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This March, Growing Home Collective took a trip to Tacoma to visit the Tacoma Museum of Glass for a tour presented by curator and glass artist Jabari Owens-Bailey. A Two Way Mirror presented glasswork crafted by black artists, highlighting perception, exploitation and cultural identity.

Jabari shared his own personal experience as an experienced artist in the glass-blowing industry, before leading the group around the exhibit, noting shared similarities between local artists (seen below) Chris Day, Joyce J. Scott, Anthony Amoako-Attah and others, in their experience with attempting to find ways to materialize racial dialogues connected to double consciousness, (as noted by W.E.B. Du Bois in his book, The Souls of Black Folk) while exploring new mediums in an industry where black faces are not as emergent as others.

After sharing in reflection and conversation amongst each other and Jabari, Growing Home Collective regrouped for an inside look at the process of glass blowing inside the Tacoma Museum of Glass hot shop, before continuing the field trip to our next destination.

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Growing Home Collective's next landing stopped at Tacomas family-owned, black-owned, women-led bookstore, Parable, to meet co-owner LaKecia Farmer. LaKecia is a community organizer and policy analyst who studied political economy at Evergreen State College - Tacoma. LaKecia worked on several different policies and community-oriented campaigns including voter registration/education, community safety, transportation and climate justice. She was excited to welcome us in her company, and talk future collaborations, the store's very own upcoming events, as well as suggest and help us track down book recommendations in preparation for Growing Home Collectives upcoming book club!

To learn more about the wonderful community events happening at Parable check out their website: https://www.parabletacoma.com/

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