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The Art of Holding Space: Exploring the Co-Creative Potential of the In-Between
Abstract
Our relationship lives in the space between us. It doesn’t live in me or in you or even in the dialogue between the two of us. It lives in the space we live together and that space is sacred space. —Martin Buber
More than ever, the world needs spaces where people cultivate trust to connect across differences, to listen for what’s at the “heart of the matter” in the group, and to attune to a mutual, caring field.
In this mini symposium, I will invite dialog on holding space in academic and non-academic settings. Together, we will consider:
· What does holding space mean in our communities of practice? · How can holding space support bridge-building, self-organizing, and co-creative capacities? · What’s your special sauce in holding space?
My interest in holding space is grounded in my transdisciplinary framework for designing collaborative learning experiences as living systems, as well as in my praxis of nurturing affective intelligence in groups.
The importance of tending to space has been theorized in the transformative learning and adult learning literature, in the healing and therapeutic arts, in ritual design, as well as in systemic group facilitation practices (such as approaches developed by the International Bateson Institute, Center for Systems Awareness, the Art of Hosting, and Universidade Biocêntrica).
In our discussion, I will introduce several space-holding qualities I have identified. I will then offer examples from my teaching practice, including a module in an asynchronous community college course, called the We-Ro’s Journey (elevating the hero’s journey to a collective We).
As part of our shared exploration, I will invite some co-creative experiential group processes, as well.
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Short Bio
Barbara Widhalm is an adult educator committed to teaching students with multiple barriers to learning and to facilitating cohort-based adult education graduate programs.
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, she serves as faculty at Peralta Community College District in Oakland, CA (Humanities, Critical Thinking, Learning Resources) and at St. Mary’s College of California (Bachelors Completion Program in Leadership Studies, Master of Leadership Studies).
Her teaching philosophy blends transformative learning theory, ecological design, living systems awareness, and affective intelligence. Her research focuses on designing collaborative learning communities that foster collective wisdom in hybrid, face-to-face, and online formats. In her dissertation research, she developed a framework for designing learning experiences as self-organizing living systems, inspired by the principles of living systems as articulated by Fritjof Capra. Her Journal of Sustainability Education article “Educators as Architects of Living Systems” has been cited widely, including in the Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Barbara current research interest focuses on the art of holding space and fostering affective intelligence in learning communities (see ISSS Proceedings 2025).
She holds a doctorate in Transformative Learning, a Masters in Community and Regional Planning and pursued undergraduate studies in languages, ecology, and environmental economics in Austria and Russia. Barbara has benefited from multiple systemic facilitation styles, including the practice of Freirean culture circles and the affective intelligence approach as articulated by the Universidade Biocêntrica in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Originally from Vienna, Austria, she also operates a small Austrian community bakery and enjoys hosting collaborative dialog cafés.