“I had been looking for a place to be. To let go of a need to produce and to authentically connect others who are in solidarity with my artistic life. To laugh and be inspired by other artists just being human. To see my self seeing, as Augusto Boal said, without solicitation or networking. I was looking for a seat at a welcome table so I created one.”
Creator, Monica L. Williams
Research from Smithsonian NMAAHC website and Special thanks to the Schomburg Center for Black Research Baldwin Archives, courtesy of the Baldwin Family.
a Welcome Table is an artist care gathering series for Black and Global Majority artists to authentically connect outside of work created by conceptual artist, Monica L. Williams.
In this time of Global shift, creatives need a space to nourish and replenish themselves, to connect to other artists, to be encouraged and enriched for the next moments they are called on to make art.
a Welcome Table is inspired by the many artists, like James Baldwin, who gather artists, scholars, journalists of color together in safe spaces around the world. Baldwin gathered people at his welcome table in his home in the Saint Paul de Vence, France, where he found community and healing during a time of great political unrest in the U.S. Some of the great thinkers and creatives of our times like Toni Morrison, Henry Lois Gates and Josephine Baker, gathered around his welcome table. They arrived hungry and left full, literally and figuratively, receiving the fruit of being in community with others.
@ a Welcome Table we believe in the value of artists; in our agency, in our preservation and that our way of being human is worthy of care. a Welcome Table is iterative and mobile; we gather in New York City and in a community near you. Join our digital community for more information and an invitation to our upcoming events. Donate to provide a seat at a Welcome Table for an artist near you.
a Welcome Table Coffee Hour - Columbus, Ohio
a Welcome Table Coffee Hour - Columbus, Ohio
Scatter Joy Project
August 15, 2025
6pm to 7pm
“Come for the community, stay for the inspiration.”
sliding scale payment entry
RSVP required
a Welcome Table Coffee Hour - Indianapolis, Indiana
a Welcome Table “Coffee Hour”
The Botanical Bar
1103 North College Ave.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
September 5, 2025
7pm to 8pm
“Come for the community, stay for the inspiration.”
sliding scale payment entry
RSVP required
a Welcome Table PLAY!
Let's PLAY!.
a Welcome Table PLAY! is a 90-minute gathering built on interactive games and facilitated exercises designed to help you reconnect — with yourself, and with the people around you. Working in pairs and small groups, we'll move through play-based exercises rooted in a long tradition of gathering as a form of care, connection, and rejuvenation.
Facilitator, Monica L. Williams, leads the interactive workshop combining her experience with Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed with skills gained from 20 years leading and coaching creative experiences in the rehearsal room, board room, community and classroom.
No performance experience required. No "right" way to show up. Just a willingness to connect and say "yes" to creative prompts.
This session is for:
Artists looking to sharpen their tools and stay limber in their craft
Anyone craving real community and connection
Professionals wanting to build creativity, collaboration, and teamwork skills in a low-pressure setting
Classes are kept small and intimate, so every person in the room is seen and collaborates.
Come as you are. Leave a little more connected and revived than when you arrived.
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Welcome Table gatherings are small, intentional meetups for global-majority artists to rest, reflect, and connect outside of work. Made by artists, for artists, on a pay-it-forward basis. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to access a seat.
