This custom tea, served in horn-shaped vessels handmade by Alison Pebworth for the Cultural Apothecary, now on view in Building 6 at MASS MoCA through September 2026, was created in collaboration with herbalists Rebecca Guanzon and justin adkins of Wild Soul River in nearby Williamstown, MA. Turmeric, the tea’s primary ingredient, contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The qualities of Turmeric (the “golden root”) along with the other magical and medicinal ingredients of Willow, Birch, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Atlantic Sea Salt, Maple Sugar make this particular custom blend a good potential curative for Americanitis, an anxiety disorder and inflammation-related condition that was first identified in the late 19th century and serves as the founding concept behind Pebworth’s interactive exhibit. Beginning in the mid-19th century, soda fountain counters were introduced to pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada, and became not only places for dispensing reparative elixirs, but also spaces for socializing. Alison Pebworth reflects fondly on the Rexall Drug Store that her grandparents operated in Dewey, OK, and on the soda fountain culture in which her mother grew up in the 1940s. As she travelled across rural America, Pebworth grew to love the similar fixed-stool counters (which still exist at many bars, cafés, and diners) that allow solo diners easy conversation with locals and strangers. During select hours, visitors to Cultural Apothecary are invited to sit at this long countertop and sip a tea made with turmeric and other herbs and local ingredients made especially for this exhibit. The Golden Root Tea is hand mixed, packaged and stamped by Alison Pebworth and Wild Soul River in North Adams and Williamstown, MA. Ingredients - Turmeric, Willow, Birch, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Atlantic Sea Salt, Maple Sugar.
