“Morning Altars” creator leads OSU-Tulsa personal and community healing workshop

Oklahoma State University-Tulsa will host an interactive workshop with author and artist Day Schildkret in which participants perform a seven-step “Morning Altar” ritual to encourage healing and recovery from trauma, including community and generational trauma.

The event, “Morning Altars for Healing and Reconciliation Using Nature, Art and Ritual,” will take place virtually on April 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost to participate in the workshop is $10.

Participants of the event will work with Schildkret to create their own Morning Altar out of leaves, berries, bark, flowers and other elements of nature from their own parks, stoops and backyards. The altars are made from arranging these elements in patterns and reflecting on how recycling objects, colors, textures and shapes from nature and the community can create new forms of beauty and memory.

“I host workshops around the world hoping to bring people together to connect with the place that they live and make beauty out of the earth,” Schildkret said. “I want people to be enchanted by each altar's capacity to awaken their imagination, their awe, their nuanced eye and deep love and connection with the magic and mystery of our earth.”

This workshop is part of OSU-Tulsa’s 100 Points of Truth and Transformation, which offers 100 opportunities for students and the public to connect with the truth of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and be inspired toward transformative justice.

“Trauma is often personal – but as we approach the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, there’s a lot of conversation about community and generational trauma as well,” said Nekki Reagan-Neely, assistant vice president for community engagement and student services at OSU-Tulsa. “We hope this event can help people heal from any source of trauma and reconcile with the ongoing impact of the Massacre.”

Schildkret is the author of “Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art and Ritual.” These altars have been featured in BuzzFeed, Vice, Vox and Spirituality & Health Magazine. His next book, “Hello, Goodbye.: New Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change” will be published in autumn 2021. Images of his Morning Altars can be found on his Facebook, Instagram and website.

Registration for the event is open online for a cost of $10. Other opportunities presented by the 100 Points of Truth and Transformation are listed as a part of OSU-Tulsa’s community engagement webpage.