We want to provide an update on our year-long program series, Liberation Book Club, and invite you to join us for future events!
We kicked things off on October 2nd with a workshop led by artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed, who guided students and community members through the prompts and directives that she uses in her practice to draw out new meanings from texts and found materials. Later in October, the Book Club met to discuss art and activism over tea and doughnuts. Together, we explored a mindful, creative approach to liberatory action using The Black School’s Process Deck, an interactive tool for designing creative activism projects. For our Community Care & Harm Reduction event in November, we welcomed representatives from UW Narcare for a Naloxone training. We learned how to respond to an overdose and ways we can address the opioid crisis. We also engaged in a conversation about accessibility and how our community can more effectively include all people in art spaces and in broader society. We wrapped up Autumn quarter on December 2nd with a meeting about protest music, where we discussed the soundtrack to liberation and crafted a collaborative playlist. Listen to the playlist.
On December 17 the Jacob Lawrence Gallery had curated texts on our bookshelves alongside interventions provided by seniors in Kristine Matthew’s Exhibition Design class. The installations meditate on the Book Club’s rules of engagement that guide the open, experimental, and collaborative mindset that the program aims to foster. The students’ designs invited you into the space and made our values of liberation visible to all. See more pictures.
Our latest Liberation Book Club events took place on January 13 and February 17. In January, we welcomed local elders from our community to foreground the intergenerational processes of liberation over a shared dinner. February’s gathering brought together the Book Club and the Jacob Lawrence Legacy Residency to consider the work of Indira Allegra, our 2026 Resident Artist, and their expansive understanding of the role doulas can play in the contemporary moment. Learn more about Indira.
Liberation is expansive. Join us as we continue to explore its many facets and craft our own definitions together. Unlike a traditional book club, all reading and study take place during the event, so there’s no need to prepare anything in advance. We look forward to being in community with you!