Interplay:
Empowering Personal, Social & Ecological Well-being, since 1980
Marta Swain is creator of Interplay - a uniquely creative methodology of inquiry, observation and interpretation that celebrates life and explores the principles of ecology that support all life. Marta's consultations & interactive workshops have served educational, recreational, and business organizations since 1980, (see Vitae below).
Interplay is a holistic, systems-based process that uses design and language to engage participants in personal and collaborative exploration of how we can create reciprocally rewarding influence in our lives through understanding partnership, diversity, interdependence, carrying capacity, and the flow of energy & information. Participants develop a personal context for recognizing themselves as part of Nature, exploring what sustainability is and can be, and developing their unique potential to improve quality of life for self, society and the interdependent system of life on Earth.
Interplay:
- Facilitates (re)discovery of ourselves, our lives, our organizations and our communities, as nature/part of nature.
- Invites participants to recognize themselves as unique centers of influence in the world...unique, diverse resources capable of partnering to charge the flow of energy, information, and actions for positive change.
- Promotes understanding of nature as a model for healthy lives and learning communities.
- Encourages awareness of healthy relationships and conditions that help ventures succeed.
- Vitalizes living and learning with whole-systems thinking.
- Cultivates individual and group capacity to create and contribute to actions that develop sustainability.
- Develops practical knowledge transferable to all sectors, arenas and aspects of life.
- Generates appreciation for the concept of global community, nature as a life support system, and self as a precious, renewable and evolving resource.
Private Interplay sessions are available for groups of 4-8 people interested in exploring how sustainability principles can support personal and cultural development as well as existing or desired organizational missions, goals & objectives.
Workshops are adapted to meet individual clients’ needs. $125.00/hr
To learn more and/or schedule a workshop for your organization, contact Marta Swain, [email protected] or 616.334-3589.
From 1980-1996, Marta Swain traveled extensively as visiting artist/educational consultant facilitating Interplay workshops for diverse clients around the world (Vitae below).
In 1994, Swain read Paul Hawken's Ecology of Commerce and learned that cotton was one of the world's most toxic crops.
In 1996, she founded Hemp Goods to offer apparel, home enhancement, body care and nutrition produced with respect for life.
Hemp Goods became Clothing Matters in 2007 to focus on raising awareness of atrocities in the apparel industry and provide the world's cleanest, most comfortable and versatile high quality clothing.
Interplay Vitae
West Michigan Environmental Action Council: Grand Rapids Michigan
Educational Programming Specialist/Artist-in-Residence: Fundraising, developing and directing interdisciplinary, cross-cultural outreach programs for several thousand students and teachers (K-post graduate) throughout the regional urban, suburban, and rural community. Facilitating design and implementation of curricula and community service projects that recognize connections between social and ecological systems, issues, and solutions.
Green Institute and Re Use Center, Minneapolis Minnesota
Annual Board/Staff Retreat--Applying ecological principles to stewardship agendas and strategic planning.
St. Thomas University Graduate School of Business, St. Paul Minnesota
Designs to Live By, a workshop for business professionals enrolled in the Institute of Creative Studies.
Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul & Lee & Rose Warner Nature Center: Marine Minnesota:
~Integrating Faith & Ecology: Exploring how nature can inform & inspire lives & communities
~New Choices, New Menu: Regional conference exploring how our food choices impact social & ecological health
~Staff workshops exploring how energy use & conservation measures impact quality of life
~Workshops for Magnet School students & teachers integrating themes of energy, habitat, safety, diversity, cooperation & peace
~Land & Skies Alive: Intergenerational workshop exploring how our practices impact land use and migratory bird populations
~Katherine Ordway Natural History Study Area
Team teaching & curricula development for field biology courses.
Committee to Preserve Rural Values, Chicago County Minnesota
Facilitating strategic planning work session to review and revitalize mission, goals & objectives.
Water Resources Institute, Grand River Watershed, Michigan
Facilitate and mobilize citizen involvement to vision, create, and implement community-based watershed education that incorporates arts & sciences.
Very Special Arts Michigan State Conference: Grand Rapids Michigan
MI Federated Chapters, Council for Exceptional Children, Annual Convention
Annual professional development workshops for educators.
