This year marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of Carlo Pietzner – artist, anthroposophist, and special needs educator – a moment to honor his enduring impact on Camphill communities. Among his most beloved initiatives were the Art Retreats at Camphill Beaver Run, which began in the 1970s. These gatherings brought coworkers together to explore painting, sculpture, music, and performance, creating a space where creativity and community life could flourish side by side.
Carlo’s journey in the United States began in 1961, when he moved with his family and coworkers to lead Camphill’s expansion, beginning with Camphill Village Copake and later founding Beaver Run. Beyond the retreats, he wrote and directed plays, published books and poetry, and created countless works of art. In 1983, he helped establish the Camphill Association of North America and served as its director until his death in 1986.
Fifty years later, the spirit of the Art Retreats – and Carlo’s deep commitment to creativity, connection, and community – continues to inspire. Here, Wolfgang Køttker shares his memories of the retreats at Beaver Run:
The Inner Ear – Beaver Run
The memories of the art retreats are full of anecdotes and stories – perhaps not all entirely accurate, but each carrying the warmth and excitement of the work we did together. The Beaver Run community generously made space for the teachers’ retreats and whole-heartedly prepared for Carlo’s intentions and ideas. Participation meant stepping out of our daily routines and immersing ourselves in the wonderful artistic sessions in Rainbow Hall. In his uniquely artistic way, Carlo wanted to lead us closer to Steiner’s lecture cycle The Essentials of Education from April 1924, held in Stuttgart for teachers. These foundational lectures were some of Steiner’s last pedagogical contributions. The art retreats became a deeply profound experience. They helped us devote ourselves more fully to our work as curative teachers – to the understanding of the developing human being. As a young person, I found it challenging to read in Steiner’s first lecture that teachers must work seriously on themselves in order not to inflict suffering or illness on the children in their care – later in life. We explored the spiritual impulse that underlies Waldorf education, emphasizing the cultivation of the “higher self.” This awakening to the importance of inner work is something I learned to value and acknowledge deeply.
Carlo guided us artistically into an understanding of the fourfold nature of the human being. Our physical, etheric, and astral bodies, as well as the “I” and the “Higher Self,” were revealed in new and vivid ways. We were challenged to be mindful and spiritually present. New insights emerged through writing our own poems and reciting them to one another. With Renate’s help we entered the realm of music, but it was the work with clay – modelling and sculpture – that became especially meaningful for me and opened new perspectives. In Lecture Three (p. 45), Steiner describes how we can approach an understanding of the etheric body and emphasizes the importance of modelling and sculpting as essential paths toward that understanding. He even stated that a teacher-training course should not exist without them. Carlo assigned us the task of creating an image in clay – a model of the three semicircular canals of the inner ear. These three interconnected tubes, located in the innermost part of the ear, form a delicate instrument that helps us maintain balance and stability in three-dimensional space throughout life. Somehow, all the lectures and exercises seemed to culminate in the attempt to model this form. It happened that my model – further developed by Joanna van Vliet, whose understanding of movement was invaluable – was chosen to be constructed outside the school building. It was an extraordinary undertaking, and yet we were all full of creative, collaborative energy.
Even so, the process turned out to be long and demanding. Thanks to Charles McWilliams – whose engineering background and enthusiasm were indispensable – we eventually had a plan to transform the clay model into the large sculpture that stands today. We learned to weld, to shape chicken wire, and to mix gravel and concrete. The shared inspiration carried us and made it all possible. The impulse of these art retreats has continued to accompany and inspire my work as a Waldorf teacher, my years at the Rudolf Steiner University College in Oslo, and my mentoring work in India. They have become a lifelong confirmation of – and support for – the essential importance of social art and artistic practice in teaching.
