Dust to Light Watch Party & Tea Ceremony
If you didn’t catch the screening of DUST TO LIGHT last year, now is the time to join our community member and filmmaker Erika Houle for an afternoon release gathering and Tea Ceremony before the year ends. The film is an award winning short documentary about what is really going on under the surface when we are cleaning. It listens as four Zen & Tea practitioners reflect on the transformative process of cleaning when it is approached as a meditation rather than burdensome chore.
“There never was a bodhi tree
nor a mirror bright
the mirror is already clean
so where is the dust to alight?”
-Hui-Neng
We find much connections in the zen practices and the practice of tea in life. Hope this film encourages small, meaningful changes in your life despite the noise and distractions around us.
For those who cannot attend in person, an option to join the screening and Q&A via Zoom will be available.
The schedule will be as follows:
1:45 p.m. | Doors Open
2:00 p.m. | Tea Ceremony
3:00 p.m. | Film Screening + Q&A (also available online)
Limited spots. All are welcome.
Tickets are $15, please register by purchasing a ticket from the link below. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, please email office@newyorkzendo.org or call 212-861-3333 if you need financial support.
Community Engagment Tea _ Tea & Soundbath Workshop with Tia
Tea & Soundbath Workshop with Tia
Summer Tea 2025
We are looking forward to our 7th year of Summer Tea at Prospect Park!
11 am–12 pm
Walk through the nature trails by the boathouse led by Prospect Park Alliance staffs
Balcony Yoga at the Boathouse led by Enmy Uribe
Tea in Nature with live Shakuhachi music by James Schlefer
12 pm–3 pm
Community Tea Circles
Enjoy a community cultural experience created by various community members. Participating artists and community members include Eduard Boguslavsky, Esther Gim, Erika Houle, Fifa Atef, Jaegi Lissade, Joyce Maio, Haru Matsuhisa, Heather Cabrera, Makomako, Mariusz Mikulec and Mengyan Gong, Michelle Huang, Michiko Tomioka, New York Tea Society, Sara Shacket, Sifu Ken Lo, Talia Steiger, TD, Tia. Timothy Chacko, Victoria Schmidt-Scheuber and many more friends and volunteers.
Odes to Common Things poetry appreciation and writing under the elm tree with Robin Lampman.
Sustainable Paper-Making Workshop with Michele Brody, led by Destiny Jones and Chelsea Bravo
Heaven and Earth Tea Hut 天地茶屋 - One on one purification experience with the Artist Ines Sun
Flamenco & more by Andreas Arnold & Tania Mesa
Special thanks to
Odes to Common Things Spring 2025 Culmination
" The art of tea, much like the art of poetry, is steeped in tradition and culture but leads in the end to a deeper appreciation of everyday life and a deeper appreciation of what we have in common. "
- Pablo Neruda (1904 –1973)
We invite you to gather at a pop-up show at Stand4 Gallery to celebrate two years of the Odes to Common Things project, inspired by Pablo Neruda’s work. Yes, our 100 Odes to Common Things with Tea is published. Join us for the reading and take a peek at the book!
While so many feel lost or broken once again, we have witnessed so much hope through our community work. The simple art of slowing down through tea - to sip, to listen, to reflect, to engage in dialogue, and to make meaningful connections - holds much quiet power in its small ways for our shared humanity.
On View (until July 26, 2025, by appointment only)
. Odes to Common Things Poetry installations
. Broken and Lost. Featuring works by Ines Sun
Join us with one of those items at the culmination.
Do you have a piece of teaware that is broken?
Or one that’s missing a part?
What is the story behind it?
Be part of the community project.
*You can also donate those items to the project and mail them along with a story if you wish to Tea Arts & Culture at 1350 Pacific St, Floor 1, Brooklyn, NY 11216, before Sep 30, 2025. We will collaborate with community artists to develop art initiatives for the community in 2026.
Special programs for the culmination
2:15-3:00 Tea and conversation I with special guests
3:00-3:30 Poetry writing and sharing with Robin Lampman
4:00-4:45 Tea and conversation II with special guests
4:45-5:15 Poetry writing and sharing with Robin Lampman
See you there!
Special thanks to
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Spring Tea 2025
Due to the potential rain on Saturday, we are rescheduling the event for Sunday.
We are excited to have our first Nature Tea outside of Brooklyn since 2019.
Join us to celebrate Spring in The Bronx at Van Cortlandt Park!