Grand Rapids Service Corps, Michigan AmeriCorps, Grand Rapids Michigan
Supporting youth to recognize and celebrate themselves as resources and resource managers...identify conditions required to sustain lives, communities of life, and improve neighborhoods; survey and inventorying actions, influences, and elements that effect quality of life in three inner city neighborhoods, addressing strategies for crime prevention, economic development, and the role of arts in building community; sponsored in part by Grand Rapids Public Education Fund.
Michigan Environmental Council, Lansing Michigan
Beyond Regulation to Innovation: Michigan Land Stewardship Initiative State Conference.
Historic review and strategic planning to review objectives and assess potential to meet new challenges.
Hamline University Graduate School, St. Paul Minnesota
A course developing individual and group capacity to inspire, create, and sustain healthy lives & learning communities; exploring principles and functions of natural systems, to connect personal, social and ecological dimensions of real lives; recognizing people as part of Nature and a natural community; employing potential for all individuals to contribute as teachers and learners.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council, Grand Rapids Michigan
Consulting and facilitating workshops to cultivate ecological orientation that support and enhance existing educational objectives for elementary, secondary and graduate students, teachers, administrators & community; employing potential of all individuals to contribute as teachers and learners.
Michigan Alliance for Arts Education; Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs;
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network; Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan
A week long Artist Educator Institute engaging professional artists & teachers from throughout Michigan in exploration and interpretation of natural phenomena expressed through a variety of artistic disciplines.
Ox Bow--The School of Art Institute of Chicago, Saugatuck Michigan
Annual workshops employing the language of design and dialogue in exercises that explore opportunities for improving quality of life as vital members of various interdependent communities and systems of life.
YIKES! (Young Idealistic Kids with Environmental Sensitivity)/WMEAC, Grand Rapids Michigan
Engaging high school students from throughout Kent Intermediate School District to share their perspectives on and expectations of business; identity and interpret group objectives, mission, and local social issues, from an ecological perspective.
Center for Indian Community Development, Humboldt State University, Arcata California
Protecting Nature, Protecting Our Lives in collaboration with Native American Lands Institute; Developing hazardous waste curriculum with and for use by teachers from Hupa & Yurok tribes.
Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation Leadership Conference; Michigan Leadership Foundation, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan
America's Incentive System; interfacing high school sophomore leaders with leaders in business, industry, education and government, to inspire, encourage, and exercise independent thinking; Integrating Education, Business & Ecology.
Businesses for Social Responsibility: World Business Academy, Bloomington Minnesota
Communities Creating A Sustainable Future; Developing community-based environmental education & action programs.
Aligning Individuals, Organizations & Ecosystems: Inventorying human resources to elicit and employ the unique capacity of individuals and groups to understand the value of our own lives and preserve the systems that link lives.
Youth Initiative, Grand Rapids Michigan
Youth Action Week: Interpreting IPM (Integrated Pest Management); Engaging area high school students in exercises that identify and ensure safer learning/living environments through implementation of least toxic building maintenance programs; developing action plans and tools for schools/communities to encourage behavioral, structural, and prescriptive changes. Leading exercises to support exploration of how students influence & are influenced by systems-families, peer groups, learning communities, institutions, and nature.
Volunteer Connection: Service-Learning Conference: Creating action strategies to impact our world through identifying personal interests and choices, inventory and interviews regarding real life experience/community issues; identifying needs and solutions.
Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver Colorado
Leading teachers, students, docents, administrative professionals from city, country state and National Park
Service projects through exercises that apply ecological principles to vitalize the interpretive experience, exhibits & programs.
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago Illinois
Inter-generational workshops exploring how avian international members of our community connect cultures & continents; interactive exercises using color, song, consideration of winter & summer habitats/ranges of native migratory birds
West Michigan United Methodist Church, Pentwater Michigan
Board of Church & Society; Intergenerational workshops exploring lands and the diversity that makes them alive.
Sicangu Youth Camp/Oyate Networking Project, Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota
Engaging youth, counselors, board members, & support staff in exercises that celebrate physical and spiritual aspects of caring for personal lives, social communities & other systems in nature; addressing social issues of substance abuse & teen pregnancy.
United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, Chicago Illinois
Applying ecological principles to recognize, develop and support individual and community efforts;
recognizing people, organizations, communities as sustainable resources and ecological systems.
YMCA: Newaygo Michigan
Engaging counselors, administrators, and support staff in exploration of nature and ecological principles applied to support personal lives as well as social and professional communities.
