Peace friends,
I am excited to share my journey from this year’s Artist in Residence program with the Baltimore Museum of Art, Joshua Johnson Council, and Maryland Institute College of Art. Having not held a residency since I graduated in Spring 2022, this moment brought me incredible joy. Not only was I selected for a competitive position, but I happened to be at the point in my art practice where I feel divinely guided towards my role as a cultural recordkeeper with printmaking as my medium.
Over the latter half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, I’d gone through many changes and intense transformations amid the chaos around the world. It had been a bittersweet journey with many ebbs, but fortunately, the flow of my consciousness never ceased. Holding onto the propensity to seek joy every day has afforded me spiritual connections with new acquaintances and deepened the ones with the people I hold dear. Considering myself now an established artist is synonymous with the recognition of my purpose as a lightworker and the impact it creates in today’s turbulent environment
In other words, I’ve come to accept the baton being passed down to me through land that continues to inform my calling as a community artist, printmaker, and land steward. Excited merely scratches the surface of how this residency and opportunity to preserve narratives that will ultimately make future ‘others’ aware that Black queer and trans people have always existed - in all the joy and pain - made me feel. We’ve thrived and managed to heal the world for many years without many reciprocated efforts.
The art that I created while in residency will eventually live outside of the white walls of a studio and within the nestle of Elm and Beech trees, streams that glow the color of turmeric with clear, cool water you could wade in, and the peaceful lull of the birds of a variety. Spirits too. This iteration of the living archive will further emphasize our connection to nature and the diversity that reminds us of our humanity and our responsibility towards each other.
For this iteration of the ARCHIVE, I collaborated with three people who have inspired me and have impacted my life in one way or another - Brandon, Boutzie, and EJ. The number three is significant to my spirituality and informs many of my creations. In numerology, the number three holds the vibration of creativity, self-expression, expansion, communication, and optimism. The triangle, with three sides, is the strongest shape and can be found in many architectural designs (i.e. in bridges that stretch across bodies of water). The holy trinity can be found in the Christian faith (my initial upbringing), in specific ingredients in traditional dishes, such as diced onions, bell peppers, and celery in many Cajun and Creole dishes, and in the rhythm of the caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly metamorphosis. I am also the third child born to my mother.
My conversation with all three individuals carried a sacred vibration, and, in turn, elevated this project to a degree that could not have been predicted. They were prompted to choose one word from a list given to them before our conversation, that related to their existence, spirituality, and joy. While speaking with Boutzie, she insisted that this was no longer just an art project I was conducting but a spiritual calling I was answering. As soon as those words were uttered I felt chills and an “a-ha” moment. It’s uncommon that we as Black gender-expansive people get the opportunity or safe space to share and explore our lived experiences. A cathartic feeling came over me - the resonance of a spiritual acknowledgment and understanding. Since that day I knew I was on track with my divine purpose.
Having deep and tender interpersonal moments with people fulfills me in ways that are sometimes hard to describe. I always learn more about myself when I allow vulnerability to take the front seat. I also feel that much more connected with the world.
Halfway into my residency, I was released from my job after had what been a little over a year. It was indeed a shock to my system, but more than anything it was an initiation to my greater purpose. I’ve also come to learn the power of redirection and succumbing to the genuine yearnings of my being. So, while the uncomfortable feelings from the abrupt change roamed through my body, through the guidance of my spiritual support system as well as my community, family, former colleagues, and friends, I’ve been able to see my light and spiritual role reflected to me. To say this process was simply healing is an understatement. It was deeply transformative and eye-opening.
Shortly after my separation from my employer, I went on a meditation retreat to the sacred land of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, organized by The Intuition School. That’s when the work of surrendering to my calling truly began. I disconnected from “the outside world” and ventured inward to depths within myself I had yet to meet. Reflections on the conversations I had with Brandon and Boutzie resounded a little louder and, with the assistance of an intense and full-body-reverberating sound bath along with moments of endearing connections with others on the retreat, afforded me the direction that my journey as a healer, cultural recordkeeper, and land steward needed to take. When I arrived back in Baltimore everything tasted, looked, and felt different. Yet, the feeling of alignment this archive brought me only intensified. EJ and I were left to have our conversation and the carving of the linocut and transcription of all three conversations followed.
My residency concluded with a studio visit from the Joshua Johnson Council and Baltimore Museum of Art and further planning for the site-specific installation at Lacy Oasis, which is informed by my relationship with the church.
The full digital transcription of each conversation from this archive will be available late Summer 2024.