Cold Mountain Institute
In the early 1970s, before it was Hollyhock, our Cortes Island campus was a human potential education centre called Cold Mountain Institute. Cold Mountain was driven by Richard Weaver, a visionary who trained at Esalen Institute, and who introduced many group therapy processes – such as Gestalt, Encounter, role-playing, and body work – to the West Coast of BC.
The pioneering work of Cold Mountain has put a cultural stamp on the future of the space with many of the traditions continuing on into the present day at Hollyhock.
Hollyhock Farm
In 1982, a group of 10 Hollyhock founders purchased the land from the abandoned Cold Mountain Institute.
This twist of fate has its origins in a miraculous story that includes The Vancouver Folk Festival, a fortune teller, the founder of Greenpeace, and red Hollyhocks growing over a hedge.
Originally named “Hollyhock Farm,” the founders ran seminars and workshops for environmental activists. They viewed Hollyhock as a place where the “innies” – those dedicated the internal arts of personal and spiritual development – and the “outties” – those dedicated to change-making and activism – could meet and inspire one another.
Hollyhock Leadership Institute
The Hollyhock Leadership Institute launched in 1997, dedicated to increasing the impact and effectiveness of social change leaders and environmental organizers.
Supported by visionary funders including Renewal Partners, Tides Canada (now MakeWay), and Vancity, HLI became an anchor in a broader ecosystem linking philanthropy, social finance, and progressive movements. For over a decade, HLI incubated programs such as the Environmental Leadership Initiative, Social Change Institute, and collaborations that birthed the Great Bear Rainforest campaign and progressive political movements in B.C.
Though it was later folded into Hollyhock’s charitable structure, HLI’s legacy endures as a hub for cultivating leaders who unite personal transformation with systemic action for a just and regenerative future.
In the early 2000s, Dana Bass Solomon became CEO of Hollyhock. Soon after, like many others at Hollyhock, she found unexpected love. She married Board Chair, Joel Solomon, a social enterprise impact investor. Together they led the organization for two decades.
In 2008, the founding group and a collection of generous Hollyhock Shareholders donated their full ownership and Hollyhock became a registered not-for-profit charity.
In 2018, permanent legal protections were placed on the land, and Hollyhock launched the Dana Bass Solomon Scholarship Fund, offering full-ride scholarships for emerging leaders in community innovation, arts and culture, or social and environmental change.
Hollyhock Forever
In the Fall of 2017, Hollyhock welcomed a new CEO, Peter Wrinch who led Hollyhock through the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, Katia Sol came on as the new CEO of Hollyhock.
Katia’s experience aligns deeply with Hollyhock’s mission, integrating inner awareness and healing, deep nature connection, community building, and the transformation of collective systems.
Hollyhock continues to deepen its commitments to equity and reconciliation, through the expansion of the Hollyhock Leadership Institute, and re-invigorating the internal culture and capacity of our team. We are also continuing to steward the visions, hopes, and dreams of the many people who have contributed to our rich living history.
We hope you’ll join us along the journey.
Generational Transfer of Leadership
Listen to this Hollyhock panel on the topic of “Generational Transfer,” featuring founders Siobhan Robinsong and Rex Weyler, graduated CEO Dana Bass Solomon, graduated Board Chair Joel Solomon, and graduated Hollyhock CEO from 2018 – 2024 Peter Wrinch.
This conversation was hosted at Hollyhock for the 2019 Holistic Centre’s Network Gathering, and was a beautiful testament to love and passion that has gone into Hollyhock for the last 40+ years.
A Hollyhock Documentary
By Bill Weaver
We at Hollyhock are continuing to pivot to meet the emerging needs of today’s world. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 was a year full of uncertainty and challenges for us all.
We had to cancel all our in person programs – the closure deeply affected our organization, but it also revealed what is important. It taught us how to stay resilient, creative, and hold true to our values.
This short documentary by Bill Weaver captures our journey through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and points to our vision for the future.