- Category
- Free Fridays
Spring Wellness Festival
Explore the intersection of art, nature, and wellness at SLAM’s Spring Wellness Festival! The first hour of this program will include activities for children ages 1 to 6 and their caregivers. See the schedule of events below.
Please note: Visitors are not permitted to bring yoga mats and floor cushions into the Museum. These will be provided for all related activities.
Schedule of events
10–11 am | Toddler and Me
Visit Grigg Gallery 216 for a special event for children ages 1 to 6 and their caregivers.
10 am: Grounding Meadow: Imagination and Mindfulness Practice with Deanna Sophia Danger.
10:30 am: Breathe, Bend, and Read: Yoga and Mindfulness Centered Storytime with SonJoria Sydnor of Our Family’s Doing Yoga.
11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm | Somatic Grounding and Meditation
Practice guided somatic grounding and insight meditation with Deanna Sophia Danger in Grigg Gallery 216.
11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm | Yoga
Practice yoga with Mandi Gray in Grigg Gallery 216.
11 am–2 pm | Wellness Activities in the Education Center
Experiment with a garden-therapy art activity led by Dominique Begnaud, founder of Create Play Grow Therapy Services.
Grab an interactive zine from Crystal Ellis, public health advocate and educator.
Learn about Forest & Meadow, a modern-day herbal apothecary and wellness clinic.
Then explore activities in the pilot launch of the Museum’s Wellness Activity Guide.
11 am–4 pm | Outdoor Art Making
Create a simple shape landscape using inspiration from the Grace Taylor Broughton Sculpture Garden.
About Deanna Sophia Danger
Deanna Sophia Danger, who uses they/them pronouns, is a revolutionary somatics guide supporting individuals to unlock body mind and community sovereignty. They have a background in subversive dance, performance art, and media. Their counter-oppressive methodologies weave body- and sense-based exploratory movement and nervous system practices, Engaged Buddhist teachings, and systems-change frameworks. Danger facilitates STL Queer Sangha, a monthly, Radical Dharma and meditation group for all LGBTQIA+ individuals and the community, and serves on the Advisory Circle at Empowered Spaces, a trauma-informed, holistic, healing collective. Danger is accredited to teach insight meditation through The Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center of the University of California at Berkeley.
About Mandi Gray
Mandi Gray, who uses she/her pronouns, has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and has always found peace on the mat. Gray came to yoga following an exploration into eastern herbalism. She is a registered yoga teacher, educator, and registered yoga school through Yoga Alliance.
About SonJoria Sydnor
SonJoria Sydnor is an author and family wellness storyteller helping families build healthier, more mindful lives. Inspired by her personal journey and background in early childhood development, she founded Our Family’s Doing Yoga (OFDY), a brand that blends wellness and literacy through fun, inclusive experiences. Through her work, Sydnor affirms representation in wellness spaces while supporting children and families in nurturing their social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
About Dominique Begnaud
Dominique Begnaud graduated from SIUE in May 2016 with a master’s degree in art therapy counseling. Throughout graduate school, Begnaud gained a variety of clinical experience by providing art enrichment to pre-school-aged children in Head Start, and art therapy to people suffering with memory loss or eating disorders. After graduation, she worked at a community mental health agency and then at a domestic violence agency. Begnaud has her counseling license in the state of Illinois and Missouri. Begnaud is a registered art therapist and registered play therapist. She is also a nationally certified counselor. She has been gardening since an early age and has been incorporating therapeutic techniques with gardening for the past seven years with clients.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
