Summoning Our Creatures: Participatory Drawing Workshop with Amy Cheung 

When: April 12, 2025 2-3:30pm

Where: The Block House, Governors Island, NY

This workshop is led by Spring Fellow Amy Cheung (Artist, Cultural Vitamin Solutions), Dr. Kerry Reid (Research Scientist, Yale University), Griffin Deans (Environmental Engineer and Biologist, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry) and Ruoyang Zheng (Storyteller, Here On Earth).

How do aquatic myths and evolutionary science help us imagine new ways of surviving ecological crises?

Participants will join an artist, a research scientist, a mythological storyteller, and an environmental engineer to immerse themselves in a moment of aquatic ecosystem collapse—explored through ancient flood myths and extinction narratives, beginning with the tale of Gong Gong, the Chinese water god whose rage drowned the world. This myth anchors discussions on climate change, rising seas, pollution, and marine life’s genetic resilience, weaving together themes of domination, coexistence, and adaptation.

Afterward, participants will co-create a large-scale drawing featuring three motifs:

Divine Creatures – god-like beings craving control over nature

Hybrid Entities – human-animal-machine fusions

Adaptive Organisms – dynamic systems of survival through flexibility

Through art-making and dialogue, the workshop probes genetic memory, evolution, extinction, and marine “superpowers” (among other themes) while processing climate anxiety and reimagining sustainable futures. By merging myth, science, and community creativity, the session invites reflection on humanity’s role within fragile ecosystems, blending ecological grief with hope—a collective effort to map planetary rhythms and emotions, reorienting our relationship with the natural world.

All materials will be provided and no experience is necessary to join this workshop. All ages are welcome. (Children under 5 years old must be accompanied by an adult.)