TEMPLE OF SAPIR
DESERT CAMPUS for ARTS, CULTURE, & SPIRITUALITY


INSTAGRAM

TEMPLE OF SAPIR is a desert campus designed by Sapir Collective founders, Audra Shapiro Nash and Sadie Shapiro Nash.

Our vision is to build a comprehensive and multi-faceted campus that includes facilities for artists, education, spiritual ceremony, and communal gathering.

We envision Temple of Sapir as a vibrant community, grounded in our own programming, yet open to the contributions of others. While our core offerings are rooted in the arts and earth-based Jewish ritual, we welcome outside proposals from aligned individuals or organizations. Whether as a host site for a creative workshop, a philosophical gathering, or a healing retreat, we aim to provide space and tools for people to co-create transformative experiences.

By fostering a culture of collaboration and exchange, we cultivate unity and shared purpose. Together, we can shape a future where creativity, well-being, and deep personal growth fuel collective healing.

Guiding Values
Slowness, presence, and curiosity
Art and spirit as interwoven forces
Stewardship of land and wildlife
Ancestral reverence and cultural specificity without exclusion
Community over hierarchy
Accessibility and diversity
Who It's For
Creative Souls & Seekers

For creative, sensitive, curious people hoping to learn in untraditional environments

Artists & Makers

For artists and makers who long for a space where they can be their full selves and explore their practice without pressure to perform or produce

Teachers & Healers

For those who have gifts they want to share, either in classes, workshops, or ceremonies


Temple of Sapir is for anyone seeking a deeper connection to their creative spirit, a sense of community, and space for personal exploration and growth.

Whether you are an artist, healer, seeker, or facilitator, our doors are open. We hope to inspire and attract collaboration from our community by providing a safe, supportive environment and a commitment to welcoming diverse stories and backgrounds.

Why It Matters

More than anything, Sapir Collective, and by extension Temple of Sapir, is meant to be a safe container where people find commonality and connection. We believe this to be a lifelong pursuit, evolving alongside people and culture, with authentic expression at its core. In these turbulent times, when community spaces are becoming increasingly divided, it feels especially dire to create and hold space for respectful and productive expression. Sometimes our container is full of music and dance, and sometimes it's full of grief and pain. Both hold lessons and deserve a platform in order to process and learn. We are heartbroken by the violent past and present of our indigenous Homeland. Because we hold the pain of Israelis and Palestinians alike, Sapir Collective will strive to be the common ground on which everyone can meet and express their lived experience. We believe the path forward, for present and future, is revealed through deep listening, compassion, and the pursuit of tangible solutions.

Spiritual Framework
Earth-Based Jewish Ritual

Rooted in ancient Jewish mysticism, ritual, and cultural practices

Meditative Practice

Includes meditative practice and embodied ritual

Inclusive Community

Welcomes people of all backgrounds called to respectful participation


This campus is rooted in a spiritual lineage that honors ancient earth-based Jewish ritual and indigenous Jewish practices, as carried forward through the Jewish Renewal movement. It is a space for ancestral reconnection and embodied ritual, including meditative practice, medicine ceremonies, and traditional Jewish services.

While the spiritual foundation is distinctly Jewish, our community is not exclusive. We welcome people of all backgrounds who are called to respectful participation and shared presence. The spirit of this work is less about rigid dogma, and more about grounded wisdom, deep listening, and the sacred connection between people, land, and spirit. Temple of Sapir is the loom with which we will weave a powerful tapestry of human experience and empathy.


Artistic Framework
Artist Residency

Dedicated studios will be available for artists with ongoing or new projects

Sustainable Architechture

Ongoing hands-on workshops led by sustainable biotecture experts to create sculptural buildings and spaces

Rotating Gallery

Dedicated gallery space for Resident Artists, workshops, and outdoor sculpture

Artist Workshops

Classrooms for workshops of any kind or skill level


At Temple of Sapir, we will foster exploration and curiosity above results. We welcome those with a clear compass as well as those who wander. To us, the destination and the journey are one and the same. Our goal isn't to reach a particular place, but instead, to allow each stop to fuel the next step.

Temple of Sapir will offer programming for all ages through workshops, gallery shows, and various classes/lectures. We will also offer an Artist Residency program that includes living accommodations and dedicated studio space in one of our sustainable buildings. Our property is within 30 mins driving of major supply stores, ensuring artists have access to anything they don't already have. We are open to any and all arts that we are capable of facilitating. We love both traditional media and creative tech, so no proposal will be excluded from consideration.

Why "Sapir"?

"Sapir" is the Hebrew word for sapphire, a gemstone revered in Jewish mystical tradition. While sapphires are commonly associated with a deep blue hue, they naturally occur in a spectrum of colors, including pink, yellow, green, purple, orange, and clear. This diversity symbolizes the multifaceted nature of wisdom and the myriad paths available to spiritual insight. In Kabbalah, the sapphire represents clarity and divine connection, embodying the deep stillness that holds hidden wisdom. For us, the sapphire represents the container we maintain for our vibrant and varied community.

Where we are now

Temple of Sapir will be built on 10.5 acres in Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, with a clear view of both the mountains, forest, and desert.

