A 2 hour workshop Antonia Perez will lead a neighborhood walk to find plants that inspire deeper investigation of their medicinal properties, as well as the messages in their patterning. We will take samples of the plants we find to dive into a deep drawing study of the leaf or flower. Antonia explains, “It is through the careful observation of plants that we can begin to understand their messages more clearly and see them as reflections of our own body.” Participants will leave with knowledge of the medicinal properties of the plants found, some botanical lexicon, and their investigative drawing.
Antonia Perez's artistic process involves investigating the patterns found in natural objects that one may take for granted. Perez uses this approach not only to make art, but also to learn the medicinal properties of plants. Perez has been studying plants since she was a child and is currently enrolled in the Arborvitae School of Traditional Herbalism. Perez care-takes an urban garden and teaches environmental justice to young people in Harlem. She has is a co-founder of Herban Cura, an organization committed to bringing this ancestral wisdom to the urban dynamic through workshops, gatherings, and services. The vision behind Herban Cura is to connect more deeply with the ecology we live in in order to design more resilient urban communities that are in harmony with Earth and human needs. Perez blends the teachings she has received from her elders in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, mentors in the Northeast, and the plants (who have been her greatest teachers).
May 5th 2018