Summer Listening Circle

Tuesday, August 11
6 – 7:30pm
Free; capacity is limited, and registration is encouraged.

Inspired by Indigenous talking circles, the Listening Circles series invites participants into a space of reflection, dialogue, and deep listening. Guided by Denise Dunkley, master artisan, educator, and member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, each gathering creates opportunities for intergenerational exchange and shared learning through stories, lived experiences, and collective conversation.

For the summer session, Dunkley will be joined by Sebastian Medina-Tayac (Piscataway Indian Nation), an Indigenous food sovereignty advocate, farmer, and educator who runs Red Cedar Farms in southern Maryland. His work centers on ancestral agricultural knowledge and Indigenous relationships to land, food, and community.

Drawing from Indigenous farming traditions, Medina-Tayac will share perspectives on stewardship, intergenerational knowledge, community resilience, and the balance between human and ecological well-being. As he has expressed, “Food systems are at the heart of that balance.” Together, Dunkley and Medina-Tayac will guide a conversation exploring what Indigenous agricultural traditions can teach us about listening to the land, cultivating reciprocity, and fostering deeper connections to one another and the natural world.

For many Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon rainforest, círculos de la palabra—circles of the spoken word or talking circles—are essential communal gatherings where knowledge, memory, and care are shared. Elders, adults, and the youngest members of the community sit together in a non-hierarchical circle, listening attentively to one another while affirming listening as a collective responsibility. These practices nurture intergenerational bonds and recognize wisdom as something that emerges through presence, reciprocity, and time.

Location: Calder Gardens Disc (outdoor area near main entrance). If weather conditions require, the program will move indoors.

Born in the southernmost tidewaters of Lenapehoking, Denise Bright Dove Ashton-Dunkley is a master artisan, educator, public speaker, tribal councilwoman, and a citizen of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation of New Jersey. For over 25 years, she has used art to carry forward ancestral knowledge, guided by her grandmothers. Holding a master of legal studies in Indigenous Peoples law, Dunkley pairs art and advocacy to advance Indigenous rights, climate justice, and MMIW awareness, with work exhibited internationally.

Sebi Medina-Tayac is a citizen of the Piscataway Indian Nation, a state-recognized tribe in Maryland, and a farmer and community organizer based in his tribal homelands. At Red Cedar Farm, he grows ancestral varieties of corn, beans, squash, and tobacco while educating his community on Native agriculture practices and food systems. He serves as director of the Indigenous youth initiative for Earth Guardians, a nonprofit that supports young people working on the frontlines of environmental justice, and leads food sovereignty, cultural education, and healing justice efforts for Nekamaco, a community organization in the Piscataway territory.

Listening Circles take inspiration from Indigenous círculos de la palabra, creating a space for dialogue, attentiveness, and shared reflection. The series fosters deep listening, intergenerational exchange, and the sharing of lived experiences across cultures.

Programming at Calder Gardens is generously supported by Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz; The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston; Donna Green; Michael Sternberg; and the Friends of Calder Gardens.