The Arts, Health, and Society Division Newsletter – March

Dear Community,

Look at the flock of birds moving across the twilight sky. Thousands of bodies shift direction together, forming waves that appear choreographed. And yet, there is no leader, no central command.

What we are witnessing is something remarkable: decentralized intelligence. A Murmuration is a living example of synergy—many individuals interacting in such a way that something new emerges: a pattern, a rhythm, a collective form. The flock becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Art as a Complex System 
This image offers us a powerful metaphor for how art and collaboration can function today. Art, like the Murmuration, can be understood as a complex system. Its meaning does not arise from isolated elements but from relationships: between artist and audience, between idea and context, between creation and reception.

For a long time, we imagined the artist as a solitary genius—working alone in a studio. But in our field, Art becomes something that also happens between people. Complex systems thrive at the edge of chaos—a delicate balance between stability and change. Too much order leads to rigidity. Too much disruption leads to collapse. Creativity emerges in the space between.

From Isolation to Synpoiesis 

The Murmuration shows us that individual freedom and collective coordination coexist. This is where synergy—”working together”—invites us to explore synpoiesis: making together.

In a world that often feels fragmented and dominated by rigid hierarchies, the flock suggests another way of being: a horizontal, relational, and dynamic form of collaboration. The flock reminds us that collective movement does not erase individuality. Each bird still flies with its own wings, each artist keeps their own voice. But when we learn to move in relation to one another—when we listen, adapt, and respond—something extraordinary can emerge.

Our 2026 Flight Path:

• April | Malta: We focus on embodiment—our physical, connected presence as a “body in Murmuration.”
• Summer | Saas-Fee: We take this synergy to the mountains for our Master’s and Doctoral programs.
• October | Malta: We return to the sea to focus on Global Health, Expressive Arts, and Social Change.

Perhaps the task of art today is not only to create objects, but to cultivate these living systems of collaboration. To learn, like the flock, how to move together.
View our welcome video

Registration for Summer Session 2026 is now open!

Session 1
June 8th (Session 1 starts at 9am) to June 28th (Session 1 ends at 10pm):

Master Programs in Expressive Arts with Specializations in Therapy, Coaching and Consulting, & Social Change/Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding 

Doctoral Program in Expressive Arts

Session 2
July 8th (Session 2 starts at 9am) to July 28th (Session 2 ends at 10pm)

Master Programs in Expressive Arts with Specializations in Therapy, Coaching and Consulting, & Social Change/Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding

Doctoral Program in Expressive Arts

(Applications are open year-round on rolling-basis)

For a closer look at this year’s academic program, please click below:

Academic Program 2026

Register Here

To learn more about our Masters and PhD Programs, please click below:

Masters Program

Doctoral Program

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April 8 – April 10, 2026

We invite you to join us for the annual Spring Symposium taking place virtually this year! Hope Rising is an open, global invitation to gather through the arts at a time of profound uncertainty. Rather than centering on what is broken, the Spring Symposium orients itself toward what sustains us as a collective international community: creativity, imagination, relational presence, and beauty as an ethical practice. Through shared art-making, dialogue, and aesthetic response, we cultivate inner and collective resources that support well-being, resilience, and socially responsive action.

Learn More and Register

Are you interested in learning about the AHS Masters Programs, PhD Program, and Professional Development (Continuing Education) opportunities? Join an upcoming information session led by Lucía de Urioste, Student Advisor, and José Miguel Calderón, PhD, Program Director:

• 31 March 2026

Time: 16:00–17:30 CET (Central European Time)

If you want to join, please send us a message with your name and interest (administration@egs.edu).

We look forward to hearing from you!

** Announcements **

• Our next EGS Alumni Workshop Gatherings are scheduled as follows:

EGS Alumni Meetings 2026
 
EGS Alumni Workshop
April 12, 2026
1 pm CET Workshop led by Jackie Pui Pui Fu and Ching Ping (Noel) Cheung

EGS Alumni Gathering EAST and WEST – Spring
May 17, 2026
Hosted by Karla Beesemyer and Rilana Vorderwülbecke
12 pm CET Meet & Greet and a Workshop led by Mita Menezes
6 pm CET Meet & Greet  and a Workshop led by Hannah Behrens

EGS Alumni Workshop
June 14, 2026
2 pm CET Workshop by Rilana Vorderwülbecke, Collective Trauma: A Personal Inquiry
 
EGS Alumni Gathering EAST and WEST – Summer
August 2, 2026
Hosted by Karla Beesemyer and Rilana Vorderwülbecke
2 pm CET Meet & Greet and a Workshop led by (tba)
6 pm CET Meet & Greet and a Workshop led by (tba)

• For PhD students – Please contact PhD Program director, José Miguel Calderon, if you would like to be included in monthly PhD meetings with your peers.

Our alumni are the torchbearers of our institution’s legacy, and it is our mission to create a platform that not only keeps you connected with peers but also offers opportunities for professional development, networking, and personal growth.