Join us for a special sotdae workshop at GYOPO by Jeffrey Yoo Warren and co-facilitated by Hannah Pae. Jeffrey's woodwork practice is based in the belief that our connection with our ancestors is strengthened through experiencing the textures, sounds, and smells of their worlds. And through the simple joy of making things out of wood! All materials will be provided and no prior woodworking knowledge is needed to participate.

솟대 sotdae are simple wooden birds our long-ago ancestors crafted in Korea, often placed at the top of a long pole. Dating back over 1600 years, these birds reflected a belief that ducks and geese, seen in fall and spring, were bringing the changes in season. Noted for flying in the air, walking on the ground, and swimming in the water, these birds were revered and our ancestors sought to communicate with them by making our own and posting them like signs, calling for change.

Jeffrey Yoo Warren (he/him) is a Korean diasporic artist educator, woodworker, illustrator, community scientist and researcher in Providence, RI, whose work combines ancestral craft practices and creative work with diasporic memory through collaborative worldbuilding in virtual and multisensory mediums. Jeff is an educator with Movement Education Outdoors and AS220, and part of the New Old art collective with Aisha Jandosova, hosting art-making and storytelling events with older adults; he was also the 2023-4 Innovator in Residence at the Library of Congress. His current artistic practice investigates how people build identity and strength through their interactions with artifacts and histories, and the ways that objects can tell stories that people can be part of in the present.

This event is open to GYOPO's Volunteer community, Steering Committee and Staff. We will open invites to the broader community after we prioritize GYOPO community spots.

SOTDAE 솟대 WORKSHOP

Led by Jeffrey Yoo Warren

Team Members