Episode 91 - Using Art as Medicine with The Wild Mother

Learn about The Wild Mother’s project to commemorate the Greenwood Massacre of 1921 and how you as a floral artist can get involved.

Have you heard of the Greenwood Massacre of 1921? 

If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Quynh, who was raised in Tulsa where it happened, didn’t learn about this tragic event at all while growing up. In short, one of the most thriving black communities in America was decimated. Dozens were killed, hundreds injured, and thousands displaced—but this history has been covered up and denied for a century. 

In our latest episode of Paper Talk we chatted with Lauren and Leah Palmer of The Wild Mother. They are fresh florists in Oklahoma City and have been very busy planning for the centennial commemoration of the Greenwood Massacre. They spoke powerfully about a central tenet of their business: art is medicine. They are working tirelessly to provide healing through their artform, and we are so excited to join in their efforts. 

Many people are coming together through different avenues to support the commemoration of the Greenwood Massacre. We want to harness the power of our paper flower community to help do just that. Here are three ways you can help:

Use #sendflowerstogreenwood

Starting May 10th, The Wild Mother team will start using the hashtag #sendflowerstogreenwood to post pictures of arrangements made specifically to commemorate the Greenwood Massacre. They’ll also be putting up three big installations around Greenwood for the centennial commemoration events, which you can hear all about in the podcast. 

They have invited other artists to use the hashtag alongside them. Join in and show your digital support from May 10th to June 7th by making something for the centennial and posting it online. We can’t wait to see what everyone creates! 

Follow them on Instagram at @thewildmother to see all of their creations for the commemoration.

Make a White Lily

We are calling on paper florists to use our free White Lily Tutorial to make and send a flower for the opening of the Greenwood Rising museum on June 2nd. This is one of the three big installation projects that Lauren and Leah told us about on the podcast. Since it will be indoors, it gives us paper florists the perfect opportunity to contribute with our artform. 

We need the lilies to be as similar as possible, so we ask that you use Quynh’s tutorial. We recommend shipping domestically (U.S.) no later than May 17th, and internationally no later than April 26th. Sign up here to be added to the Facebook group and to get all of the information you’ll need to participate.

Quynh and a small army of paper florists will help to install the lilies onsite before the museum opens. 

Donate

Lauren and Leah estimate that they’ll end up donating $50,000 in time and materials for the three big installations that they’ll be spearheading. They planned on donating their efforts from the very beginning, but they would appreciate financial support from those who are willing to help pay for lodging, food, and materials.

To learn more about what kinds of donations they are looking for, as well as how to send money, visit their #sendflowerstogreenwood FAQ page. Lauren and Leah also talked more about how you can donate in the episode.

We are also raising funds to pay for room/board of the 3 volunteers who will be on the ground installing the white lily memorial installation. You can support our very first Paper Florists Against Racism initiative through our GoFund me Page.

Here’s what you’ll hear when you listen to our conversation:

→ How the florists behind The Wild Mother discovered their passion of healing through art.

→ The history of the Greenwood Massacre of 1921.

→ Why it’s important to create space to remember events like the massacre.

→ The projects, installations, and events that will commemorate the massacre.

→ More details about supporting The Wild Mother’s commemoration work through art, time, or money.

Remember to join our weekly meeting on Clubhouse on Thursdays at 7pm PST/10pm EST, and join our Facebook group where you can share, connect, and grow with us. Please also consider supporting us on Patreon for even more great content like this.