Care and Creativity in the Twelfth Century: Hildegard of Bingen

Explores the creative output of one of the most exceptional figures in European history: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), abbess, composer, poet, mystic, healer. Hildegard's staggeringly original corpus of works across media was uniquely directed toward the cultivation and care of her fellow creatures. A millennium out, when society's failure to care has proven catastrophic, Hildegard's vision of cosmic connectedness provides a historical counter-case. Class activities move between medieval and modern, historical and hands-on, using workshops in medieval medicinal gardening, cooking, and singing as springboards to Hildegard's complex works.