The Abolitionist’s Tea Party asks, “How does the natural world endorse abolition as a strategy for liberation?” For this second installment, join tam welch and Kellee Matsushita-Tseng, co-founders of Bitter Cotyledons, for a community conversation and art-marking practice exploring how our experiences and relationships with our plant friends can offer guidance for incorporating abolition in daily life.  

As artist jackie sumell writes, abolition “asks us to imagine what else we can build, grow, create, and offer. Abolition is built through relationships. Abolition is relationships.” In this workshop, participants will work together to imagine models of community care that allow abolition to happen in the here and now. Attendees will walk through how our most powerful sense, smell, can act as a tool in bringing visions of abolition to life. From this exploration, they will also create their own plant-offering to bring home, as a reminder of how abolition can become a daily practice. 

This workshop is open to all; queer and trans aapi are encouraged to attend. Please note that this event is not recommended for those with scent sensitivities.

This event is located at San José Museum of Art. Free with SJMA Museum admission; advance registration is recommended.

Image: jackie sumell leads the first installment of Abolitionist’s Tea Party at SJMA, April 27, 2024. Photo by Frederick Liang.