Gwendolyn Phillips Coates talks about the Wonder of Women Gallery and Retreat Revival in Seattle
Photos by Cydney Stephens
Gwendolyn Phillips Coates stopped by The Day with Trae recently to talk with host Trae Holiday about the Wonder of Women retreat revival in May. Coates is the manager of Wonder of Women, WOW Gallery, here in Seattle.
“The WoW gallery is a different kind of gallery,” Coates said. “It's not your traditional gallery, it is a healing art exhibition, with over 60 iconic Black women featured. Over 250 years of Black history on the walls at the gallery, in a time when certain states and certain political figures are trying to have Black folks not even know about our history, let alone folks of other cultures.”
Due to the pandemic, WoW has been unable to host a retreat since, making this year's event a “revival” retreat. The “revival” also marks the eighth year of Wonder of Women International's commitment to hosting retreats focused on healing and self-reclamation.
Coates pointed out how important it is to have a place in Seattle where people can be at home.
“They're banning books, and they don't want our children to know about the atrocities that happened when our parents were brought here, over the Atlantic stolen from Africa, and brought here to be enslaved and in servitude for free,” Coates said. “There is this push to silence that information. When you walk in, you walk into the ancestral portal where we pay homage to our ancestors. Many times we call their names right there in the beginning of coming into the wild gallery. There's the love, liberation legacy, light, and black love galleries.”
The WoW gallery has five different galleries, a retail space, and seven healing suites.
“Most of our healing comes from the inside out because the doctor can give you a prognosis, but you are the one as an individual who decides how you are going to receive information for yourself,” Coates said. “The seven healing suites breathe, read, write, listen, speak, remember, and affirm. Each person can go into those particular rooms, and find out how to interact with that particular suite. It just brings healing to your soul.”
The Wonder of Women International is the visionary behind the WoW gallery, founded by Veronica Very Davis.
“When she decided to curate this space and invited me to be part of that I was so honored,” Coates said. “It's amazing to see people who are of different ethnicities, all ages, all walks of life, who come into the space. It is a healing space, it's transformative, and it will make you remember. You will be laughing one moment and crying the next. It brings out the sensitivities of people.”
The weekend event will kick off with a casual pajama party on Thursday night, followed by speaker sessions on Friday. Saturday promises an immersive excursion at the WoW gallery, while Sunday will conclude with a sister circle gathering and a special Mother's Day brunch, offering a diverse range of experiences for attendees.
“We need to think about ‘How can I be my better self?’” Coates said. “‘How can I revive? How can I bring those parts of my creativity back alive?’ You can do it by taking time with yourself and your sisters and hearing the kind of messages that will build you up.”
The WoW retreat revival is taking place at Cedar Brook Lodge from May 9 through 12. For more information or to purchase a day package to thewonderofwomen.org.
For more stories about local events in Seattle, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
