• Yee I-Lann: TIKAR/MEJA/PLASTIK, 2023; courtesy of the artist and Silverlens Gallery.


Included with admission: Free for kids 18 and under and for one adult per child 13 and under


Tikar-Inspired Mat Making

For ages six to twelve with accompanying adult(s)

  • Workshop led by
    Tara Ani Baghdassarian

    Tara Ani Baghdassarian is a local interdisciplinary artist and activist of Armenian descent who works with film, illustration, shadow theater, music, and other experimental media. She has recently returned to the Bay Area after spending five years in Armenia, her ancestral homeland. Drawing from her bicultural experiences as a first-generation American and repatriated citizen of Armenia, her work addresses memory, erasure, and ethnic identity and is rooted in meditation and nature.

Borneo-based Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann uses the traditional tikar, or woven mat, to tell a collaborative story of the colonization of her native land and culture. Working with the artist, girls and women in her community wove numerous tikar to express cultural resilience and to consider the climate crisis. After an interactive tour of Yee I-Lann’s Art Wall, TIKAR/MEJA/PLASTIK, weave a personalized table mat using paper and mixed-media materials to tell a story of your origins.

About Gallery + Studio

Each of these two-part workshops integrates an interactive gallery tour with a related art project; each session lasts about an hour and a half. Sign up in the Art Lab ten minutes ahead of the session, in time to join us for the tour that starts at 11:30.

Event Accessibility

If you have any questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us at bampfa@berkeley.edu or call us at (510) 642-1412 (during open hours) with as much advance notice as possible. More information on accessibility services.