Free Your Mind at American Folklore Society Annual Conference
Dates: November 6- 9
Location: Albuquerque NM
2024 Textile Society of America Symposium:”Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles”
Dates: November 12-17
Location: Zoom
ONGOING
Beyond: Tapestry Expanded
Exhibition Dates: August 26- December 15
Location: Peeler Art Center at DePauw University; 204 E. Seminary St., Greencastle IN
Radical Reimagining
Dates: October 9 – December 1
Location: Newark Museum of Art; 49 Washington St, Newark, NJ
NEXT
This Easter 2025, McCarty and I are heading to Rome, and I can hardly contain my excitement. Rome has been on my travel list for as long as I can remember, and the fact that we’re going for Easter makes it all the more special. There’s so much to take in, and I’m already imagining all the incredible sights, sounds, and—let’s be honest—tastes we’re going to experience. I’m looking forward to the entire experience—soaking in the art, the history, the food, and, of course, the company.
Step into Beyond: Tapestry Expanded and experience Blackity Black Blanket Ladders, a powerful visual statement on resilience and protection. Crafted from commercial fishing nets and black zip ties, these striking ladders symbolize the climb out of racial gaslighting and into self-empowerment.
American Tapestry Association’s Beyond: Tapestry Expanded
Exhibition Dates: August 26- December 15Location: Peeler Art Center at DePauw University; 204 E. Seminary St., Greencastle IN
Im so pleased to share that, The Great Resignation Emotional Baggage Cart is featured in the Fall 2024 Surface Design Journal: Embrace: Expect the Unexpected, SDA International Exhibition in Print!
Join me this weekend for The Emotional Baggage Cart Parade at the CARE Art in Odd Places Festival! This unique public art experience invites you to witness and engage with a visual metaphor for the emotional burdens we all carry. I’ll be roaming the streets with my transformed shopping carts, offering an interactive opportunity to explore and release your own emotional baggage.
Catch me at the following times and locations:
Friday, October 18: 12:00-2:00pm, roaming Avenue A to 3rd Avenue along 14th Street
Saturday, October 19: 12:00-2:00pm, roaming University Place/Union Square West to 7th Avenue along 14th Street
Sunday, October 20: 12:00-2:00pm, roaming Seventh Avenue to Eleventh Avenue or the water along 14th Street
Come say hello and experience this moving installation as we transform emotional weight into art. See you there!
ARTWALK NY brings together hundreds of artists, art-lovers, and other compassionate New Yorkers to celebrate the role of “artist-as-activist,” to raise awareness about the crisis of mass homelessness and to support programs that directly help homeless individuals and families. The vibrant live and silent auctions and lively cocktail reception have drawn crowds of prominent guests for over 25 years, and in 2024, features the works of over 60 influential and emerging artists.
This year, ARTWALK NY will feature my piece titled Embody Queendom (2022) in the charity event. As a artist, I love to support worthy causes with my work, as a collector I love charity auctions for the opportunity to snatch up works from other artists at cost. So don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow your collection and support a worthy cause.
ARTWALK NY will also honor Katherine Bradfordas the 2024 Artist Honoree and Aileen Agopian for her philanthropic contributions to Coalition for the Homeless.
The Coalition for the Homeless provides emergency food and clothing, eviction prevention, crisis services, permanent housing, job training and special programs for kids to over 3,500 people a day. Since 1981, we have given more than one million homeless New Yorkers a way off the streets.
When I learned that this year’s Newark Arts Festival theme was Radical Reimagining, I immediately knew that my Blackity Black Blanket belonged in the exhibition. The concept of Radical Reimagining challenges us to envision a world where art, culture, and connection shape everything we do. It’s a call to deconstruct the systems of oppression we know and to co-create communities based on equity and justice. Blackity Black Blanket fits right into this narrative by addressing the very real, yet often invisible, impact of racial gaslighting.
Blackity Black Blanket speaks to my personal experiences of racial gaslighting—those subtle, undermining comments that push me to doubt my own understanding of racism. Phrases like, “Are you sure it was about race?” or “You’re being overly dramatic,” are attempts to dismiss my reality and avoid difficult conversations. Over time, these interactions have weighed heavily on me, resulting in insomnia, anxiety, and emotional baggage that feels impossible to carry alone.
In creating this piece, I am reclaiming my power and crafting an aesthetic armor. The blanket, woven from recovered commercial fishing nets and adorned with thousands of black zip ties, acts as a shield—both literally and symbolically. It’s a form of self-protection against the weight of gaslighting, and through this work, I exorcise the demons of doubt that these interactions have instilled in me.
In the spirit of Radical Reimagining, Blackity Black Blanket embodies the idea of using art to confront uncomfortable truths and to build a world where marginalized voices are honored, heard, and protected. Just as Radical Reimagining calls us to reshape society, my work pushes for the acknowledgment and dismantling of racial gaslighting as we strive for a more just future.