Featuring:
Nature Walk 2pm
With Van Cortlandt Park Alliance staff
Tea experiences from 2:30pm
With Nizar Gartit for Moroccan Tea
Garden herbal tastings
and more
Odes to Common Things Poetry from 2:30pm
With Robin Lampman
Washi Paper Making from the Paper Mulberry Tree from 2:30pm
with Michele Brody the Bronx River Art Center
FREE events. Space is limited.
Meet Nizar Gartit:
Nizar Gartit at Spring Blossom 2023. Photo by Katie Gee Salisbury
Nizar is a Moroccan culture advocate and the founder of the Women's Museum of Marrakech, the first institution in Morocco and North Africa dedicated to showcasing the history, culture, and creativity of Moroccan women.
His passion for preserving Moroccan heritage goes beyond museum walls. Nizar brings traditional practices to international audiences, notably through Moroccan tea ceremonies he leads in New York City. These gatherings offer a sensory experience rooted in ritual and hospitality, allowing people to connect with Moroccan culture in a deeply personal way.
In the contemporary art world, Nizar has emerged as a significant curator, with a portfolio that spans photography, painting, and multimedia installations. His exhibitions provide platforms for both emerging and established artists, encouraging artistic dialogue and celebrating diversity in expression.
Through his wide-ranging initiatives—blending tradition, innovation, and social impact—Nizar reflects a blend of vision and rootedness, all driven by a deep belief in the power of culture to connect and inspire.
Meet Michele Brody:
Paper making at Summer Tea 2024, Photo by Katie Gee Salisbury
Michele Brody with Summer Tea 2024 participants. Photo by Katie Gee Salisbury
Growing up in a family of builders, she was inspired to construct forts from natural materials in the woods of 1970s Staten Island, suggesting a future inspired by nature and the built environment.
In 1994, Brody earned an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, marking the beginning of a 30-year career as an independent installation artist. Grants and artist residencies awarded by respected institutions such as NYFA, NYSCA, LMCC, Pollock/Krasner Foundation, Bronx Council on the Arts, Skowhegan, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Wave Hill allowed her to maintain a full-time creative practice as a mixed-media environmental artist outside of traditional gallery markets.
Michele has created commissioned installations in France, Costa Rica, Germany, and Taiwan alongside national shows in Chicago, Indiana, Arizona, and Vermont. Collaborations with NYC exhibition venues showcasing her work include LES Tenement Museum, Hudson Guild, Bronx Museum, NY Botanical Gardens, and the artist-run spaces of JVS Project Space and AAA3A.
She is currently preparing for her Artist Studio Program Spotlight, solo exhibition at the Bronx River Art Center, as she concludes a 3-year Artist-in-Residence.
Michele will introduce the Japanese tradition of making washi paper from Kozo, or the mulberry tree. Participants will be invited to re-purpose the used tea leaves from the day’s tea ceremonies by adding them to the paper, which is then dried and used for the Odes to Common Things poetry writings by the community members.
Meet Robin Lampman:
Robin Lampman at Spring Tea 2024. Photo by Katie Gee Salisbury
Robin is a published poet and an educator with 35 years of experience teaching in universities, high schools, and elementary schools. She has a Master’s Degree in Bilingual Education and has taught literature in two languages in the public schools in New Mexico, Texas, and New York as well as at the University of Monterrey in Mexico and the American School of Madrid in Spain. She has also taught English as a Second Language to adults at the University of Texas in Austin and at the El Paso Community College in El Paso. Texas.
She produced a volume of poetry by eighth graders in East Harlem which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and published by the Big Read. For the last several years she has been teaching writing classes for The Noble Maritime Collection. She developed and taught an adult class on Poetic Forms and taught classes on the reading and writing of literature in two languages.
Robin is Editor in Chief of Unspoken Word, an online international literary magazine, and she is Director of Poetry and Tea for Tea Arts and Culture.
Special thanks to:
This program is partially funded by a 2025 Cultural Immigrant Initiative grant from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Councilman Eric Dinowitz of Council District #11.
Earth Day at Maggie's Magic Garden
Come together at Maggie’s Magic Garden to celebrate our shared appreciation of Mother Earth and the community.
Community Engagement Tea
Join us for a peaceful afternooon with tea and friends in the garden.
Community Engagement Tea
Join us at Maggie‘s Magic Garden for an afternoon of campfire stories and tea.
Autumn Tea 2024
Join us at Autumn Tea to sip tea and create with artist Justine nguyễn-nguyễn.
Community Engagement Tea
Come join us at Maple Street Garden for a mindful moment with tea!
Fall Fay Day
Join us for a magical day at Success Community Garden, where you can dive into a world of storybook fantasy and fun.
Summer Tea 2024
How can we say enough about Summer Tea or any of our events?
You have to experience it to know what it is about.
