CASE STUDY
ART OF HOSTING
PROGRAM DESIGN & CAPACITY BUILDING
The Challenge
After attending the Authentic Leadership in Action conference—a five-day experience that was the most engaged, conversational, artistic, and embodied conference ever encountered which utilized the Art of Hosting methodologies. The search began for who was practicing Art of Hosting methodologies in Portland, Oregon. This led to partnering with Kevin Hiebert to bring Art of Hosting training to the Pacific Northwest.
Approach
Art of Hosting (also called Participatory Leadership) follows an apprenticeship model where new practitioners learn alongside experienced facilitators. The work began in the harvester role—photographing and graphic recording workshops—then evolved into co-facilitation and teaching.
Together with Kevin, we ran workshops for participants from across the country, teaching Art of Hosting methodologies including participatory leadership approaches, visual thinking, systems thinking, engagement methods, and mental models. The teaching roles were fluid—we both taught all main methods, swapping roles as needed.
The Impact
- Trained hundreds of participants across Pacific Northwest in participatory leadership methodologies (2015-2019)
- Developed comprehensive training manual integrating visual and written resources
- Built capacity for Art of Hosting in Portland, Oregon region
- Integrated Art of Hosting principles into all subsequent consulting and facilitation work
- Created foundation for Deep Current Studio’s collaborative, participatory approach
Foundations of Current Practice
Art of Hosting principles and methodologies run through all Deep Current Studio work. The approach is grassroots, creative, and accessible—most work is Creative Commons and doesn’t require huge financial investment to learn. The community-grounded approach and participatory methods became foundational to how Deep Current Studio partners with organizations today.
The Art of Hosting training period was formative—learning to hold space for emergence, facilitate using liberating structures, work with systems thinking in real-time, and harvest learning visually. These skills and principles continue to shape every engagement.
Capabilities & Roles
Capabilities Utilized: Program & Curriculum Design, Visual Facilitation & Harvesting, Capacity Building
Roles Fulfilled: Co-Facilitator, Teacher (specializing in visual thinking, systems, engagement, mental models), Apprentice, Harvester, Graphic Designer
Collaborators: Workshops were designed and taught in collaboration with Kevin Hiebert, Resonate NW, Sara Rosenau, and Tenneson Woolf and other facilitation friends in the Pacific Northwest.
A few words from participants:
“This was a deeply moving and reflective experience. I’ve participated in a lot of training around methods and tools, but this challenged me in a different way to really connect with my internal stance and presence as a facilitator.”
“This workshop was a very enriching experience that opened for me a spectrum of options with important tools, but especially a spectrum of options to facilitate creative leadership so that each workshop participant becomes a leader himself/herself. I am not a lone leader anymore, I now have the tools to open the door for others to be leaders as well. In the work I do, it is critical for each and everyone of us to be involved in the issues that concern our society and we need new ways to bring our knowledge, talent, and wisdom to share with others.”
“Wonderful – activities were thoughtful and well planned. Discussion was productive. I got a lot out of attending.”
“I had an excellent experience and immediately recommended the workshop to several colleagues and friends.”
“I really enjoyed my time during the entire Art of Hosting event. I feel prepared to bring it back to my workplace. It not only encouraged me to move forward with a positive attitude, it also gave me the tools to bring my colleagues along in that process.”
