In this time of heightened political and social unrest in the United States, the higher education classroom has become a space where preservice art education students can discuss issues of identity and social interaction, including stories of "surviving" holiday dinners. Students often report that during meals with family and friends, they are reluctant to disrupt a time of celebration, and so they choose to withhold their differing views on current sensitive topics. Avoiding these conversations sometimes results in feelings of discomfort, which students have discussed in the classroom. What came of these conversations was the author's creation of "The Table Setting as Medium" project. This project became a means for students to give voice to the very social issues they often found critical yet difficult to address at the dinner table.