Remembering histories of everyday Black women centers my practice. The under-imagined and under-heard stories of their lives drive my curiosity to better understand the past. So, I examine archival sources with questions about kinship, place, and history. When looking at time-worn archival photographs, I aim to touch behind the gaze of Black mothers and know their longings. Female figures center my narratives, and I stand beside them, imagine the world from their perspectives, and listen for their stories. The stories they offer me are Heirlooms.
Nature and home are sanctuaries where these ancestor mothers hold authority and where their stories of the past begin. I know them through personal artifacts—the handed down, heirloom, antique, and vintage textiles they once held and the gardens they tilled. Using the 18th-century form of silhouette and needlework traditions I learned from the women in my family, I piece histories, and I construct a hybrid form of creative archive that unites personal and collective memories in intimate stories. The layers of texture and pattern in these works convey vulnerability, resilience, and beauty.
This show is part of McLean Project for the Arts' 2026 Spring Solos
