Workshop: Sharing Our Stories on Tiles with Z Kaplan

Description

Join artist-in-residence Z Kaplan for a ceramic tile painting workshop on Thursday, May 23rd from 5 – 7:00 pm at the St. Mane Theatre Parking Lot.

Members of the Lanesboro community will be led through community conversations around their experiences living in Lanesboro, what keeps people living here and what changes they imagine could keep Lanesboro thriving for everyone. Through these conversations we will build our collective toolbox and center the value of tikkun olam, repair of the world. We will tell our stories through decorating ceramic tiles, the tiles will then form part of a tapestry that will live as a permanent fixture in Lanesboro.

All ages and levels of experience are welcome! The tapestry will be presented at the final capstone on Tuesday, June 4th. The Sharing Our Stories on Tiles workshop will be repeated on May 30th from 5:00-7:00 pm at the St. Mane Theatre Parking Lot.

In the event of rain, this workshop will take place on the St. Mane Theatre Stage.

Folks who participated in either the Welcome Potluck Burnout Ceramic Workshop or the Building Home through Clay workshops may pick up their creations at this event.

About Z Kaplan

Z Kaplan (they/them) is a queer, trans, Jewish ceramic artist based in Minneapolis. As a community-oriented person who works for the betterment of their world through organizing and takes on the role of a teacher in various contexts, they are motivated by bringing joy, justice, and comfort to others. Recently, Z has been incorporating their value of doikayt, Yiddish meaning “hereness,” to invoke pieces that connect to their roots and to others in a way that explores desires for grounding and play in a reality that is deeply diasporic.

Their work is primarily created through atmospheric firings – soda and wood firings. In these firings, the end result of the pieces is unpredictable, because the pieces become vulnerable to their atmosphere. In highlighting the unpredictable nature within the habitual, Z is able to create work that reflects the unpredictability of building a home far away from their ancestors. Z’s recent creative and organizing work aims to re-imagine Jewish ritual objects in order to support their community in becoming agents in their own traditions. As Z explores new techniques and firing methods, they plan to continue to offer recipes toward home-building.

About the Residency

Z will lead members of the Lanesboro community through exercises in clay, while diving into what it means to be present and actively build home where we are while navigating our ongoing relationships to ourselves, others, and place. Z’s residency project expands an ongoing Jewish community art initiative that aims to honor ancestry, the complicated reality of living in diaspora, and building home right where you are. The goal of the project will be to reflect the community members’ lives through connecting with the earth, clay, diverse tactile experiences, and community conversations.

Learn more about Z and their residency by clicking here.

The Lanesboro Artist Residency Program is supported by the Jerome Foundation.