The Talking Stick Project - Creating Art and Healing in Tandem
The Talking Stick Project
is an interactive community art experience rooted in dialogue, reflection, and collective intention. Designed and facilitated by interdisciplinary visual artist Amber Robles-Gordon, this workshop draws from her long-standing exploration of public and participatory art, social memory, and storytelling. The Talking Stick Project invites participants to engage with artistic practice through the creation of “talking sticks” — objects historically used by Indigenous cultures worldwide to designate the authority to speak and to encourage respectful listening and shared reflection.
Inspired in part by Robles-Gordon’s work exploring the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks — whose cells have had a profound impact on medical research — this workshop situates art-making as a space for exploring personal and collective narratives, connecting individual intention with broader histories and futures.
Across iterations of the Talking Stick Project — such as Salisbury University, National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum and University Syracuse — participants have been encouraged to use their creations as expressive tools: to share memories of home, reflect on social issues, and envision positive, community-oriented futures.
In this inclusive art workshop participants will where learn about the cultural significance of talking sticks, create your own symbolic object, and set intentions for the collective future of your neighborhood, community and yourself— all guided by the creative leadership of Amber Robles-Gordon, whose work foregrounds hybridity, memory, and community engagement through creating, and participatory art. The talking sticks are then used to formulate a site responsive (indoor or out door) public art installation.
Upcoming Workshop:
-Syracuse University (March 21, 2026)
Previous talking stick workshops:
-Salisbury University
-The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
-The National Museum of African American History and Culture