VISION LAB

A space for inquiry at the intersection of art, spirituality, and thought.

Vision Lab is not a lecture series, a conference, or a platform. It is something harder to name and, we think, rarer: a sustained space where global artistic practice, spiritual life, and scholarship are brought into genuine relation, and where the conditions are created for work that actually matters to take form in the world. What began through conversations at Harvard Divinity School has grown into an international collective of more than 100 artists, researchers, scholars, and contemplative practitioners, united less by discipline or institution than by a shared orientation toward depth, experimentation, and the kind of attention that takes time.

What this looks like in practice: an artist-scholar from the Philippines developing healing performances in response to ecological precarity and historical trauma; a researcher in Southern Europe working with local communities around one of the continent's last free-flowing rivers; others developing projects around care ecologies, more-than-human belonging, sacred art practices, and artistic responses to climate grief. These efforts do not develop in isolation. They take shape in relation to one another, sustained by honest feedback, continuity, and the presence of a community that keeps returning. For many participants, that sustained presence is not supplementary to the work. It is what makes the work possible.

We are living in a moment of profound cultural fragmentation, when the inherited forms for thinking, making, and practicing together are no longer adequate to what we are facing. Artists, scholars, and contemplatives are often doing the most necessary work of reimagining those forms — and doing it alone, without the conditions that allow the work to deepen and connect. Vision Lab is an attempt to change that: to create, carefully and experimentally, a space in which that work can flourish, and from which something genuinely new might emerge.

What Vision Lab is

Vision Lab is an experimental laboratory for the future of the human spirit.

It brings artists, scholars, and contemplative practitioners into ongoing relation to cultivate a field in which transformative work can unfold. The aim is not simply to present finished ideas, but to open process—to think from within practice, and to remain with questions as they take form.

What happens inside a session

We begin with a brief meditative arrival.

Each session is structured around two carefully curated presentations by leading artists, contemplative practitioners, and scholars, often held in deliberate contrast—different disciplines, methods, or ways of knowing brought into relation. From there, a sustained, facilitated conversation unfolds---a shared vocabulary, a set of live questions, a deeper capacity for attention.

What you receive

Two 90-minute sessions each month
Two curated, juxtaposed presentations by leading artists, contemplative practitioners, and academics per session
Meditative opening and facilitated discussion
Access to recordings
One open conversation hour
Thoughtful reflections, questions, creative prompts, and suggested readings
Small constellation groups for more sustained exchange
A growing international network of artists, scholars, and contemplatives

This is a space to develop work and thought in relation, over time.

Who this is for

Vision Lab may resonate if you:

Have been part of Vision Lab or Harvard Divinity School’s PES Program or related conversations and are seeking continuity and collaboration
Work across artistic, scholarly, or contemplative domains
Are interested in questions that resist immediate resolution
Are looking for a space that allows both rigor and openness
Feel the need for a slower, more sustained mode of inquiry

If this feels aligned, you are very welcome to join.

“It feels like a continuation of conversations I didn’t want to end—only now with more depth and time and support for my actual work to become realized and have impact in the world.”

“There’s a rare balance here: intellectual seriousness without performance, openness without loss of rigor.”

“I find myself thinking differently after each session—not because answers are given, but because the questions become sharper. There’s also joy and a sense of hope and awakening possibility in this community. I’ve met artists from all over the world and everyone makes me feel welcome.”

Current Cycle

The May Vision Lab salon cycle begins:
Sunday, May 17, 2026 — 5:00 pm EST
Sunday, May 31, 2026 — 5:00 pm EST

Participation is intentionally limited (~35 participants) to preserve depth and dialogue.

Membership

Vision Lab is a member-supported space. We’ve shaped a simple membership structure to support the continuation of this work.

$75 / month — Sustaining
Most members join at the Sustaining level ($75/month), which helps make the space possible—supporting presenter honoraria, holding the gatherings, and sustaining the underlying infrastructure and behind-the-scenes care that allow Vision Lab to exist. This level also directly funds scholarships, extending participation to those who could not otherwise join.

$45 / month — Community
For those who need a lower cost option. Full access to all Vision Lab offerings.

$120 / month — Supporting
For those who want to help stabilize something genuinely rare — an independent, experimental community shaped not by institutional funding, but by the people who believe in what it is becoming.

A small number of no-questions-asked sliding scale and full scholarships are always available. Please write to kytheheller@visionlabcollective.com

Vision Lab Compensation Policy (Pilot Phase)

During its pilot phase, Vision Lab’s salons and core programming will feature presenters drawn entirely from within the Vision Lab community. Honoraria during this period are therefore structured as internal, co-creative compensation, combining modest cash payments ($100) with membership benefits that support continuity, reciprocity, and shared investment in the Lab’s growth. While Vision Lab is currently operating as an independent, experimental initiative, we hold that curated artistic, scholarly, and contemplative labor deserves real compensation, even at an early stage. Honoraria are scaled to the format, preparation involved, and current financial capacity of the Lab, and are offered with transparency about pilot-phase economics. Vision Lab does not rely on unpaid labor for core programming and is committed to increasing compensation and expanding presenter eligibility beyond the community as resources grow, while maintaining dignity, care, and sustainability at the center of our practices.

Contact information
Vision Lab
www.visionlabcollective.com
kytheheller@visionlabcollective.com