Soft afternoon light filtered through the Addison Gallery of American Art (the Addison) as the aroma of sizzling food filled the space, mixing with hushed anticipation and laughter. Students clustered around tables covered with hand-folded zines, paper cutouts, and polaroid cameras. What unfolded was a workshop that balanced joy and introspection, weaving spoken word poetry and visual art into moments of collective and personal reflection.
Last Sunday afternoon, the Addison hosted a teen art workshop centered on cultural identity, inspired by the gallery’s previous exhibition of photographer Tommy Kha. The event was led by spoken word poetry duo Adobo Fish Sauce, poets Anthony Febo and Ricky Orng, in collaboration with the Addison Community Ambassadors Program, a museum studies initiative that brings together students from Andover, Andover High School, and other local schools.
Jamie Gibbons, Head of Education at the Addison and a co-facilitator of the Community Ambassadors Program, explained that the workshop grew directly out of the themes present in Kha’s work.
“We invited them in, inspired by the exhibition that is on view right now in the galleries, which is closing in a couple of weeks, of work by the photographer Tommy Kha, who is also thinking a lot about cultural identity. His work made us think of Adobo Fish Sauce, and so the workshop invites them in to do some spoken word poetry in connection with some art making about the exhibition” said Gibbons.
The afternoon unfolded in several stages: a spoken word performance in Underwood, a short poetry workshop, gallery discussions led by student ambassadors, and hands-on art-making inside the museum. For Christian Robinson ’28, an attendee, the experience was unexpectedly intense.
“At first, the spoken word performances made me really uncomfortable. It was kind of jarring, and I almost wanted to laugh. But once I got more comfortable with myself and the people around me, I really started to resonate with what they were saying. Hearing their experiences ended up being really meaningful. I knew it was a spoken word poetry workshop, but it felt like more than that. It felt like an experience where you learn about different cultures and also think about your own,” said Robinson.
In addition to the spoken-word poetry, the hands-on photography and delicious catering were also notable additions, transforming the event into more than just a poetry workshop but a community event.
“I really liked the hands-on parts of the workshop, especially taking Polaroids. I haven’t taken a picture like that in a long time, so it was cool to take something physical with me. I definitely wasn’t expecting the food at all. I thought it was part of the act until the smoke started rising and the smell filled the room,” said Robinson.
For Addison Ambassador Sophia Zhan ’28, the workshop represented the culmination of weeks of hard work and behind-the-scenes preparation.
“We did a lot of preparation work before the workshop. I helped hand-draw the little zines, the small books, and we printed and folded those. We also made paper cutouts of objects that represent us. Today specifically, I helped the guest artists, Ricky and Febo, with setting up, arranging the food, and making everything look nice.” said Zhan.
In addition to paper prep-work, Robinson noted that the performance, which combined poetry with live cooking, stood out most. What initially seemed like a theatrical act became deeply personal.
“One of the most memorable moments was during a spoken word performance where there was a countdown that connected someone’s child’s age with the timing of the cooking. It was a really interesting mix of two things that don’t usually go together,” said Robinson.
Gibbons emphasized that workshops like this align closely with the Addison’s mission as a community museum.
“The Addison is open to the public, so we are really a community museum. We do a lot of work thinking about bringing communities together. It is part of the mission of the Addison to democratize art and create opportunities for everyone to have access to artwork and to museums in general” said Gibbons.
