weekly Chi Kung at Shantigar. An Asian art expert who formerly owned the LiAsia gallery in Williamstown, John lives on a farm in Western MA where he dwells daily in his Taoist practice.
Kate Peppard
Kate leads our Yoga & Wellness Weekends for Women in Recovery. Her training is strongly influenced by the Jivamukti and Kripalu yoga styles. Kate focuses on a balanced series of movements aligned with the breath.
Rosemary Quinn
Rosemary teaches our theatre workshops and leads Shantigar’s online Theatre Conversations. She serves as Director of the Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and also works as an actor, director, producer, and community arts activist.
Michael Schreiber
Michael has co-led our Meditation Challenges and online Home Theatre workshop. He also led Shantigar’s Young Artist Project for community college students. Michael is a teaching artist and leadership coach.
Helena Vallée Dallaire
Helena teaches our Plein Air Painting & Drawing workshops. She has been trained in the tradition of the Old Masters in New York, France, and Italy and teaches at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Marisa Viola
Marisa led our Meditation Challenges, online weekly sanghas and Lojong study. She took her vows in the Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa tradition. Marisa teaches at monasteries, prisons, hospitals and one-on-one.
Alex Wahlstrom
The Franklin Land Trust is a cherished partner, helping to preserve more than 200 acres of Shantigar land. Alex is a FLT staff member who leads birding walks on our trails.