LUAG Community Workshop From Symbols to Stories: Taíno Art, Nature, and Community with Jenylin Rodriguez

Building on LUAG’s earlier exploration of Taíno symbols, this spring intergenerational community workshop invites participants to go deeper into how Indigenous Caribbean symbols connect to nature, place, and community life. Inspired by Pre-Columbian objects in Selections from the Permanent Collection, we will explore how Taíno artists used repeated patterns, natural forms, and storytelling to express relationships between people, the environment, and the spirit world.

The Taíno people are the indigenous group of the Caribbean islands. These countries include Haiti (Ayiti) Dominican Republic (Kiskeya) Puerto Rico (Boriken) Jamaica (Yamaye), Cuba, and other Virgin Islands. There are different Taíno ethnic groups, depending which part of the island you are from. They are Carib, Ciboney, Kalinago, Garifuna, or Lucayan and more. Taíno people would paint symbols on rocks and caves. Many of these symbols were of animals (frogs, birds, turtles, etc.), nature (sun, moon, water), and human figures (babies, shamans, faces). This workshop is for us to come together as a community in wherever you are in your understanding of Taíno History. There will be curated artwork from Boricua artists, and resources for continued learning.

This workshop offers an inclusive, welcoming space for creativity, reflection, and conversation, emphasizing communal making and the living traditions that continue to shape Caribbean cultures today. No prior experience is required.

Please register in advance; space is limited.

Jenylin Rodriguez is a Dominican-Puerto Rican artist currently residing in Easton. Her artworks explore themes of identity, connection, and memory through various mediums.

If you require assistance filling out this form, prefer to share your registration information via email or phone, or have questions, concerns, or any accessibility needs, please email Elise at ejs421@lehigh.edu or call 610-758-6882.

LUAG Community Days offer opportunities to drop-in to the galleries to explore great works of art from the LUAG collection and current exhibitions through conversation, hands-on projects, and sketching. Geared to children ages 4 to 94 and their adult companions.