I am honored to have been one of nine book artists invited to complete a commissioned work to commemorate the grand re-opening of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC.

My work, History of a People traces African American history and culture through scent. Each of the six bottles (or chapters) holds a custom blended scent that corresponds to the cultural landscape of selected historical periods: Roots, Journey, Arrival, Harrow, Protest, Visioning. The scents symbolize the complex layering involved in the creation of a new culture.

Book materials were selected for their historical significance, particularly indigo, cowrie, beads, and hair. The overall form is based on African architecture and African tribal crowns with the thought of their continued evolution over time and distance. The interior surfaces of the base, which are inaccessible to the reader, hold written incantations as offerings.

The bird symbol on the cover is the Sankofa, reaching back to the past for knowledge and wisdom.

The grand re-opening weekend kicked off with a gala followed by many events. The book arts exhibition was one of several that opened throughout the museum. Thank you to former Director of the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center and exhibition curator, Lynora Williams, and to Elizabeth Ajunwa, current Library Director, and thank you to the NMWA staff for all their hard work in bringing this exhibition to life. 

The celebration is year-long, and the museum is planning several events. Holding Ground: Artist’s Books for the NMWA, will be on display until October 2024. If you are in the DC area, please consider stopping by to see the beautiful spaces and exhibitions.

While the version of History of a People created for NMWA is a unique book, I have also completed a deluxe edition of 10.

There are a few differences in material for the edition. The cover is braided and embellished with cowrie shells and hair.

Instead of beading as in the unique book, the Adinkra symbols of the deluxe edition are burned into the wooden base.

History of a People will be on view in In This Moment: The Book as Witness, curated by artist Julie Chen at the Environmental Design Library at UC Berkeley, January 10 – March 3, 2024.

Emergence, above

I will have three books on view at the CODEX Foundation’s 9th International Biennial Book Art Fair & Symposium International Book Fair, in Oakland, February 4–7, 2024:

Emergence will be offered at The CODEX Foundation’s Art From Afar table inside the entry of the venue.

Self, above

Both History of a People and Self will be offered at the Book/Print Artists of Color Collective Table #124.

A copy of Self is also available in the shop at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Inheritance, above

Inheritance is on view in the 112th Annual Exhibition: Back to Front: Artists’ Books by Women, at Randolph, College in Lynchburg, VA. The book is one of several on loan from the Cynthia Sears Collection at Bainbridge Museum of Art, in Washington. Ancillary to the exhibition are viewer engagement opportunities, including the repository of one-page books in the Quarantine Public Library, to which I contributed 2020, a book honoring victims of police violence. The exhibition will be on view through April 11, 2024.

Beading in progress

I’m beyond excited to be a recipient of a Women’s Studio Workshop Studio Residency Grant. It will be a real treat to “live” in their studios, experimenting and working with the materials I’ve collected over time including those from my ancestor’s farmland.

My work was featured in several publications last year. Thanks to everyone who spotted it and shared their finds with me.

Fire is one of several books featured in Jewel Box Delight, by Richard Turnbull for the Spring 2023 issue of Printmaking Today covering the newly reopened Mortimer Rare Book Collection at Smith College.

Self is featured in Issue 5 (August 2023) of Fore Edge, a quarterly e-newsletter published by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, “a nonprofit visual arts center that celebrates the art of the book.”

History of a People is featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Women in the Arts magazine published by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The article, Holding Ground: Artists’ Books for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, is written by exhibition curator, Lynora Williams.

Please stay tuned for my essay in the premier issue of Alabastron, a journal “exploring aromatic history, culture, and practice.” In the essay, I write about my process for creating the scents used in History of a People.

Chocot, above

Today, I welcome home Chocot, which has been on view at the US Ambassador’s residence in Dili, Timor-Leste (East Timor) for the past two years.