A Day of Art and Regeneration for Caregivers

Kathleen Buday, MEd, ATR-BC

For 25 years, Kathleen Buday has provided art therapy in various capacities including individual, family, couple, and group therapy. She has practiced with diverse populations such as adults with HIV/AIDS, hospice patients and families, teen refugees, adults coping with cancer, and bereaved individuals, among others. At the start of her career, Kathleen held positions in art galleries and museums.

Through her work, Kathleen has promoted the value of the arts as a means of expression for persons of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. She has witnessed how images have a unique non-threatening way to connect us, and to provide insights into our complex experiences. It has become her passion to use creativity as a means to help others to feel seen and heard, and to heal. 

Kathleen holds a BA from Kalamazoo College and earned her Master of Education with a concentration in Art Therapy from Wayne State University. As a board-certified art therapist, Kathleen is sole proprietor of Healing with Heart in Michigan. She has held the positions of Assistant Professor in Art Therapy at University of Wisconsin-Superior and Millikin University, and has taught at Kalamazoo College. Currently, she is an adjunct faculty instructor for Wayne State University. In addition to her art therapy work and teaching, Kathleen is a published author and presenter in the field of art therapy. To learn more about Kathleen visit www.kathleenbuday.com.

Caitlin has facilitated hundreds of transformative group processes and designed and implemented multi-day retreat experiences across the country. In addition to over a decade of experience, Caitlin brings her training in mindfulness, somatic and body-based healing modalities, and Earth-centered rites of passage wisdom practices. A passionate advocate for rest as resistance*, Caitlin currently serves as a wellness coordinator for Miigwech Inc., a local Indigenous-led non-profit, and facilitates wilderness retreats with Wild Minds Retreats.

*inspired by Tricia Hersey's book, Rest is Resistance (2022) and her work with The Nap Ministry

Dr. Elizabeth Fergus-Jean, MFA, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized and award-winning transdisciplinary artist, educator and occasional writer whose focus is on the transformative and healing power of the creative spirit. At the core of her approach is her deep spirituality and strong eco-consciousness and her love of the natural world and sharing this with others. 

Her artwork has been exhibited in museums, universities and art galleries including the Springfield Art Museum, Butler Institute of American Art, Memorial Art Museum and the Ross Museum. Her work is also held in numerous public and private collections, including Huntington Corporation, Price Waterhouse and the New Mexico History Museum. It has also appeared on the covers of more than 15 international myth and depth psychology journals and books. 

She has been Artist-in-Residence at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, and at The Ohio State University.  As an author, Elizabeth has written several books and numerous essays, two of which have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her two essays, Ariadne and Labyrinth: A Metaphor for Transformation, were published in Mythology: A CD-ROM Encyclopedia.

A passionate and committed teacher, Elizabeth has taught for over 45 years in a wide range of venues, including the Columbus College of Art and Design, Denison University and Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she was a founding faculty member for the Humanities Program. She has also taught and worked with inner city youth, at art centers, museums, church groups, and Jung associations across the county. Her popular workshops reach out to a range of individuals who seek to expand their own creativity, clarify their authentic voice, and become aware of archetypal patterns within their lives. 

She received her BFA (Phi Kappa Phi) from Rochester Institute of Technology, an MFA in Painting and Design from the University of Washington, and her PhD in the Mythological Studies with emphasis in Depth Psychology at Pacifica. Loving to expand her knowledge, she is currently studying Druidry, Tarot and Sophrology. 

As Visual Arts Director, Sheila curates, organizes, and designs art exhibitions for CTAC-Petoskey, and oversees studio art education classes, workshops, and programs for CTAC-Petoskey.