This workshop is led by artist Elana Mann in conjunction with her show “Bellows and Quakes” at MOAH, Lancaster. Mann will lead participants in creating their own wooden rattle for ritual, protest and domestic use. Participants will be supplied with all the materials necessary. No previous sculpture or visual art experience is necessary. This workshop is open to anyone from age eight to adult.

During the workshop, Mann will discuss her own work with rattles as well as her investigation into the act of listening and how it relates both to politics and everyday life. Mann’s collaborator, the cultural anthropologist Dr. Michael Powell, will interview each participant before and after the workshop. These interviews will help inform Mann and Powell’s ongoing cross-disciplinary research, which they have been collaborating on for the past fifteen years.

Artist Elana Mann explores the power of the collective voice and the politics of listening through sculpture, sound, and community engagement. She is the granddaughter of a chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project and helped invent the world’s first atomic bomb. This familial legacy lies heavy on her shoulders and drives her commitment to creating tools for non-violent resistance. Her work is in the public collections of the Getty Research Institute, Cerritos College, Los Angeles Contemporary Archives, the Center for Political Graphics, and the London College of Communication. She has participated in group exhibitions and screenings at the Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, the Orange County Museum of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum, amongst many others.

Michael Powell, PhD, is Partner and Cultural Anthropologist at Practica Group, an ethnographic research & strategic insights consultancy. He has worked with clients, designers, and research teams in diverse sectors and industries, from mobility technology, health care, and consumer retail, to architecture, civic participation, and food justice. For the last several years, Michael has been researching cultures of listening in a wide range of contexts. He also writes and teaches about ethnographic methods that highlight listening practices.