What We Tend Will Grow
CHARGE
I have been commissioned to make a piece for the University of Washington Tacoma campus. The committee charged me with making a piece that reflects the community of Tacoma. They want a piece that reflects the idea of belonging at UWT while also acknowledging that the gentrification that is happening, in part because of UWT’s expansion, affects certain communities more than others.
Get Involved!Attend a Seed Making Session!
No experience necessary. Kids welcome! People who don’t consider themselves artists welcome!
More Dates Coming Soon!
Click the contact button to email me and I will put you on a list to let you know when they are coming up.
OR
If you can get a group of 10-20 people together, please email me and we can have a seed gathering with your group!
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The first element of the piece is going to be a large round table. The kitchen table is a place for gathering, nourishment, education, challenging dominant narratives, and community organizing especially in Black communities. “Being at the table” is a common phrase for people who are “in the room where it happens,” making decisions. It feels like a good metaphor for the idea of belonging while acknowledging that to be at the table, means that your opinion matters. Under the table, roots will come down from the bowls as the legs of the table. Roots have many connotations and can represent being grounded, staying strong in the face of adversity, knowing where you come from, ancestors, tapping into nutrients, communication, mutual aide, and having a strong base to develop ideas/grow from.
Image: Small model of the table
SEEDS
To deepen and personalize the idea of belonging at the table, the table will reference a seed pod by having inset bowls that contain “seeds.” Seeds and seed pods can represent potential and hope. They can be metaphors for things we want to grow- actions, goals, and aspirations for current/future projects and desires for our community. These seeds will represent the actions, goals and aspirations that participants will make during interactive workshops that I will host at UW T, in the Hilltop, and in other sites around Tacoma.
Get Involved! Attend a Seed Making Session!
No experience necessary. Kids welcome! People who don’t consider themselves artists welcome!
More Dates Coming Soon!
Click the contact button to email me and I will put you on a list to let you know when they are coming up.
OR
If you can get a group of 10-20 people together, please email me and we can have a seed gathering with your group!