IMPERMANENT PRESENCE: RITUAL, GATHERING & CONNECTION THROUGH THE ETHIOPIAN COFFEE CEREMONY
Saturday, March 14
10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Queen Rose Art House, 843 N Birmingham Pl, Tulsa, OK
Join artist Eyakem Gulilat for Impermanent Presence, an immersive Ethiopian coffee ceremony exploring ritual, reflection, and the power of gathering. Rooted in a long-standing cultural tradition, the ceremony invites guests to slow down, share space, and experience coffee as a communal practice of presence and connection.
A specially curated meal featuring Ethiopian and Haitian food will follow the ceremony. The event will also include a special guest appearance by Faris Sanabani, a Yemeni coffee expert whose work centers coffee’s cultural history, global exchange, and social impact.
Impermanent Presence explores how ritual creates spaces of connection, reflection, and shared experience. Rooted in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony—one of the oldest and most enduring social traditions—this gathering invites participants to slow down and engage with one another through the act of preparing and sharing coffee. The ceremony unfolds through a series of intentional steps: roasting the coffee, grinding the beans, brewing, and serving, each moment creating space for conversation, memory, and presence.
In many cultures, rituals function as ways of holding community together. They offer moments when time briefly pauses and people gather to recognize one another. Through the Ethiopian coffee ceremony and other shared practices, Impermanent Presence reflects on how these fleeting moments of togetherness can foster deeper relationships and a sense of belonging.
Participants are invited not only to observe but to experience the ceremony as a communal act—an opportunity to sit, listen, and engage in dialogue. In this space, coffee becomes more than a beverage; it becomes a medium for connection, storytelling, and affirming community.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS + GUESTS
Eyakem Gulilat is an Ethiopian-born interdisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in questions of belonging, cross-cultural encounter, memory, and place. His practice often explores how ritual and shared experience can create connection across communities. Gulilat has also incorporated the Ethiopian coffee ceremony into his artistic work to bring people together through conversation, storytelling, and hospitality.
Faris Sanabani is a Yemeni coffee expert focused on coffee’s cultural heritage, sustainability, and farmer livelihoods. Public biographies describe him as someone shaped by Yemeni heritage and committed to connecting people and cultures through coffee. He is also associated with efforts to elevate Yemeni coffee through transparent sourcing and long-term support for smallholder producers.
Founded in 2021 by interdisciplinary artist Kalup Linzy, the Queen Rose Art House is a social, but critical art space that engages with our local, national, and international art communities. Through hosting events like gatherings, performances, exhibitions, screenings, symposiums, and short-term artist residencies, the project is intended to inspire and create a safe space for artists to dwell.
Established in 2015, Tulsa Artist Fellowship was created as a place-based initiative by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) that addresses pressing challenges faced by contemporary artists and arts workers living in and joining Tulsa, Oklahoma.