Springs From Below

May–June 2024

The W.O.W. Project Spring Public Program Series

Spring art-making workshops engaging with ideas of abolition in the face of megajail construction. These events led up to our 8th year anniversary events: click here to learn more.

A cartoon of a human wearing a wish costume with wings and outstretched arms.

Three women and one man working on a woodworking project at a table, using pens and tools, with books and supplies in the background.

Two women wearing masks, standing indoors near a window and holding a pink paper craft resembling a group of animals with colorful decorations, one making a peace sign.

A group of women sitting on a mat outdoors, working on crafts with various supplies scattered around.

program lineup

Colorful hand-drawn poster on a wooden counter announcing a paper-making workshop called 'RRR' Confetti, happening on the third floor, with a person working at a desk and a bulletin board that says 'Books Are Calling' in the background.

Resist Recycle Regenerate held their annual public paper making workshop at the Chatham Square branch of the New York Public Library. Local community members, as well as W.O.W. and RRR family and friends convened for an afternoon of confetti papermaking, graciously hosted in the library’s community space. Pulling sheets of paper was accompanied by a paper fish making and decorating activity inspired by the prompts: “What is home? Who is there? Why do we return?” These paper fish later featured as props in W.O.W.’s Springs from Below: People’s Abolition Parade.

Woven Waterways

By the basketball courts of Columbus Park, Denise Zhou and Joy Freund led an iteration of the teach-in on Rikers history and the connections between policing, prisons, and US imperialist violence abroad. Folks took the time to channel their curiosity, hope, despair, rage, and love into wishes and commitments to a better future. Calling upon the imagery of plants, water, and words, the fabric strips participants decorated became the tentacles of three jellyfish puppets used in the Springs from Below: People’s Abolition Parade.

Calling us Home: Learning Resistance

A young woman kneeling next to a large yellow banner that reads "Chinatown is a site of resistance" in bright yellow, black, and blue letters. The banner is decorated with colorful handmade crafts hanging along the top, including fabric art and jewelry. There are backpacks and bags on the ground nearby.

Pins, Patchwork, and Power: Patchwork Banner-Making Workshop

Summer Program Coordinators Cocoro Kitagawa and Sophia Kschwendt held space in Columbus Park for participants to create patchwork squares to contribute to a collective banner used at W.O.W.’s Springs from Below: People’s Abolition Parade. Using fabric, thread, ribbons, and found materials, folks responded to the prompt, “what do you dream for Chinatown in place of a jail?” The squares they decorated were pinned around the text, “Chinatown is a site of resistance,” and this banner led the front of the parade.

Group of women and girls gathered around a table in a classroom or community room, some wearing matching gray jackets and caps with logos, with some making peace signs, and others smiling at the camera. The table has clay projects and cups, and the room has colorful posters and a bookshelf with a sign that says 'Reading Nook'.

CRNY artists Juliet and Singha led their final workshop with a group of elders from the Chinatown Kiwanis Club who they taught to make ceramic bells. Through an afternoon of conversation and hand building with clay, the group explored concepts related to safety, and the importance of our voices in the conversation about Chinatown and the jail right now. Robust bilingual facilitation support from Judy Lei and Chris Deng made it possible to have a cross-lingual conversation about safety and ceramics. Immense gratitude to our facilitators and to all the members of the Kiwanis club who shared such heartfelt hopes, and created such beautiful bells.

Ceramic Bell Making Workshop

Inspired by the Chinese legend of the carp leaping over the dragon gate, CRNY teaching artists Joy Mao and Lorraine Lum led two groups of participants in the design and hand carving of diamond-shaped “fish scales” symbolizing windows into our future. As the original fable highlights perseverance and strength in numbers, Joy and Lorraine translated this sentiment into a communal invitation for folks to design scales inspired by the prompt, “what can you imagine for our community?” in place of cops and carceral systems? Participants printed their fish scales onto fabric which was afterwards constructed into a series of carp-shaped wind socks that flew in our Springs From Below: People’s Abolition Parade.