Ottawa County Soil Conservation District: Grand Haven Michigan
Helping teachers identify and interpret daily life experiences impacting/impacted by the hydrologic cycle and non-point source pollution. Children's Groundwater Festival, a project of Groundwater Education in Michigan (GEM).
National Youth Leadership Council: Minneapolis Minnesota
National Service-Learning Conference: Facing the Challenge: Revitalizing Education, Renewing Community--Exploring Self, Community and Environment- workshop & consultations for youth & educational professionals.
Association for Experiential Education;
Heartland Regional Conference: Lake Geneva Wisconsin
20th International Conference: Banff, Alberta
Leading educators, trainers & therapists through exercises exploring parallels between personal, social & ecological systems of life.
Michigan Audubon; Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Paradise Michigan
Facilitating workshops for elementary/secondary students and teachers, to incorporate land use, habitat requirement concepts/issues into existing curricula; integrating WPBO research into connecting classroom learning.
Holland Area Arts Council, Holland Michigan
Facilitating in-service teacher training that integrates visual, language, & multi-kinesthetic exercises that explore & interpret the natural world.
East Bay Conservation Corps, Oakland California
Facilitating workshops for supervisors, exploring how conscious experience with the land increases awareness of self as part of Nature and recognition of environmental impact as it impacts economic and spiritual aspects of community life.
National Association for Interpretation, Santa Clara California
A workshop for professional interpreters of cultural, historical and natural resources, exploring
relationships between land use, quality of life and survival of other species and cultures.
YMCA Camping Services, Grand Rapids Michigan
Celebrating Individual Contributions and Community; workshops for youth ages 8-15 yrs old, youth counselors, and counselors in training; consultations applying ecological principles to existing programming.
United Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY), Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Exploring Personal, Social & Cultural Environmental Agendas: collaborative, experiential exercises that address community relations, ecology and strategic planning for Earth Ambassador youth leaders ages 17-25.
Michigan Alliance For Environmental and Outdoor Education: Hillsdale Michigan
Our Water, Ourselves--A workshop for adult leaders and educators exploring paths and properties of a vital resource--its influence on our lives, and the impact of our practices upon water quality.
Tri-County Residents for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, Fremont Michigan
~Our Watershed and the World's One Supply--Raising awareness and mobilizing 7th grade students to take actions for improving overall health within their watershed.
~People of the World Extending Resources--Developing individual and group capacity to increase organizational effectiveness; inventory and assessment of value; care and management of human resources
University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston Michigan
Staff enrichment for Science & Environmental Education (SEE) North: Cultivating Leadership, Education & Development for application in study of Platte River ecosystems and migratory bird species.
National Association for Interpretation National Conference, Vail Colorado
Engaging professional interpreters of cultural, historical and natural resources in exercises exploring the nature & value of water.
Water Resource Institute, Allendale Michigan
Engaging teachers and students in visual, verbal and physical exercises to explore how our choices impact water quality.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Ontonagon Michigan
Facilitating exercises to engage park visitors in experiential exploration of nature interpretation and appreciation of our public lands.
Steelcase, Grand Rapids Michigan
Annually facilitating environmental awareness workshops for employee families.
Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, Fremont, Michigan
Facilitating language arts workshops for Michigan Eco-Conference Youth Program.
Very Special Arts Michigan State Conference: Grand Rapids Michigan
Annually facilitating experiential workshops for administrators, teachers and physically & mentally impaired children.
Youth Environmental Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“Interconnections” Engaging West Michigan high school students in experiential exercises to explore what sustains life.
Grand Rapids Inter-Tribal Council: Grand Rapids Michigan
Identifying and celebrating elements that impact personal, cultural and ecological well-being.
Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids Michigan
“Celebrating the Earth's Heartbeat” Facilitating inter-generational workshops to explore principles of natural design.
Kent Intermediate School District, Grand Rapids Michigan
Facilitating workshops for Spring Teachers' Conference on Environmental Education.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society, University of Michigan Office of Minority
Student Services, Native American Student Association, Ann Arbor Michigan
“Celebrating the Earth's Heartbeat”, Facilitating inter-generational workshops for 19th annual Ann Arbor Pow Wow.
Williams and Works Engineering and Science, Grand Rapids Michigan
Engaging staff in collaborative design exercises to interpret properties of water and the concept/issue of non-point source pollution.
Council of Performing Arts for Children, Grand Rapids Michigan
“Celebrating Diversity” Interactive workshop for teachers at Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration.
