HOWSHEALCHEMIZESCLOTH,CULTURE,ANDSTORYTELLING
n the Spring of 2024 I left my job in nonprofit real estate development to pursue art my fiber art and poetry practice full-time. It was an incredible leap to make, working on the paper promises of leads for other employment, however things were taking a turn in another direction. My husband and I also suffered a miscarriage. I didn’t know what was next other than to reap what I sew. One day I woke up and said to myself,
With the support of my husband, family, and friends, in ways that most of them didn’t even know, I began to journey back to my artistic self. Spring was one kind of season, however Summer was entirely another. I had the opportunity to have a solo show at the Thea Foundation, LEO SEASON, while also preparing for a solo experience at M2 Gallery, BLACK LOVE THEATRE, while
also teaching emerging young artists how to sew by hand and making a community quilt with the nonprofit organization, Tree Trust. I hand-stitched nearly 1,500 hours in a 3 1/2 month period. In a way, that work was rewarded by having the time and space get my ideas out. I also received the CATALYZE Grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, funded by the Windgate Foundation and
joined a cohort of 25 talented artists. I was tired, however, more determined than ever to translate all the magic in my head into my hands. Each quilt I made had a poem to go with it, a spell of sorts, of the intention behind why it was made. In every fiber of my being, I am honoring my unshakeable ancestors, predecessors, and Afro-futures. I believe that storytelling is a way of culture bearing and preservation. Every poem is a prayer. Every stitch is an incantation. Every finished piece is an artifact of the culture. I am making things that will live far beyond my fleshy mortar, and I hope that my legacy will stand the test of all time.
In this era of my life, I am a vessel, one to pour and be filled. I am a keeper, one to protect our lore and one to share. I am a mother that will continue to give birth to other things. This hero’s journey is eternal, and I am ready for the adventures to come.