The land features a peaceful and inviting high-desert landscape, home to Joshua trees and local wildlife like desert hares, quail, and ravens. The mountain backdrop provides a natural sense of isolation and peace, despite being only 15 minutes from local businesses and an hour and 20 minutes from downtown LA. This accessibility makes it an ideal location for a number of uses, including special events, workshops, and recreation. With its open spaces and natural beauty, this land will serve as the perfect foundation for Temple of Sapir's sustainable buildings and programs.




The Ask
$100,000
Initial Funding (Phase 1)

We are currently seeking $100,000 in initial funding. This will allow us to continue progress with our architect and building partner, Pangea Biotecture. Pangea specializes in alternative and sustainable building practices, combining educational workshops into their process. Funds raised in this phase will go directly to master site-planning, continual architectural design and permitting, off-grid living systems design, and construction prep.

As part of our partnership, we will open our build site to students and community members through hands-on sustainable construction workshops. This approach significantly reduces labor costs while responding to increasing demand for ecological and alternative building education. In light of growing climate challenges and the environmental events created by them, we feel this is an invaluable opportunity for our community.

Our progress is currently being tracked and updated on our Go Fund Me page.


Development Phases
1
Phase 1: Initial Funding & Land Development (Year 1)
  • Engage sustainable and regenerative architect and building partner, Pangea Biotecture, to initiate site planning and design.

We have hired Pangea Biotecture to begin planning! Remaining funding needs for this phase include:

  • Ongoing design fees, site planning, and permitting
  • Establishment of minimal off-grid systems and campground to accommodate build leaders and students (site prep, temporary sleeping and kitchen structures, solar, composting toilets)
  • Construction materials for communal buildings
2
Phase 2: Communal Structures & Programming Launch (Year 2–3)
  • Begin hands-on sustainable and regenerative building workshops - in partnership with, and organized by, Pangea Academy
  • Construct multi-use communal buildings (communal kitchen/dining room, communal gathering, bathrooms, showers)
  • Begin programming appropriate to our build status (single-day/overnight events, small gatherings, educational)
  • Open as a host site to our roster of collaborators and facilitators
  • Increase camping accommodations with semi permanent structures (yurts, temp geodomes, etc)


3
Phase 3: Growth & Integration (Year 3+)
  • Continue partnership with Pangea Academy to expand the campus. Additions include:
    - Temple
    - Dedicated classrooms
    - Dedicated studios
    - Permanent private cabins
  • Host interfaith, intercultural events and healing gatherings
  • Develop recurring, public-facing programs and educational offerings
  • Cultivate land-based art installations and sacred garden spaces
  • Implement long-term ecological and financial sustainability models

Who we are

Temple of Sapir has two founders, Audra Shapiro Nash and Sadie Shapiro Nash.

Audra is a current rabbinical student, singer, and performer with a strong foundation in Jewish practice.

Audra grew up going to day school in Washington DC, but it was her discovery of the Jewish Renewal Movement during years of spiritual exploration that called her to pursue rabbinical school. As a leader, Audra combines song, spiritual grounding, and Jewish ritual in ways that aim to feel both accessible and meaningful, especially for those new to this path or healing from religious/spiritual disconnection. Her “Cool Shabbat” dinner, (which invites both Jewish and non-Jewish community members to share a meal and discussion), started in 2022 and became the inspiration for more regular, programmed gatherings, with an intimate and often-changing collection of people. In each of these dinners, guests participate for hours in guided conversations, philosophical debate, and personal storytelling. Watching people connect and learn from each Shabbat led Audra to consider other ways of bringing people together, and how to make it happen

It was in the early days of “Cool Shabbat” that Audra met Sadie, an artist and builder who works across a wide range of materials and mediums.

Sadie studied art in New England, focusing on furniture design and fabrication, and eventually transitioning to film and event production in Los Angeles. After years of reflecting on what makes creative environments successful, and the difference in community between students and professionals, she developed a particular interest in designing spaces for connection and community building. Because students come from all backgrounds, there's an inevitable exposure to new ideas, new ways of processing, and collaborative opportunity. A free flowing, creative energy forms and self perpetuates. But that kind of reciprocal energy requires the right container, one of openness and curiosity, often lost in professional environments with deadlines and profits. After helping construct a “Cool Shabbat” Sukkah, Sadie experienced the kind of community she wanted to create a container for. One of spiritual, philosophical, and artistic openness. Each subsequent Shabbat held its own wisdom and wonder, and, upon realizing they shared a deep vision of the kind of space they wanted to build in the world, Audra and Sadie founded Sapir Collective and Temple of Sapir, to hold everything their community is and will grow to be.



Join Our Vision
Aligned Partners

We welcome aligned investors, grantmakers, and collaborators who believe in supporting regenerative spaces founded in art, spirit, and collective healing. Collaborating with like-minded entities will help enrich our programs and meet the evolving needs of both the community and the environment. This approach supports our commitment to creating a transformative and sustainable campus that serves as a beacon of regenerative practices and collective well-being.



Fundraising

While Sapir Collective works to attain full 501(c)(3) status, our fundraising efforts are paused. This is a requirement by the IRS, in order to maintain compliance and embark on larger fundraising campaigns in the future.

We are, however, still able to accept private donations, gifts, and program volunteers. Please contact us to find out more about how you can support Sapir Collective.

Contact:

@templeofsapir
templeofsapir@gmail.com