A SHARED VOCABULARY
Preview Reception: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Artist Reception: Friday, April 26, 2024
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 27, 2024 | Virtual Via Zoom | Register here
“You are the soul of the soul of the Universe, and your name is Love.” ― Rumi
A shared vocabulary is the collection of words, art, music and culture that ties together the human experience!
For over three decades, since my first journey to Africa I have documented my physical and spiritual journey. I have done this through writing, drawing, performance and textiles. The work in ‘A Shared Vocabulary’ is documentation of experiences depicted in textiles and mixed media inclusions. Titled as such because we share the same fundamental experiences; love, culture, spirituality…. separated only by man’s edicts.
This exhibition is a celebration of my path as a traveler and witness. The vocabulary I am sharing is one of Love, the universal phenomenon that cannot be measured, feared or diminished. Love is the difference between living a life of fulfillment and a life of dread. To Lead with Love is to be the Creator of your own reality, your thoughts, and your feelings.
The pieces in this exhibition explore the familiar act of paying homage, celebrating and appreciating. Each piece is hand sewn and beaded, because I need that direct connection between the materials and my hands.
The Process
Choosing fabrics, colors and threads for each piece is an intuitive practice, it’s a form of meditation or prayer. In some cases, I have taken a year to complete the piece. Others just flowed from me without time passing. Each figure or representation carries its own color associated with the internal energy of an individual or the energy of the act represented.
Within this body of work are three series.
Series #1 “Embracing Spirits”
The works in this series explore perceptions of the spirit world presented as abstract concepts or material objects. In some African societies, the use of masks, architecture, textiles and other material objects to pay homage and practice beliefs are common. The beauty of these practices has been a fascination of mine for over three decades and I believe they are about replacing fear with love. Each piece is a page from my personal experiences in the village of Mangapwani in Zanzibar, representing a story or an event to which I bore witness. This is my effort to be open to, yet unattached, it is in this way we learn so much about the ways of the world.
Series #2 “Homage”
These textiles are my representation of the stories of my ancestors and our shared journeys. Whether it is the act of pouring libations, celebrating our journey through the dance of the drum, listening to the voice of the drum, as the sound of creation, or acknowledging the undertaking of journeying from the village to the plantation to integration. Acknowledging the wisdom, fortitude, and perseverance of those who came before us is necessary to our continuance as a people.
Series #3 “Ndio Maisha” (That’s Life)
Everyday activities and shared experiences comprise the pieces in this series. Overall, they are a celebration of the joy we receive from small acts and everyday life. I represent portraits from life in Zanzibar and America. They are about living our best life through music, hair braiding, empowerment, storytelling, sharing with family, friends and community.
