Oaxaca Art + Travel Journaling Retreat Jan 2027

The Magic of the Present Moment: Oaxaca Art and Travel Journaling Retreat

DATES: January 8-17, 2027

with instructor Diana Mahar + Corrie McCluskey, retreat organizer
Oaxaca, Mexico

ART + CULTURE ADVENTURE IN THE HEART OF OAXACA

This 8-day retreat experience will introduce you to a playful, flexible way of creating your own personal art travel journal as we explore the beautiful, culturally rich city of Oaxaca and nearby towns. You’ll have time in-studio to create and curate your own collage papers, bind your own art journal, and build a portable art journaling kit that you will use as we travel around Oaxaca visiting artisan studios, historical sites and beautiful locations where we will art journal together.

What you’ll experience

Our workshops are different. Do you love art and active travel but want more than just visiting museums and galleries? We combine art instruction with carefully curated private field trips where we meet master artists and artisans in their studios, sit with them to hear their stories, get to know their process and cultural traditions, and then bring this inspiration back to the studio and into our art journals. This is an active retreat for flexible, easygoing travelers. It is suitable for those who can walk easily on uneven terrain at an elevation (Oaxaca is at 5,100 feet) for several miles, as we will be out and about exploring much of the time.

Our focus is simple: We practice staying in the present moment to nurture ourselves. This way we can slow down during our travels, breathe, and notice the colors, textures and stories around us. We can then bring this state of mind into our journal, enjoying moments of flow while letting go of perfection. Our art journal pages will then become a living time capsule of our journey and a source of inspiration long after our feet land back home.

An artist retreat designed for the rest of us. Whether you are brand new to an artistic practice or have been making art your whole life, we’ve got something for you. With gentle guidance and simple techniques, you’ll use intuitive mark-making, simple collage processes along with meaningful words and images to build vibrant, layered pages in your journal that tell the story of your experience.

This process doesn’t require realistic drawing or painting skills – if you can operate a glue stick and smear paint randomly on a page, you’ll do great! Over time, you’ll begin to recognize the colors, textures and styles that feel like “you”, building confidence through exploration and noticing, not through rigid rules. This retreat offers a place to learn new techniques, practice in a judgment-free environment, and be inspired by one another in a sunlit art studio and around the gorgeous city of Oaxaca.

Nurture your creative soul: Oaxaca is a UNESCO World Heritage city in Southwest Mexico. It has a living tradition of Zapotec and Mixtec culture with colonial architecture, vibrant colors, incredible food, arts and culture. Many tourists visiting Oaxaca only scratch the surface. This immersive experience will bring you closer to the heart and soul of this beautiful place – to get to know the people, their history and traditions. If you have yearned to develop an art practice that feeds your soul, but have felt limited by your skills or the blank page, this workshop is for you! You’ll leave with tons of inspiration, journals of your own and a practice that you can continue forever.

Cultural immersion: This retreat is as much about experiencing Oaxaca as it is about making art. You’ll have time to explore local markets, taste traditional foods, visit artisan studios, and absorb the rhythms of daily life. Optional individual excursions on the day off may include participating in a cooking class, visiting archaeological sites, and shopping at artisan markets.

Our field trips include: a studio visit to a master weaver family, the Sunday market in Tlacolula, largest of the traditional Zapotec ‘tianguis’ markets, a women’s red clay collective, a renowned papermaker, and a famous art center housed in a renovated textile factory – all mixed in with art instruction and creative play time. We’ll also go on a graphic arts and printmaking gallery/studio walk to visit important independent art spaces.

In this art + culture retreat, you will:

• Become familiar with different styles of travel art journaling
• Learn simple techniques to create unique mixed media collage paper
• Discover easy ways to source papers and ephemera to use in the travel art journal
• Learn techniques for simple bookbinding to create two different handmade journals
• Develop a personal travel art journaling kit you can take anywhere
• Meet Oaxacan artisans in their workspaces and learn more about the creative and artistic culture of Oaxaca
• Experience working in your travel art journal in picturesque locations in Oaxaca
• Be inspired by your surroundings and fellow participants to embark on your creative journey in Oaxaca

Retreat details:

• 7-day art + culture workshop in the heart of Oaxaca, Mexico (+1 day off to explore on your own)
• Group field trips with private van
• Maximum 10 participants
• 10 nights at a charming hotel built in the 16th century, in the heart of the city center
• hotel rooms have private bathrooms, wifi, fans, restaurant next door, courtyard to enjoy breakfast or sip morning coffee
• hotel is 1 block from the Zócalo (town square), everything within walking distance
• art material list provided (you bring your own art supplies)
• list provided of restaurants, museums & galleries, optional tours that you can book for your day off, cool places to visit on your own