Aquinas College Emeritus Institute, Grand Rapids Michigan
Interpreting and addressing transportation issues for “State of the World” seminar.
Union of Concerned Scientists; Educators for Social Responsibility; Institute for Global Education;
“Global Warming: West Michigan Responds”, workshop supporting nationwide effort to reduce CO2 emissions.
Michigan Geographic Alliance; National Geographic Society; Center for Environmental Study
Facilitating teacher seminar & curriculum development for cross-cultural classroom partnerships
Hope College Kellogg Science Project, Holland Michigan
Facilitating teacher in-service workshops for “Partners in Science”
Artists in Action, Grand Rapids Michigan
Facilitating interactive, experiential workshops to celebrate Earth Day with artists and general public.
Alternative Methods for International Stability & Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids Michigan
“Global Life through Global Action” in collaboration with Platform for the Planet; facilitating exercises to identify constructive actions.
Wildflower Association of Michigan: Lansing Michigan
Botanical Influence: Cultural Perspectives; MI State University Agricultural & Natural Resources Week.
Vision Enrichment Services: Grand Rapids Michigan
Workshops on water quality, habitat/land use for visually impaired people and the community serving them..
YMCA Counseling Center, Grand Rapids Michigan
Consultation & workshop for counselors and therapists of sexually abused children and adults.
New York Bilangual Public School 83, East Harlem New York
Workshop for first grade students and teachers.
Diller-Quaille School of Music, New York, New York
Workshops in musical color expression/response for preschool children and parents.
Ocean Classroom Project, Bridgeport Connecticut
Facilitating field work exercises & curriculum development for ecological/cultural enrichment; K-12 public inner city, private,
and rural school students and teachers.
Total Life Counseling Center, Grand Rapids Michigan
Interpretive communication workshops for families facing life-threatening illness, ages 3-73
Noorthoek Academy, Grand Rapids Michigan
Interpretive workshops for educable mentally impaired college students.
Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids Michigan
Workshop using design to explore and understand meiosis, for undergraduate zoology students.
West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland Michigan
Classes for gifted and talented students ages 6-8.
Child and Family Services of West Michigan, Holland Michigan
Interpretive workshops supporting parents and child abuse victims.
Families of Nantucket Massachusetts
Year-round weekly classes for children, ages 4-12; training for 4-H counselors.
Grand Rapids Public Schools
East Grand Rapids Public Schools
The Creative Learning Center: Spectrum School for Gifted & Talented Children
Stepping Stones Montessori
Canterbury Creek Farm School
Art, Nature & Environmental Design classes for children ages 4-12 in the Greater Grand Rapids Area.
Amelia Earhart Intermediate School, Okinawa Japan
Environmental Design workshops for 4th-6th grade teachers and gifted and talented students.
Cane Garden Bay Primary School, Tortola British Virgin Islands
Art, Nature & Environmental design workshops for primary school students and teachers.
Nantucket Island School of Design & the Arts, Nantucket Massachusetts;
Designs for Environmental Awareness: Four years of curriculum development and instruction for children's
enrichment programs; adult environmental design seminars.
Positions of Service and Affiliations:
West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2000-present
Green America, 1999-present
Local First, Grand Rapids Michigan, founding member to present
West Michigan Environmental Action Council, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1972 to present,
Various committees including Pesticides/Integrated Pest Management in Grand Rapids Public Schools; Land Use; Sustainable Visions Regional Development Project Metropolitan Development Blueprint
Partners in Flight—Aves de las Americas, Neo-tropical Migratory Bird Information and Education Task Force
Green Institute Board & Advisory Council member, Minneapolis Minnesota
ReUse Center Board & Advisory Council, Minneapolis Minnesota
Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota
National Growth Management Leadership Project Affiliate
1000 Friends of Minnesota
National Association for Interpretation
Grand Valley Metropolitan Development Blueprint Process, Land Use Task Force, Grand Rapids Michigan
Association for Experiential Education, Heartland Advisory Council
Michigan Environmental Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee
Garfield Elementary School, Olympia Washington
Parent Resource Center, Olympia Washington
Nantucket Shellfish Advisory Council, Nantucket Massachusetts
Education:
Evergreen State College, Olympia Washington; Bachelor of Arts, 1984
Additional coursework:
Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, San Francisco California
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI & Nantucket Massachusetts
Boston University, Boston Massachusetts
Goddard College, Goddard Vermont
Grand Valley State University, Allendale Michigan
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan
Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Michigan