Workshops: Rinsing the Bones + Unfolded Narratives
Related to Jenny Yurshansky: Rinsing the Bones
Exhibition on view July 8 - November 30
July 8, 3-6 PM: Exhibition Opening + workshops (Free to attend, register here)
August 5, 1-4 PM
September 16, 1-4 PM
October 21, 1-4 PM
November 11, 1-4 PM

Happening once monthly at 18th Street Arts Center's Propeller Gallery, artist Jenny Yurshansky will host two simultaneous workshops related to her solo exhibition Rinsing the Bones. Participants will work with the artist to explore how our migration stories offer us paths for understanding our own histories, places of origin, and how that impacts our sense of belonging and identity.

People of all ages are welcome and we encourage intergenerational family groups. Participants will be credited as co-creators in future iterations of Rinsing the Bones. Please bring a handheld-sized keepsake to participate in "Rinsing the Bones" workshop.

"Unfolded Narratives" - No timeslot required, walk-ups accepted.

"Unfolded Narratives" is an engaging, all-ages workshop that facilitates the exploration of one’s individual family narrative and encourages shared discussion amongst the participants. This session will focus on the complexity of what it means to think about home, origin, and place, especially in one’s own family history. Yurshansky will guide participants through visualizing, conceptualizing, and crafting their family story. The workshops combine drawing, creating the paper fortune-tellers and quilting previous participants’ scanned drawings. Attendees are invited to quilt together around these social fabrics, adding their voices to the “unfolding narrative” and providing us the opportunity to share and find patterns in one another’s stories and keep these histories alive.

"Rinsing the Bones" Workshop

"Rinsing The Bones" is named after an ancient Russian ritual that involved relaying the life story of a deceased loved one while ritually cleansing their bones. Yurshansky has reimagined this practice for our times, inviting you to bring a small family heirloom to the Propeller Gallery to be 3D-scanned and replicated in a bone-like material. Not only will your heirloom be physically recreated, but its story will also be captured. In an interview, you will have the chance to briefly share the story behind the object. Portions of these interviews will be engraved onto X-ray film, reminiscent of the "bone records" used to smuggle forbidden music in the Soviet Union.

Sessions are held for 4 people per hour. Ticket holders are interviewed on a first come, first served basis and takes approx. 15 minutes.

Notes about your object, recording session, and the scanning process:

-The object should ideally be something you can easily hold in your hand, no bigger than 7 inches.

-The recordings will be roughly 12 minutes in length. If our initial recording is longer than that, it will be edited for length.

-A specially designed spray will be used if the object has reflectivity (made of glass, metal, or other highly reflective material). Please note that It leaves no trace and will disappear in up to 4 hours if your object is exposed to air until the spray fully evaporates. It will not leave any residue or affect your object in any way.

-Everyone who participates in the workshop can be included in a list of participants or, if they prefer, may also choose to remain anonymous. You can learn more about how this spray was developed and how it works here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8saEfevQr0