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Memorials

Memorials to Our Dear Departed Friends and Colleagues from EGS

In Memoriam of Herbert Eberhart (7. 12. 1933 – 12. 12. 2023)

Co-founder of EGIS European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies, the former funding body
of the European Graduate School EGS


I love the ‘flow of the creative’.
I love to let myself be carried by this flow.
I love the full presence which it requires and takes you into ‘a timeless and spaceless
realm of being’.
I love the interaction between people who surrender to this flow.

—Herbert Eberhart in Rückspiegel (2019), translation by MFK


Herbert was a great collaborator and contributed so much to our field. Also a fine person
full of “appreciative curiosity.”

—Ellen Levine

Dr. Herbert Eberhart: The Rock-Solid Grounding Guide

Ten years ago—

EGS celebrated Dr. Herbert Eberhart's 80th birthday. He was the first Chairman of the Founding
Organization EGIS 1990 and stayed in the Board of Trustees for 32 years until his retirement.
Herbert has been teaching for the Division Arts, Health and Society AHS since the inception of
its Summer Schools. He was a clinical psychologist, supervisor, coach BSO, consultant, author
of numerous textbooks and expert of the solution – and resource -oriented approach.

EGS founding Rector Paolo Knill honored Herbert with a Laudatio (from the Latin for commendation
or praise) entitled: Dr. Herbert Eberhart: The Rock Solid Grounding Guide, writing:

"We could list endlessly his achievements, from being a child psychologist to become a
Professor at a College of Social Work, from building houses to building organizations,
from leading projects to leading and consulting colleges--- and we still would miss the
essential exquisite attributes he incorporates.


He is a master of building foundations that hold and are well anchored on solid grounds.


He is also an exceptional master in challenging our convictions while trusting our
resources to reveal him or herself. He believes firmly in the power of imagination and
loves to be involved in the arts. One can learn from him to ask the quite right questions
that rise our curiosity more than the need for a simple answer.”

Dr. Herbert Eberhart was all the time and still is an exemplary practitioner and educator. He was
instrumental in defining with Paolo Knill the expressive arts methodology of ”intermodal

decentering" at EGS. Many participative and collaborative learning structures, that are practiced

now world wide, in our Network, were developed by Herbert. At the same time he is the one who

takes visions very seriously while being clear and pointed about the understanding of the real.

I would say he understands the principle of artistic shaping, the dialogue with what is shaped,

perfectly well. He is a Master of shaping relationships between people and organizations.

He is the one who said “It is not only about shaping it is also about nourishing the soul,

that’s what Art is.

Let’s remember one of his Masterpieces; how he gave the last touches to the Campus Building
Project Steinmatte so it could be realized as the honoring bronze plaque at the entrance of the
plenum hall, for his 70th birthday, recognizes.”

The last time we spoke: With death, this notion suddenly hits us.

Dear Herbert—
In retrospective, the conversation we had in spring 2022 turned into our last one.


I told you that the textbook Lösungskunst you co-authored together with Paolo Knill will be
translated to English (Solution Art). "Ah, good", you said. However you had, it seemed to me,
more important things going on in your life. You were in love again after some years of being a
widower. With excitement in your voice, you told me about your engagement party and your
plan to remarry soon. This is Herbert, I thought, always turning, as sunflowers do, towards the
sunny side of life.


You lived fully. Curiosity was your guiding star. You gave us more than tools, you were a role
model in living the theory you co-created, always looking for options, for the 'what else', and for
the enrichment, the 'there is more to it', asking 'how should I imagine this'.


Now, it is up to us to ask the questions - how do we keep going with an attitude of curiosity,
taking risks and challenging our categorizing and judgmental minds?


Thank you, dear Herbert, for showing us how different views can enrich each other and lead to a
third - the Lösungskunst, a riddle you and Paolo opened up for further research. I take it to guide
my own research now.


You and Paolo gave me the inner drive to stay with the concept of Intermodal Decentering
(registered as Intermodal Decentering IDEC®), always keeping friendship and the arts at the
center.

May you rest in peace.


December 30, 2023


EGS, Division Arts, Health and Society AHS


Margo Fuchs Knill, Founding Dean AHS and Core Faculty Member

References:

Andreas Bürgi und Herbert Eberhart (2019). IM RÜCKSPIEGEL. Erfahrungen zweier
Psychologen zum Welt-, Zeit-, und Selbsterleben. Münsterverlag


Paolo Knill / Herbert Eberhart (2023). SOLUTION ART. A textbook of art and resourceoriented
work. Jessica Kingsley


Herbert Eberhart / Paolo Knill ( 2014). LÖSUNGSKUNST. Lehrbuch der kunst- und
ressourcenorientierten Arbeit. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht


Herbert Eberhart (author) and Sally Atkins (contributor) (2014). PRESENCE AND
PROCESS IN EXPRESSIVE ARTS WORK: At the Edge of Wonder. Jessica Kingsley
Publishers

We asked EGS colleagues who knew Brigitte Wanzenried, Jack Weller, Yaacov Naor and Steen Lykke, to send stories and memories that would keep them all alive in our hearts. Thanks to all who contributed. These memories remind us of the diverse and vital international community which we have formed at EGS over the years. Let us continue in this important work of bringing the arts and creativity to the world.

