Pull up a chair: The magic of the Table Sessions
The Table Sessions started as the seed of an idea in late 2020.
The world looked a little different then. We were tiptoeing out of the lockdown, trying to figure out when and how to gather. Our safety barometers were all a little different -- maybe you felt comfortable eating in a restaurant, or maybe you still ate at home. Maybe you went to events masked -- or maybe you didn’t attend any art at all.
As we looked at the world and the way it had changed, we kept wondering: how do we find our way back to gathering together? Can we hold space for each other, and re-learn to be in communal spaces? To appreciate both togetherness and art-making?
With a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation, our first two seasons of the Table Sessions got to explore these moments of connection. Through six performances, we started gathering again. Outside, when the weather was nice, and then inside and masked as the weather grew cold.
photo by Steve Weinik
It was only supposed to be two years of the Table Sessions. But across those two years, we saw so many magical moments…
The very first Table Sessions, when the smell of soul food and a crackling fire pit drew audience members close to the gorgeous vocals happening on stage.
Brass belting out a melody so rapturous, all of the shoppers on 9th Street stopped to look -- and came in to join the party.
A shimmering, audience-created curtain made up of cards that defined “home” and “belonging.”
A stunning jazz trio that carved a new pathway for how water holds and carries us.
We ate so much (so much!) unbelievable food. From a mouthwatering vegan Assamese buffet to Haitian griot and pikliz to Taiwanese oyster pancakes, pairing the art and the eating brought people together in one of the happiest ways we’ve seen.
But alongside the extraordinary art and the delectable meals was the real magic factor: you!
The moment that one audience member offered a stranger-turned-friend a ride home so that they didn’t have to wait for the delayed trolley. When someone’s artistic idol turned up in the audience -- and their conversation turned into the promise of a coffee date the next week. When someone shared on the way out that they’d never felt so seen.
And that’s why this gem of a series still exists.
It’s the art. It’s eating together. It’s you, finding space for one another, and all the sparks of connection. It’s the magic of a simple table, where everyone finds a seat. It’s a Table Session.
Pull up a chair to the next Table Sessions on April 29 and 30 at Bartram’s Garden. These evenings are curated by award winning filmmaker Kristal Sotomayor, and, alongside Kristal’s film, include live music from Mariposa Galácticas and dinner from James Beard award-winning Chef Cristina Martínez of South Philly Barbacoa.
