2026 Workshops + Experiences

Workshops and PLAYA Experiences are unique opportunities which offer time and space for developing knowledge in the arts and sciences, deepening creative and critical skills, and forming long lasting connections with others and the Oregon Outback. Workshops and Experiences are highly place-based, and our expert instructors highlight and explore the natural assets, features, and histories of this region.

Workshops are immersive opportunities for everyone, beginners and experienced alike. Expect full days of learning from your instructor in the studio and on the land. Also built into Workshops is space for integrating learnings with personal studio or reflective time. In 2026, expect to interact with ancient timescales, take a deep dive into ethical pigment foraging, and explore the dramatic landscape surrounding PLAYA. You will learn about the geologic history and forces that shaped the land, and use art to understand how water has affected the unique ecosystems of Oregon’s Great Basin.

PLAYA Experiences offer you time and space on the PLAYA campus for your own creative, restful, or exploratory pursuits as well as some time spent learning from an expert! Experiences are like Self-Directed Residencies, but elevated with a dinner and a field trip, evening presentation, or special event. This year, explore the incredible Oregon Outback with experts in birding, dark skies, astronomy, and geology while enjoying most of your time at PLAYA however you please!

Workshops and Experiences are offered in 4- to 10-night options. Please review our Know Before You Go Handbook to see if a Workshop or PLAYA Experience is right for you! There is internet access and a landline in the main Commons lodge, but no internet or tv in the cabins to help provide a focused environment. There is limited cell service at PLAYA. For all Workshops and Experiences, PLAYA provides 1 meal per week which allows for extended opportunities for connection and collaboration. Please take note of your Workshop or Experience agenda to see when group meals are provided during your stay. Dietary restrictions will be captured during check-out, and directions to PLAYA will be sent after your purchase. The spacious campus includes cabins and studios nestled against the edge of the Fremont-Winema National Forest’s Winter Rim on one side and the wide-open playa on the other. PLAYA’s location and rural setting is a natural incubator for creative breakthroughs and personal growth.

🦅 Extend your stay at PLAYA by attending two weekend programs back to back and stay at PLAYA for free the nights in between!

Cancellation policy: A $50 cancellation fee will always be applied to a cancelled order. No refund 6 or less days before arrival; 50% refund 7-14 days before arrival; 75% refund 15-28 days before arrival.