We had a blast at Prospect Park for a whole day again, gathering to steep and sip tea together with arts, music, and nature. It must have inspired many on a journey to learn, be curious, be patient, and connect with ourselves, nature, and each other. We hope to see you in 2025!
Photos @ Katie Gee Salisbury
11 am–12 pm
Nature Walk *meet in front of the boathouse
Morning Yoga with Enmy Uribe * bring your yoga mat
Tea Meditation with Kristina Clark and Joyce Maio *First come, first served.
12 pm–3 pm
Poem Composing Tree
Join us in sipping tea, appreciating and writing Odes to Common Things poems under the tree with Robin Lampman.
Green Tea Sampling with New York Tea Society
Sustainable Paper-Making Workshop with Michele Brody
Performances
Improvisation by Vong Pak and Rick Parker
The Brooklyn Nomads, featuring artists Hadi Eldebek, Ramzi El-Edlibi and Gideon Forbes
Community Tea Circles
Enjoy a community cultural experience created by various community members. Participating artists and community members include Mengyan Gong, Kristina Clark, Joyce Maio, Sara Shacket, Sina Jasteh, Mariusz Mikulec and Victoria Schmidt-Scheuber, Makomako, Michelle Hur, Michelle Huang, Eduard Boguslavsky, Enmy Uribe, Renee Keitt, Annette Perry, Lia Lucero and more.
Community Poetry & Tea at Eastside Outside Community Garden
Join us to appreciate the beauty of nature through the joy of tea, poetry and art.
Odes to Common Things Spring 2024 Culmination
Spring 2024 Culmination for the Odes to Common Things project..
Odes to Common Things Spring 2024 Culmination
Spring 2024 Culmination for the Odes to Common Things project..
Community Poetry & Tea at Hill St Community Garden
Join us to appreciate the beauty of nature through the joy of tea, poetry and art.
Spring Tea 2024
Join us for an afternoon of tea outside to celebrate the Spring season.
Brewing Green Tea Using a Bowl
Join us for our learning series - Introduction to Chinese Tea Ceremony to learn the basics of performing Chinese Tea Ceremony. This session will focus on brewing green tea using a bowl.
In this workshop, you will:
Discover the rich history of Chinese tea and various types of green tea.
Learn the ritual and techniques of brewing green tea using a bowl. We’ll use West Lake Longjing as an example.
Engage in the practice of brewing green tea using a bowl.
All necessary tea and teaware are provided, and no prior experience is needed. Guided instruction will ensure a smooth learning experience for all participants.
Photo @ Mengyan Gong
Limited to 8 participants. Workshop ticket: $40.
Cannot afford the workshop? Apply to our mentorship program.
Photo @ Mengyan Gong
Instructor: Mengyan Gong
Gong Mengyan, a New York-based tea artist, has been immersed in the study of Chinese tea since 2015. She is a student of Li Shuyun, one of China's most innovative masters of tea aesthetics. Mengyan has hosted various tea ceremonies in collaboration with New York City's art and cultural institutions. In 2023, she founded Teasthetic with a mission to spread the tradition of Chinese tea art and culture in a modern way.
Eager to explore further? We warmly invite you to join other sessions in our Foundations of Chinese Tea Ceremony series. Discover new teas and teaware, and explore more brewing techniques.
Tea Ceremony at BIOART Art Space
Experience a unique fusion of traditional tea culture and contemporary art.
Brewing Red Tea Using a Gaiwan
Join us for our learning series - Introduction to Chinese Tea Ceremony to learn the basics of performing Chinese Tea Ceremony. This session will focus on brewing red tea using a gaiwan.
In this workshop, you will:
Discover the rich history of Chinese tea and various types of red tea.
Learn the ritual and techniques of brewing red tea using a gaiwan. We’ll use Lapsang Souchong as an example.
Engage in the practice of brewing red tea using a gaiwan.
Photo @ Mengyan Gong
Limited to 8 participants. Workshop ticket: $40.
Cannot afford the workshop? Apply to our mentorship program.
Instructor: Mengyan Gong
Gong Mengyan, a New York-based tea artist, has been immersed in the study of Chinese tea since 2015. She is a student of Li Shuyun, one of China's most innovative masters of tea aesthetics. Mengyan has hosted various tea ceremonies in collaboration with New York City's art and cultural institutions. In 2023, she founded Teasthetic with a mission to spread the tradition of Chinese tea art and culture in a modern way.
Photo @ Mengyan Gong
Eager to explore further? We warmly invite you to join other sessions in our Foundations of Chinese Tea Ceremony series. Discover new teas and teaware, and explore more brewing techniques.