Early community folk music festival.
As the Arts at Esalen matured, the Art Barn was developed as a workshop and studio space. During this era a variety of workshops were held and the Arts Center drew numerous talented teachers.
1940s and 50s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
musicians visual artists authors movement artists
artists in other disciplines or multiple creative fields
Click on pictures to enlarge them in a new window.
1990s
Terence McKenna, author and expert on the ethno-pharmacology of spiritual transformation, taught The Limits of Art and the Edges of Science in 92.
Roy Hargrove, multi- Grammy-winning jazz musician, has performed at Esalen with pianist Larry Willis and other members of his band many times.
Pilobolus Dance Theatre has been a pioneer in American contemporary dance, creating its own unique method of choreography. Pilobolus founder Jonathan Wolken taught at Esalen in the 90s.
Broadway Tucker Group, blues band that includes Esalen General Manager David Price on bass, plays at many community celebrations.
The Esalen Arts Council was formed during the early 90s by Cynthia Bianchetta, Char Pias, Bill Herr and Bokara Patterson to promote the arts in the community. The council held fund raising events to transform the run-down barn on the north side of the property into a workshop and studio space.
Esalen's 30th Anniversary Music Festival in 1992 featured performers such as Timbuk 3, John Trudell and Graffiti Man, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Charles Lloyd, Jim Messina, Kenny Loggins Band, Loggins & Messina (in their first and only reunion gig), Joan Baez & Mimi Farina, and Olatunji & the Drums of Passion.
John Trudell, Native-American poet, musician, spokesman and activist, as well as musicians Graffiti Man, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Kenny Loggins, performed at Esalen's anniversary celebration in '92.
Robert Venosa, painter, has co-led the Painting the Fantastic workshop at the Arts Center since the late 90s.
David Price, musician and long-time Esalen Manager, worked to connect Esalen with the Big Sur and Monterey Jazz Festivals and arranged for numerous famous musicians to perform in the community.
Jayson Fann has been a major force in bringing to light the importance of the arts at Esalen. He became the director of the Art Barn in '99, transforming it into a thriving arts center and arts program. He has led many workshops at Esalen, most notably Awakening Creativity and Inspiration, which focuses on how to bring creativity into every aspect of our lives.
Charlie Hunter, acid jazz guitar and bass player, played at Esalen in the 90s.
Akuyoe Graham, actress, screenwriter and founder of Spirit Awakening Foundation, has brought youth and young adults to Esalen as part of a creative writing and character building program since '97.
Donovan, rock musician and poet, played in Esalen's Huxley auditorium in the 90s.
Noel Mapstead, fine artist and potter, leads Raku and Japanese and Native American culture workshops and is known for his innovations in Japanese tea ceremony and Raku methods.
James Hillman, author and founder of archetypal psychology, presented regularly at the Institute in the early 90s.
Spalding Gray, author, actor and monologueist, taught many writing and storytelling workshops at Esalen including True Stroies: Autobiographic Storytelling in '95.
Helen Jerene Malcolm, artist, consultant and teacher, leads Vision Painting and watercolor workshops at Esalen.
Helmut and Kristy Hellencamp, built the kiln outside the Arts Center which is used for ceramic firings. Helmut also teaches metalwork at Esalen and constructed the metal arches over the Arts Center's walkway.
ACT, The American Conservatory Theater, gave residency rehearsals at Esalen in the early to mid 90s.
Jeff Ament from the band Pearl Jam and Robbie Robertson of Tribe After Tribe performed at Esalen in the late 90s.
Martina Hoffman, painter, co-leads Painting the Fantastic at the Esalen Arts Center.
Phil deGruy, avant garde guitar player, began coming to Esalen in the mid 90s.
Daniel Bianchetta, photographer, has documented life at Esalen and managed the Media Department's library of video and still footage since the 90s.
Galway Kinnell, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poet, taught A Workshop for Poets in '95.
Ruth Zaporah, performance artist and teacher, taught Action Theater: The Body as Teacher in the 90s.
Rachel Dutton, sculptor, taught Sculpture: Inner and Outer Visions in '90.
David Whyte, poet, author, teacher and storyteller, taught Images of Fire: Poetry, Creativity, and Personal Passion in '90.
Embree De Persiis, ceramicist, has taught clay sculpting workshops including Ceramic Insights since the 90s.
Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Grammy-nominated folk musician and songwriter, has taught music workshops at Esalen including Songwriting for Everyone since the late 90s.
Nancy Bacal, lyricist, screenwriter and writing teacher, taught The Writer's Way: A Personal Adventure Through Writing in '95.
Sarah Abukutsa, singer and dancer, co-taught Village Concepts: African Music--Esalen Massage in '95.
Margo McLain, painter, gave presentations at Esalen in the early 90s.
Jonathan Wolken, Pilobolus Dance Theatre founder, taught Pilobolus Technique: Choreographic Creation in '95.
Ralph Navak, musician and innovative guitar builder, visited Esalen in the 90s.
Lorenzo Ostuni, founder for the Institute for Biodrama, and Katriona Munthe, psychologist, taught the ritual performance workshop Biodrama: Know Your Self, Live Your Self in '90. Munthe continued to teach Biodrama workshops at Esalen through the 90s.
Layne Redmond, writer, musician and leader of the "Mob of Angels," a women's ritual drumming group, led When Drummers Were Women in '95.
The first Esalen Arts Festival, a week-long appreciation of the arts, brought together painters, musicians, dancers, actors, and writers for performances, instruction in various art media, poetry readings, multimedia events, and panel discussions in October of '95.
Judith Cornell, artist and educator who has developed programs exploring the synthesis of art with other fields including yoga, taught Drawing the Mystic Light of Nature in '95.
Jean-Claude van Itallie, playwright, taught The Healing Power of Theater in '95.
Madeline de Joly, multimedia artist, taught Fibers of Infinity: Adventures in Handmade Paper in '95.
Ellen Bass, author, taught creative writing classes at Esalen including Writing About Our Lives: A Workshop for Women in '95.
Lewis John Carlino, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, director and teacher, taught The Art and Craft of Screenplay in '95.