Preliminary itinerary (subject to change as needed):

• Day One: arrive in Oaxaca, check into hotel
• Day Two: all day art class, lunch at studio, group welcome dinner
• Day Three: AM field trip to Sunday Zapotec market; PM studio visit of weavers
• Day Four: all day art class, lunch at studio
• Day Five: AM field trip to papermaking studio + gorgeous art center, PM art class
• Day Six: day off to explore on your own
• Day Seven: AM museum visit + street art tour, journaling time @ lunch, PM graphic arts + printmaking studio tour
• Day Eight: AM art class, trip to Tule (ancient tree), journaling time @ lunch, studio visit with women’s red clay collective
• Day Nine: AM free time, journaling time @ lunch, PM work on site in Oaxaca centro
• Day Ten: all day art class + art show, lunch at studio, group farewell dinner
• Day Eleven: depart Oaxaca

The instructors:

Diana Mahar is a mixed media artist and maker of handmade books. For Diana, art journaling is a low-stakes, expressive outlet to play and experiment with all kinds of art materials, with the goal of finding flow and joy in the present moment. After decades of intense work as a physician in primary care, she discovered art journaling as an accessible tool for well-being. She believes this creative practice can benefit anyone, at any stage of life, regardless of talent, skill or experience. She first traveled to Oaxaca in 1998 and has returned again and again over the decades. It remains one of her favorite places on Earth.

Corrie McCluskey (workshop coordinator, field trip leader, and Talismán Oaxaca studio co-owner) is a visual artist originally from Northern California who was a b&w photographer for two decades. She transitioned into visual journaling, mail art, collage, bookbinding and making artist books. She now focuses on mixed media on paper: collage, encaustic monotypes, abstract painting with natural pigments & India ink, graphite, cold wax with oil pigment sticks. Visual journaling is a part of her art expression: it’s all about process and discovery – a container for ideas and play with ephemera. She is a “Guidess” for people who feel unqualified or too intimidated to express their creativity because they think they can’t do art. For 20 years, she was a workshop and event coordinator, and she loves to bring small groups of people together and facilitate an amazing workshop experience.

Workshop location & lodging:

Our hotel in Oaxaca: Hotel Parador San Agustín
We have a block of 10 rooms reserved at Hotel Parador San Agustín, a 16th century building with a traditional courtyard and terrace (each room has either 2 double beds or 1 king bed, and private bathroom). Rooms are charming yet basic, clean and secure, and the hotel is centrally located one block from the zocalo square in the city’s historic center and within walking distance of the huge indoor market, banks/ATMs, museums, galleries, shops, restaurants and cafes. Amenities: all rooms have private bathroom with free toiletries & hair dryer, TV, & free wifi; airport shuttle is available (w/ surcharge), breakfast is available at next door restaurant, computer station, upstairs floors accessible by stairs only, all rooms have fans only (no A/C).

Our art class location in Oaxaca: A private van will pick up the group from our hotel to bring you to the “industrial rustic” Talismán Oaxaca art studio, a unique bilingual art space located in a cornfield in Santa Cruz Amilpas, just 15 minutes from city center. You’ll have space to spread out, make a mess, play with materials, and just let loose with your creativity! And you’ll get to see and experience what small town life is like in the Valley of Oaxaca. The art space’s host will facilitate the field trips, transportation, and translation during the retreat – Corrie McCluskey is the workshop coordinator.

Our hotel in the historic centro of Oaxaca

Talismán Oaxaca studio

Schedule:
arrival: in Oaxaca, Friday, January 8
art classes + field trips: 8 days
day off: (no class or scheduled field trips) Wednesday, January 13
departure: Sunday, January 17
airport: Oaxaca Xoxocotlan International airport (OAX)

Trip fee, deadline & cancellation:
$3100 for workshop participants – deadline to register 9/1/26

• 50% deposit with registration guarantees your space – register early before the workshop sells out.
• Deadline to register & pay deposit is 9/1/26. (Deposits, reservations, and arrangements are made well in advance of the trip, so we need to receive your registration + deposit on time.)
• Balance is due by 11/1/26, or you can pay in full upon registration (deposit + trip fee).
• If there are not enough registrations to run the workshop, your deposit/full payment will be 100% refunded.
• Deadline to register in class is 9/1/26; no deposit or trip fee refund will be given after 9/1/26. No exceptions.
• If you must cancel, contact Corrie, the workshop coordinator, immediately (corrie[at]talismanoaxaca.com). You can transfer your deposit & trip fee to another person, at no charge. If there is a wait list, we will give you the first name on the list to whom you can offer your spot. Otherwise, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances. We encourage you to purchase trip insurance with “Cancel for Any Reason” when you register to cover you for unexpected circumstances.

