February 2025 Monthly Adventure
With February being Black History Month, I wanted to find a relevant activity in Austin to experience and feature as the latest addition to the Monthly Adventures Series.
Background
I was having trouble finding an adventure that worked with my schedule as I began scouring Eventbrite, Facebook, and Instagram for inspiration. However, I remembered that the Austin Public Library has events all the time across their various branches and found a branch with an event that I knew I couldn't pass up. There was a collage storytelling event hosted by Women & Their Work, a local art gallery featuring art created by women. They host workshops in the community to coincide with current exhibitions. As a travel blogger, I love storytelling and was excited to learn about how to tell meaningful personal stories through a collage.
Collage Storytelling
Our workshop began at 5:00 PM on a Monday, so there were only a handful of participants at the University Hills Branch of the Austin Public Library. There was an event space in the back and our facilitator, Mariah, got started by sharing more about Women & Their. After walking us through some information on the website, our small group learned about Don't Cry For Me When I'm Gone, the current exhibition by Irene Antonia Diane Reece. This is a photographic installation that highlights the emotions that can be felt when viewing Black Southern archives with added layers in both the literal and metaphorical sense. This workshop was designed to have participants take some of their own images and objects to create collages that tell a story.
We had about an hour and a half to work at the tables in the room to create our collages. I had a tote bag with some of the items that I have acquired throughout my life and wanted to find a way to make meaning of their importance and how they all tie back to a central theme. Using some of the fabric, print, and other crafting materials provided, I began piecing everything together.
I wanted to create a collage that told the story of my life in a way that was non-linear. I found a map in the materials provided by Women & Their Work and cut out a section of it as the centerpiece and starting point for my collage. From that point, I placed items in the places that felt right and did not think too much about where they went. I grabbed some more items from crafting materials table and continued arranging items until I came up with the following collage:
Each item has meaning and focuses on memories or details about my life that all relate to my central theme in a non-linear fashion. Here's a breakdown from left to right with the centerpiece explained last:
Collage base
brown satin with white lace on the left side; tan lace scraps on the right side; a trail of gold and green threat connects all items back to the centerpiece
Black doll in light blue dress with green ruffles and lined pattern
Yellow rosary
Blue ribbon with gold stars
Multicolor image
Bluebonnet
Miami Heat bracelet
Pink bedroom with bed in a black and white comforter image
Eiffel Tower
Texas 19 coin
Multicolor sunglasses with "bright" on yellow paper beneath
Purple wooden "K"
Pastries and quiche image
The University of Texas at Austin white logo on burnt orange box
Centerpiece
Wrap-Up
So, how do all these things link back to the centerpiece? Well, I was always good with directions from as young as 2 years old and I the same goes with reading maps. Maps are representative of my passion for traveling and the Kimi's Travel Thoughts logo is symbolic of how I share that with others on this blog. The black star is not meant to show that I have arrived at a specific location, but, rather that I am the star of my own life and I am always right where I need to be.
Speaking of arriving, I added "Arrival" on the map because it means that everything arrives to this central idea that all the items featured in my collage make up who I am and my love for travel. It also represents one of my favorite movies, which is Arrival (2016), that plays with the concept of time being non-linear which I tried to showcase in my collage. My collage starts out with items that are reminiscent of my past on the far left, but blends old with the new while working towards the middle and the right side features past and ongoing aspects of my life.
Reflecting on my own history by using the objects that I have kept with me for years or through materials found at the craft table was peaceful and the dedicated moment of introspection that I needed on a Monday night after work. I enjoyed viewing the collages of the other participants and learning more about the people in the room with me that day. Everyone has a unique story, and I really appreciated this concept of collage storytelling as a way to delve deeper into the meaning of things and events in one's life.
On to the next adventure!
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