About
At the heart of Heidi's practice is the belief that beauty is not merely something we encounter—it is something that transforms us. Through art, making, travel, and contemplative practices, she seeks to help others strengthen and deepen their relationships with themselves, one another, and the Divine, creating experiences that awaken wonder, foster belonging, and invite lasting transformation.
Meet Heidi Marsh Stayboldt
"Art has the ability to slow us down, awaken wonder, and remind us of our shared humanity. My hope is that every piece I create and every experience I design becomes an invitation to reconnect—with ourselves, one another, and the Divine."
Artist Bio
Heidi Marsh Stayboldt is a multidisciplinary artist, speaker, and founder of Sanctuary and Table whose work explores the intersection of art, wonder, spirituality, neuroscience, and human connection. Through abstract painting, immersive installation, performance, photography, pilgrimage, and participatory experiences, she creates spaces where beauty becomes a catalyst for reflection, belonging, and transformation.
With more than twenty-five years of experience as a nonprofit executive and community builder, Heidi brings together the worlds of art, theology, hospitality, and organizational leadership in ways that invite people to slow down, reconnect, and imagine new possibilities. Her work is rooted in the belief that art is not merely something we observe—it is something we inhabit, allowing us to experience ourselves, one another, and the world more deeply.
Influenced by contemplative traditions, theological aesthetics, neuroaesthetics, and traditional European craftsmanship studied in Italy, Heidi works across plaster, natural materials, found objects, photography, ritual, and collaborative making. Whether creating a textured abstract painting, designing an immersive installation, leading a pilgrimage, or facilitating a communal art experience, her practice centers on the transformative power of wonder, beauty, and shared experience.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and includes juried exhibitions, artist residencies, public installations, lectures, workshops, and participatory performances exploring themes of memory, belonging, resilience, justice, and embodied spirituality. She holds a Master of Arts in Theology, Culture and Art from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.
Artist Statement
I don't believe art exists simply to decorate walls.
I believe it has the capacity to interrupt us.
To slow our pace.
To awaken wonder.
To invite us back into relationship—with ourselves, one another, and the sacred that quietly surrounds us.
My practice explores these moments of interruption through abstract painting, immersive installation, participatory performance, photography, pilgrimage, and communal experiences. Rather than separating art from everyday life, I am interested in dissolving that boundary, creating work that invites participation rather than observation.
Texture has become one of my primary languages. Layers of plaster, mineral pigments, weathered surfaces, and reclaimed materials carry histories much like our own bodies do—revealing that beauty often emerges through erosion, repair, vulnerability, and time.
My work is deeply informed by theology, contemplative practice, and the growing field of neuroaesthetics, which explores how aesthetic experiences influence the brain, emotions, and our capacity for connection. I am fascinated by the ways beauty can quiet the nervous system, expand our attention, increase empathy, and create space for transformation. Art becomes more than expression; it becomes a way of remembering who we are.
Whether I am creating a gallery installation, facilitating a communal art experience, leading a pilgrimage, or designing a table where strangers become friends, I return to the same question:
How might beauty help us become more fully alive?
That question continues to shape every canvas, every gathering, every journey, and every act of making.
Selected CV
Education
Master of Arts, Theology, Culture & Art
The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology (2025)
Spiritual Literacy Facilitator Certification
Spirituality & Practice (2024)
Certificate in Spiritual Literacy
Spirituality & Practice (2023)
Certified Old World Finishing
Amy Howard at Home Finishing School (2018)
Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration
University of Washington (1998)
Selected Exhibitions
2026 — Waterways, Schack Art Center, Everett, WA
2026 — The Body Language, Canvas International Art Fair, Venice, Italy
2025 — We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing, Center on Contemporary Art (COCA), Seattle, WA
2025 — Wings of Wonderlust, Experiential Installation, Seattle, WA
2025 — Liminal Spaces, Seattle, WA
2023 — Fresh Paint Festival, Schack Art Center
2023 — Art by Design
2021 — Bellevue Arts Fair
Artist Residencies
Le Menagerie, Snohomish, WA (2024–2025)
Grunewald Guild, Plain, WA (2025)
Amy Howard at Home, Memphis, TN (2020)
Teaching & Speaking
Wild Goose Festival
Everett School District (Neuroaesthetics)
Furniture Repair Bank (Resident Teaching Artist)
Bethany Church
Haven Conference
Christian Alliance for Orphans
Amy Howard at Home
Awards
Best Booth — Fresh Paint Festival (2023)
Best Display Window — Snohomish Downtown Association (2025)
Download Full Curriculum Vitae
