How can we connect in a divided world? Artist Liz Hernández proposes food and collective art making as avenues for unity. Food, served in both celebration and sorrow, is a powerful connector. Cooking, an act of care, has the ability to foster unity. In this workshop, the collaborative canvas for our marks is a ceramic plate big enough to hold a shareable dish. We’ll supply handmade foam stamps in various sizes and shapes and a collection of plates to choose from. Pick a stamp and ceramic dish that resonate with you. Exchange stamps with neighbors to leave a trace of each person on every dish, creating a vibrant tapestry of our collective experience. Complete the process by baking the plate in a home oven to set the paint. Incorporate it the next time you share food with friends or family!

Liz Hernández is a Mexican artist based in Oakland. Her work spans a variety of techniques—painting, sculpture, embroidery, and writing—which she uses to blur the space between the real and the imaginary. Deeply influenced by the craft traditions of Mexico, her practice investigates the language of materials and the different stories they tell. She draws inspiration from literature, anthropology, syncretism, oral traditions, and the landscape of Mexico City, always looking for an element that breaks the normalcy of everyday life. Hernández has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.