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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Galleria, Libro, Soirée Series Returns to Bonita Springs

José Maria Castillo

Eyes Wide Open Center, in Bonita Springs, will host another free edition of its successful series, Galleria, Libro, Soirée, combining art, writing, conversation, music and healthy foods, from 7 to 9 p.m., March 23. Renowned local artist José Maria Castillo will share his spiritual discoveries and discuss how making a portrait parallels a spiritual path, and author and songwriter Carlene Thissen will perform original songs in her soft-rock style.

While engaging in a dialogue with the audience, Castillo, a native of Peru and an art teacher at the Von Liebig Art Center, in Naples, will demonstrate how approaching a volunteer model without judgment resembles how in life, we must learn to drop judgment and accept what is. His painting on canvas at the event will demonstrate other

Carlene Thissen
Carlene Thissen
commonalities he sees in art and spirituality.

Thissen wrote two books, Called From Silence: The Father Sanders Novel and Immokalee’s Fields of Hope, and the song, Take These Hands, for a video based on the latter book. Since then, she has dedicated herself to songwriting, performing and serving as coordinator of a farm labor supervisor training program at the University of Florida, in Immokalee.

Location: 9200 Bonita Beach Rd., Ste. 204. For more information or to RSVP (required), call 239- 948-9444 or visit EyesWideOpenCenter.com.