Tea Talks with Lexa Walsh: Mourning Song

Artist Lexa Walsh will facilitate a “Tea Talk” discussion among an intimate group of Veterans and civilians in conjunction with her ongoing artworks based on military decoration and mourning jewelry, Mourning Song. The work invites viewers to reflect on individual and collective grief, loss, and mourning while witnessing the horrors of war.

For the Tea Talk, seated in intimate groupings over a homemade meal, we will discuss the complexities of war; how we find value in certain wars more than others, who is valued, and how this value sometimes changes with time. The discussion will be prompted by sound works made from past interviews Walsh has done with Veterans. We will create content for a small publication to be shared with participants, their families, and the larger public.

Walsh’s personal interest in working with Veterans came from her being an anti war activist, and her nephew joining the Marines after 9/11. Her father was a WWII Vet who never discussed it. After meeting members of the Veteran Arts Movement, and conversations with other anti war Veterans, her viewpoint has shifted into a more nuanced place that she finds important to foster. Through her 2022 project “Consolidated Mess” at Marin MoCA, a former military base, she was able to uncover many nuances of Veterans’ and civilians’ experiences with war through interviews and community events. The Veterans who participated found value and healing by having these discussions and a truly interested yet critical audience.

Participation is by registration, with ample hospitality, and a custom, handmade award is given to all participants. This is a dry/sober event.