Amber Robles-Gordon

The Talking Stick Project

Commisisoned Workshops and Public Art Installations, 2026

Workshop Introduction

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 parcipatory 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 The Fibrous Ties That Bind at Salisbury University, Art + Justice at National Museum of African American History and Culture and If You Lived Here DC public installation at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum — 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.

Join us for this inclusive art workshop where you’ll learn about the cultural significance of talking sticks, create your own symbolic object, and set intentions for our collective future — all guided by the creative leadership of Amber Robles-Gordon, whose work foregrounds hybridity, memory, and community engagement through fiber, installation, and participatory art.

The Fibrous Ties That Bind:

On Thursday, April 12, 2018 at which I led 72 Salisbury students, faculty, staff, and community members to create their own talking sticks. Shortly after, myself and a team of five used these talking to construct this public art installation.  A total of 190 talking sticks were arranged and suspended from the ceiling by a wire hanging system in the atrium of the Gurrieri Student Union.

Time Period: This installation was featured in the Salisbury Univeristy, Student Union headquarters for two years.

The Talking Stick Project is a Site-Specific Endeavor: The site, reasoning for the workshop, number of participants, amount of talking sticks created, and location of installation unfolds differently.

Location: In this instance the installation was presented indoors. However, The Talking Stick Project can be presented both indoors and outdoors.

Therefore, so does the formulation of the Talking Stick Installations. 

For additional information regarding hosting/commissioning your own Talking Stick Project Workshop contact:  amberroblesgordon@gmail.com.