Women's Studies Research Center

Heidi Lau and Megan Ledbetter

Tea of Oblivion

November 6, 2015 - February 19, 2016

Heidi Lau, 2014, Detail of ceramic sculpture evoking natural forms.Heidi Lau, (Detail) 2014

In an old Chinese folktale, the goddess of reincarnation Meng Po serves up the Tea of Oblivion to souls passing on to another life. Made with herbs collected from ponds and streams, the mystic brew ensures that the memories and experiences of previous lives are forgotten. Occasionally, one may refuse the tea to retain the details of their lives.

Through their work, Heidi Lau and Megan Ledbetter embody the tale of Meng Po and its connection to nature and nostalgia. Incorporating elements from their respective cultures, the artists preserve personal connections to home. Lau’s ceramic sculptures and Ledbetter’s photography are rich with details collected from various earthly sources and suggest a threshold between the physical and intangible.

Megan Ledbetter, 2014. Black and white photograph of a wax hand holding an object that resembles a light bulb. They are set on a tri-fold piece of corrugated cardboard. the surface is a loosely woven fabric.Megan Ledbetter, 2014

Selected Press

Events

Artists' Reception and Gallery Talk

November 7, 2015

Literary Salon

November 19, 2015

Join us for a Literary Salon in the Kniznick Gallery with the WSRC's Creative Writing Study Group. Four writers will read from current work, engaging with themes in the current exhibition "Tea of Oblivion." Hosted by Linda Bond with writers Nancer Ballard, Mary G. Berg, Emily S. Corbato and Rachel Munn.

"We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân"

January 6, 2016

Join us for a screening of the 2010 documentary "We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân" which tells the story of the revitalization of the Wampanoag language, the first time a language with no native speakers has been revived in this country. Jennifer Weston, Researcher and Assistant Producer of the film and Director of the Mashpee Wampanoag Language Department will introduce the film and discuss the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.

"Places for the Spirit, Traditional African American Gardens"

January 28, 2016

In conjunction with the Tea of Oblivion exhibition, artist Vaughn Sills will show and discuss photographs she made documenting traditional gardens of African Americans throughout the deep South. The gardens represent a distinctive aesthetic brought to America by African slaves and exhibit a deeply embedded tradition that has survived geographic and social transition, slavery, poverty and time.

Megan Ledbetter, Artist's Lecture

February 4, 2016

Cyanotype workshop with Megan Ledbetter

February 5, 2016

Make beautiful cyanotype prints on canvas using a bright light source. You may bring in your own small objects to make the prints. This event is free and open to the public, all materials provided.

Clay handbuilding workshop with Heidi Lau

February 11, 2015

Use your hands to build forms or vessels with clay. Works will be fired at a later date. This event, which takes place in Goldman-Schwartz Art Studios, is free and open to the public; all materials provided. 

Heidi Lau, Artist's Lecture

February 11, 2016