BORN:

Boise, ID

raised:

Bay Area, CA & Wichita, KS

EDUCATION:

BFA in Fibers, Arizona State University- Tempe, AZ

LIVING:

Tucson, AZ

As long as I can remember, I have been creating. It’s the one thing that has always come naturally to me. Throughout my lifetimeI have explored various art forms, drawing, painting, foundry, etc. But the one that speaks most to my soul is fiber arts.

Growing up my mother was an avid quilter, and she also sewed a lot of my clothing. While the processes were always interesting to me, it wasn’t until college that I found my calling in the fiber arts. Particularly with embroidery, weaving, dyeing, and screen printing. Later I learned that my enslaved ancestors likely worked on indigo plantations. Which led me to inquire more about their textile knowledge and eventually learning that my African ancestors, specifically from Nigeria and Mali, were also indigo and textile artisans. Bringing my relationship to the fiber arts full circle. Helping me to reconnect with, and mend the parts of my roots that had been lost for so long.

I grew up between the Bay Area and Wichita, shuffling between my never married parents. Isolated from extended family, on both sides, I began to ponder my existence, considering those who came before, and who I wanted to become for my potential children. I considered the unnamed ancestors and what they may have hoped for my future. I considered the things they were denied and was determined to  make sure that their sacrifices weren’t in vain. 

As a child my mother would take advantage of the opportunities for free admission to take me to various museums and experiences around the Bay Area. Ensuring that I received more education than what was simply available in the public school system. Around 14 years old I saw Kara Walker’s work, for the first time, at the SFMOMA. This was a transformative experience for me, as it was in this moment that I realized I could also be a Black woman artist showing in museums. 

Armed with consideration for history and future, I create a variety of fiber based works depicting the unfolding of my identity as life shifts and transitions. And how that identity fits into the grander scheme of things.