Radical Reimagining
Dates: October 9 – December 1
Location: Newark Museum of Art; 49 Washington St, Newark, NJ
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” is now open at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN! This exhibition, running until December 8, 2024, is an exploration of contemporary tapestry and textile art, pushing the boundaries of this age-old medium into new realms of creativity and expression. My work Blackity Black Blanket Ladders has been included in the exhibition.
What to Expect at the Exhibition
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” features a diverse range of artists who are reimagining tapestry through innovative materials, techniques, and concepts. From large-scale woven installations to mixed-media pieces that blend textiles with unexpected elements, the works in this exhibition challenge traditional notions of what tapestry can be. The show is not just about weaving threads; it’s about weaving ideas, histories, and contemporary issues into the fabric of art.
Visitors can expect to see works that explore themes such as identity, memory, social justice, and the environment. Each piece tells a unique story, inviting viewers to engage in a deeper conversation about the role of textile art in today’s world.
A Curatorial Vision Realized
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” would not have been possible without the vision and dedication of Erica Warren, the exhibition’s curator. Erica has spent countless hours thoughtfully curating this show, writing an insightful essay for the accompanying catalog, designing the exhibition layout, and installing the works. Her efforts have created a truly immersive experience for visitors, offering a fresh perspective on what tapestry can be. Thank you for your hard work on all of this.
The exhibition also benefited from the expertise of jurors Jade Yumang and Alexa Griffith Winton, who juried my work into the show. They have also contributed their own essays to the catalog, adding depth and context to the exhibition.
To explore these essays and learn more about all the artists and their work, you can order a copy of the catalog here.
Plan Your Visit
I encourage everyone to visit the gallery and participate in the Curatorial Talk by Erica Warren on Tuesday, September 10, at 4:30 pm Eastern. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from the curator about her vision for the exhibition, the selection process, and the themes explored in the works on display. Come experience “Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” in person at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center, located at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.
Blackity Black Blanket, ladders and emotional baggage cart, ladders only
I’m excited to announce that the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade will be part of Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2024: CARE Festival, happening from October 18-20, 2024, along 14th Street in Manhattan! Curated by Patricia Miranda and Christopher Kaczmarek, this year’s festival brings together 76 incredible artists and collectives to explore and celebrate the concept of “CARE” in all its forms.
Art in Odd Places is a unique festival where art breaks out of traditional spaces and takes over the streets, and I am thrilled to be one of the participating artists this year. This year’s theme, CARE, invites us to pause and reflect on questions like: Who do we give care to? What is worthy of our care? When can care be too much? And can we extend our care beyond ourselves, our families, and even beyond our species?
For my piece, the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade, I’m inviting everyone to come together and confront the psychological burdens we carry daily. By transforming ordinary shopping carts into mobile art installations, this parade offers a powerful metaphor for the emotional baggage we all carry. The goal is to create a communal space where participants can symbolically release these burdens, fostering empathy, connection, and healing. I’m eager to share this experience with you all!
A Preview of the Festival
Let me give you a sneak peek at some of the other powerful works you’ll encounter at the AiOP 2024 CARE Festival:
Fungal Entanglement by the Lichen Likers is a wearable fabric sculpture activated by performance, encouraging us to care for the non-human citizens of New York City. Join them for an embodied experience that opens up new ways to connect with the environment we all share.
COAST/LINES by Earthworks, featuring Catherine Chen and Cristina Bartley Dominguez, is a moving performance that addresses the tensions and burdens of our changing landscapes by slowly transporting a boulder sculpture through the city.
Coneheads by Giannina Gomez offers a playful yet poignant take on public health and safety in our chaotic urban environment, helping those in need and reminding everyone to stay alert.
you are here by Deirdre Macleod presents an alternative way of navigating and knowing a city through a slow, careful act of drawing and mapping the fragments of 14th Street at a 1:1 scale. It’s a meditative experience that makes us think about what it means to truly see and understand a place.
WASH!: rituals for healing at the laundry line by the WasherWoman Collective is a community installation and story-sharing experience that invites us to witness and honor the contributions of our foremothers, moving through grief towards a future reimagined.
Urban Animist Intervention Ritual Hex by Creatures From The Hole Poetry & Film Collective//Autocracy will roam 14th Street, activating urban “inanimates” and engaging the public in their whimsical and revolutionary “puppet” interventions.
These are just a few of the fantastic works that will be featured at AiOP 2024 CARE. This festival will challenge, inspire, and move us as we think deeply about what it means to care for ourselves, each other, and our world. Full details of all projects, along with the locations and timing of performances, will be released in mid-September, so stay tuned!
Join Us!
Mark your calendars for October 18-20, 2024, and come experience the art, creativity, and deep reflections on care that AiOP 2024 CARE has to offer. I can’t wait to share the streets of Manhattan with all of you in this incredible festival of public art!
See you there, and let’s join together in a chorus of care!