Steve Levine and Margo Knill

  • Cooperating Universities
    CANADA Langara College Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z6 Canada Website GERMANY Akademie der Bildenden Künste München Aufbaustudium Bildnerisches Gestalten und Therapie 80799 München Tel. +49 89 5464 34 56 Email Website MSH Medical School Hamburg Fachhochschule für Gesundheit und Medizin 20457 Hamburg Tel. +49 40 3612 26 40 Website PORTUGAL: Universidade de Évora Departamento de Psicologia Prof. Dr. Graça Duarte Santos 7002-554 Évora Tel. +351 266 740 800 Email Website Lesley University Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138 Tel. + 1 617 868 9600 Website
  • EGS List of Course Providing Partner Institutes
    EGS can acknowledge credits from Universities, Colleges and Cooperating Institutes under the terms of the Bologna Educational Treaty. The following courses can be taken between Summer sessions at Cooperating Institutes: AUSTRIA MAC COLLEGE - Multimodale Kunsttherapie Wien - Linz - Salzburg Alexander Eggenhofer 3532 Rastenfeld Tel. +43 676 511 90 97 Website CANADA The CREATE Institute Centre for Expressive Arts Therapy Education Toronto, Ontario, M6G 4A7 Tel. +1 416 539 9728 Website Vancouver School of Healing Arts 300-342 Water St V6B-1B6, Cancouver, BC Website COSTA RICA Asociacion Artistica-ASART Sylvia E. Ketelhohn Gron Escazu, Guachipelin Calle La Ceiba Los Balcones, #1 1126-1250, San Jose, Costa Rica Website DENMARK Danish institute for expressive Arts , Spirituality and Coaching Art Lyngvej 6B 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark Website Nordic School of Arts and Health Nordre Frihavnsgade 17D 2100 Kopenhagen Denmark Website FINLAND Institute INARTES 00980 Helsinki Tel. +358 40 770 42 99 Website GERMANY Step ahead Expressive Arts Institute Berlin Barbara Hielscher-Witte 10715 Berlin Tel. +49 30 7870 5693 Website HONG KONG Kunst EXA Academy 322, Strand 50 50 Bonham Strand Sheung Wan 852-97332729 Website TAMALPA GERMANY Dreikönigstrasse 58 79102 Freiburg Website KOREA Expressive Arts Institute Poiesis 05118, the fourth floor,9 Gwangnaru-ro 54-gil, Gwangjin-gu Seoul Website INDIA Swahansa Expressive Arts India Gopika Dahanukar (Founder & Director) Mumbai & Auroville Tel. +91 9323595228 Website IRELAND Expressive Arts Ireland 13 Glendine Court, Kilkenny Tel. +353 86 1910302 Website PERU TAE PERU Lima Tel. +511 2414452 Website PHILIPPINES THE ARTS AND HEALTH INSTITUTE PHILIPPINES (TAHI) Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila Website SPAIN Instituto de Arteterapia Transdisciplinaria de Barcelona - IATBA 08506 Barcelona Tel. +511 2414452 Website TAE BARCELONA Sant Cugat, Barcelona Tel. +34 610 94 24 97 Website Art 21 Studio 07840 Santa Eulalia del Rio Ibiza Baleares Website SWITZERLAND InArtes Josefstrasse 53, 8005 Zürich Website L’ATELIER - Institut de formation en art-thérapie expressive 24 avenue du Mail 1205 GENEVA Website TURKEY Expressive Arts Institute Istanbul Fulya Kurter Musnitsky ( Founder) Website USA Expressive Arts Institute of Oregon Portland Oregon Phone: +1 971 235 6890 Website Expressive Arts Florida Institute Sarasota, FL 34236 Phone: +1 941 366 9595 Website Expressive Arts Institute San Diego San Diego, CA 92106 Tel. +1 619 239 1713 Website Tamalpa Institute San Rafael, CA 94101 Tel. +1 415 457 8555 Website
  • Core-Members of the International Network of EXA Centers
    AUSTRIA MAC COLLEGE - Multimodale Kunsttherapie Wien - Linz - Salzburg Alexander Eggenhofer 3532 Rastenfeld Tel. +43 676 511 90 97 Website CANADA International School for Interdisciplinary Studies Canada Toronto, Ontario, M6G 1CO Tel. +1 416 539 97 28 Website Vancouver School of Expressive Arts Therapy Heather Dawson Tel. +1 604 732 3636 Website DENMARK Danish Institute for Expressive Arts, Spirituality and Coaching Steen Lykke 2300 Kopenhagen Tel. +45 20 432115 Website FINLAND Institute INARTES 00980 Helsinki Tel. +358 40 770 42 99 Website GERMANY Step ahead Institut für Expressive Arts Berlin Barbara Hielscher-Witte 10823 Berlin Tel. +49 30 78705693 Website NORWAY Norsk Institutt for Kunst- & Uttrykksterapi Norwegian Institute for Expressive Arts and Communication 0175 Oslo Tel. +47 22 20 11 30 Website PERU TAE PERU Lima Tel. +511 2414452 Website SPAIN IATPA 08002 Barcelona Tel. +34 69 613 64 28 Website SWEDEN Expressive Arts Stockholm 116 28 Stockholm Tel. +46 8 640 74 47 Website SWITZERLAND Stiftung EGIS 8006 Zürich Tel. +41 44 382 33 09 Website L'ATELIER 1205 Genève Tel. +41 22 320 39 93 Website USA Expressive Arts Institute San Diego San Diego, CA 92106 Tel. +1 619 239 17 13 Website Tamalpa Institute San Rafael, CA 94101 Tel. +1 415 457 8555 Website
  • Members of the International Network of EXA Centers
    GERMANY Langen Institut 40547 Düsseldorf Tel. +49 211 52 02 45 54 Website Institut für Kunst und Therapie München 81476 München Tel. +49 89 72 01 62 36 Website ISRAEL International School for Interdisciplinary Studies ISRAEL Tel Aviv Tel. +972 3 6996369 or +972 3 6996343 Website USA New York Expressive Arts Feura Bush, NY 12067 Tel. +1 518 768 270 Website
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