Event description
Oddkin Unite gathers unlikely people together (“oddkin”) to share original art, food, and guided discussion. "Oddkin" is a term coined by Professor Donna Haraway who writes: "Staying with the trouble requires making oddkin; that is, we require each other in unexpected collaborations and combinations." At Kinship Plot, we believe in the power of art and food to facilitate joyful encounters and resonance across differences, and we believe in the power of the table, a place of mutuality which beckons us to receive others' stories and presence. We hope that participants of Oddkin Unite will be provoked to imagine and improvise generative and just ways to connect across differences in their own neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities.
This gathering has spots for 30 people and is suitable for ages 14+. The evening will involve sharing a delicious meal, encountering original art commissioned and created specifically for this gathering, and engaging in guided conversation around the theme.
Tickets are just $15 per person due to the generous support of Creo Arts!
About the featured creatives
Ranika Chaney (Facilitator) // Ranika is a Louisiana native and graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, where she earned her degree in Communications—Broadcast Journalism and Sociology. She is a certified Mental Health Coach and speaker for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Domestic Violence Speakers Bureau. As the founder of RanikaSpeaks, LLC., Ranika specializes in facilitating impactful events, panels, and discussions that foster connection, collaboration, and actionable outcomes. Affectionately known as the “conversation curator,” she uses her platform to create purpose-driven experiences that leave a lasting impact. Her inspiring journey—leaving a difficult marriage as a stay at home, homeschooling mom of 5 amazing children, eventually transitioning into tech, and building her own business after appearing on the Anthony O’Neal show—inspires much of her keynote speaking. Grounded in faith, she is committed to empowering others with love and hope, creating spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Instagram: @ranikaspeaks
Ian Wegener (Artist) // Ian is a multidisciplinary artist who loves building creative worlds, imaginative landscapes, and objects that weave together his years of experience as an artist, living and working in an artistic life. The roots of his work are an intuitive practice of making paintings and objects that reflect an appreciation for nature, dreamlike states, and a meditative focus on attention and creativity. He sees the natural world as limitless, and attempts to crystalize some of the facets of it through sculpture and other work. He is currently focused on sculpture, and works out of his home shop and studio in Charlotte NC, well equipped to build out his visions in his studio practice. He has been exhibiting work for well over a decade and his pieces can be found in collections all over the country through installation work, exhibitions and personal commissions. The aesthetic quality of his work is as comfortable on a wall as it is tucked into a garden. His work can be heavily influenced by available materials, with a strong alignment to sustainability. He sees this as an important social tie to his creative practice, that working as an artist should be a respectful practice with your environment in mind.
His emphasis on material and process encourages growth and patterns, the colors transition like wild grasses and his style flows through the pieces he creates, skipping stones and creating ripples of connective creativity.
IG: @queencityjacks
Tiffany Taylor (Food Curator) // Tiffany Taylor, aka "Chef T," is a self-taught chef and baker with deep Southern roots in rural Southeastern North Carolina. Growing up in a family of Black farmers and entrepreneurs, Tiffany’s love for food began at an early age, learning to prepare classic Southern staples from her mother, father, and grandmother.
A proud alumni of NC Central University and finalist in the 2023 Favorite Chef competition, Tiffany never thought of herself as a chef. But with over 15 years of culinary exploration under her belt, Tiffany works to combine her background in higher education with her love of food and loves creating spaces where people can connect through shared meals. As an Academic Advisor in Culinary Education and a private chef serving the Charlotte area, Chef T’s mission is to elevate simplicity and build community at every table. Now a new mom, Tiffany is returning to the kitchen and currently learning exciting new ways to prepare elevated meals that are baby-friendly, healthy, affordable, and still feed the soul.
Cathena Freeman of The Wildflour Baking Co. (Pastry Chef) // Cathena Freeman (or Katie) is a Charlotte, NC resident with roots in New York and heritage from Liberia, West Africa. By day, a dental hygienist keeping smiles bright; by night (and sometimes early morning), a pastry chef creating sweet things. She brings both care and creativity to everything she does.
A true lover of people, she believes in the beauty of connection, community...and that food is the missing love language. Her business, Wildflour, is more than just a name—it’s a reflection of who she is. She believes we often grow in unexpected places, and she embraces that journey with heart and authenticity. Wildflour isn’t just a brand—it’s her story.
Instagram: @the_wildflour
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