Registration + payment online:
To register and pay online, click below. Your payment will be processed through Stripe.

Price includes:

• hotel room in our group’s room block (rooms have either 2 double beds or 1 king bed, and private bathroom)
• private van transportation (for field trips & group dinners)
• lunch provided for the 3 days we stay in the art studio (days with no field trips)
• field trips to Sunday Zapotec market, ancient tree in Tule; studio visits with master weaving family, papermaker & red clay women’s collective

Not included in price:

• airfare or transportation to/from Oaxaca airport
• all other food & drinks (except for 3 lunches mentioned above)
• art materials (you must bring your own – see materials list)
• personal purchases
• required trip insurance

Required travel insurance: Why you need it: Oaxaca doesn’t have a robust healthcare system like you’re used to, so if you have a serious fall (sidewalks can be treacherous here), get sick, or the taxi you’re in has an accident, it could be very pricey to get you home for treatment. Therefore, we’re requiring everyone to purchase travel insurance for this trip (include medical evacuation of at least $50,000, international accident & health insurance including primary medical coverage, and trip cancellation coverage). There are also trip policies that include COVID cancellations. We recommend that you get PRIMARY medical coverage, not secondary. Proof of insurance must be sent to us at least 45 days before departure. We encourage you to purchase trip insurance immediately upon registering, with “Cancel for Any Reason” to cover you for unexpected circumstances – buy trip insurance WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR TRIP if you wish to have this extra coverage.
suggested provider: Squaremouth – https://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance-quotes More COVID policy info: https://www.squaremouth.com/press-room/travel-insurance-coronavirus
best choices on Squaremouth: – HTH Worldwide, TripProtector Preferred, includes COVID cancellation – Trawick Intl, Safe Travels Voyager, includes COVID cancellation – TinLeg Gold, includes COVID cancellation
another provider: https://www.insuremytrip.com

COVID-19 protocol: We no longer require proof of vaccination, although we highly recommend having the most current booster before traveling to Oaxaca (it still exists here); there is no advanced treatment or special medications available here. If you become ill with Covid during the workshop, we expect you to immediately separate yourself from our group, isolate, and make arrangements to return home.

Health & walking, dietary restrictions: Oaxaca is high altitude, at 5100 feet – some people need a few days to acclimate if they are coming from sea level. Can you walk 6,000+ steps a day easily at 5100 ft? If not, you will be unhappy on this trip, and we only accept travelers who are in good health and can walk uneven cobblestone streets (narrow, with high curbs) and don’t have mobility or breathing issues. We will be journaling at various locations in the city center, so you must be able to get around unassisted – bring your walking shoes! Also, dietary restrictions could be tricky, although there are restaurants that have gluten free and vegan options. Corn is a key ingredient of Oaxacan cuisine & culture, and meat will be consumed at most restaurants we visit (there are a few vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the city center). Travelers will need to make personal accommodations and adjustments to meet group needs and schedule.

Oaxaca weather: January is sunny, dry and mild, averaging 80°F (26.6°C) during the day, and 46°F (8°C) at night. It is generally mild & pleasant, with low chance of rain. We recommend bringing a light jacket for the evenings. Our hotel and the class art studio have fans in all the rooms, but no A/C.

Valid passport: Also, be certain that your passport has at least six months on it before it expires from the date you enter Mexico – if not, you may not be allowed entry into the country by your airline.

Flights & getting to/from the airport: airport: arrival in Oaxaca Xoxocotlán Intl airport (OAX) on Friday, 1/8/27 Oaxaca City (OAX) is a 45-minute flight from Mexico City (MEX), with many available connecting flights on AeroMexico, United, American, and other carriers. To bypass Mexico City airport: in the US, American has a direct flight from Dallas to Oaxaca, and United has a direct flight from Houston to Oaxaca. NOTE: if you fly thru Mexico City, book flights that allow at least a 3-hr layover going TO Oaxaca (the line for passport control can be long and you’ll miss your flight), and 1-hr layover coming FROM Oaxaca. How to arrive info: about a month prior to the workshop, we will send you detailed instructions about how to get from the airport to our hotel, what to bring, how to get cash from ATMs, etc.

\Materials & suggestions:

• We don’t supply materials for participants, please bring your own.
• materials list here

If you have questions: For questions regarding workshop logistics, lodging or transportation, contact the workshop coordinator: Corrie McCluskey at studio[at]talismanoaxaca.com

ART CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & RETREATS FOR THE SOUL IN OAXACA, MEXICO TALISMAN OAXACA: A PLACE TO SEE ART, MAKE ART, EXPLORE YOUR CREATIVE SELF