Family First: Ink and Identity - Illuminating Memory Through Handwriting

Inspired by Lava Thomas's painting, The Slaughter List Illuminated, this family workshop explores handwriting as a meaningful form of memory, identity, and personal expression. Each participant will begin by practicing the alphabet in a cursive style script, and move on to write names of their family members and finish up with their own names.

Each participant will use personal style and rhythm to discover how handwriting can transform simple name into an expressive work of art. The finished piece will celebrate the beauty of handwriting and emphasize the importance of preserving personal history

Family First is presented by Novant Health

Ida Mae Tate is a Mississippi native. She explores narratives of identity, memory, and joy through painting and paper collage. Growing up in Mississippi, she developed a love for handwriting and writing letters as meaningful ways to connect with her birth parents. This inspired a lifelong appreciation for the beauty of written language and personal correspondence. This early connection continues to influence her artistic practice through expressive mark-making, paper collage, and layered surfaces. After earning a graduate degree in painting, she served ten years as a photojournalist in the United States Army. Today, she balances her creative practice with her roles as a mother and art instructor. Her work celebrates the richness of the Southern landscape while exploring how color, texture, and gesture communicate our deepest stories.