Sankofa Retrospective Catalog
What began as a mad scramble to clean out my studio in New York before moving back home to Louisville, KY, soon became an intentional labor of love. As I took inventory of the old work I had acquired through school and past residencies, it became difficult for me to just throw things away. But I was moving and had to downsize. During a phone call with my friend, Mike Ewing, curator extraordinaire, he could hear the unmistakable agitation in my voice. Being one to create opportunity through obstacle, he suggested that rather than just getting rid of things that obviously meant something to me, I should sell the work. A studio sale had crossed my mind, but this was old student work. Who would want grad school assignments? But again, Mike was thinking on another level, but I soon saw the vision. This was no simple studio sale. He wanted to help me tell my story and show it through the growth of my work. After phone calls and video conferences, Mike put together a dream team. Dominique Coleman, the graphic designer, Bianca Vivion Brooks, the editor, Mike, conceptual designer and curator extraordinaire, and myself, the artist. With our powers combined we turned a stressful move into a meaningful project. The Sankofa, Retrospective Catalog was born! Sankofa is a Twi word from the Akan tribe of Ghana meaning “Go back and get it.” It was also explained to me as a term that expresses the importance learning from the past in order to best move forward. I thought this quite fitting for a retrospective catalog and where I was mentally and emotionally at the time.
Year 2 Excerpt
“South Paw, was completed in my first semester [of my second year in grad school] and it was different from any other drawing or painting I’d done so far. It wasn’t hyper realistic, and I realized that the drawing style I was developing was not aligned with the usual Academy visual aesthetic. I was excited about focusing on the movement and anatomy of the figure without being too naturalistic and traditional. I wanted to emphasize the gesture in my final work which was something we would normally do as a warm up exercise. I wasn’t interested in measuring, making the proportions just right, putting in a background, or following rules…”
Year 3 Excerpt
“I kind of got a bonus year at the Academy because after I graduated I became a teacher’s assistant. My goal during this time was to improve my 3D practice and learn to teach while surviving as a post-graduate in NYC…”
BKLYN CLAY Excerpt
“Going into the BKLYN CLAY residency I knew I wanted to make vessels, break them, and put them back together. I also wanted to experiment with different methods and materials and learn as much as I could in the 4 months that I had. It was an exciting time because I was able to do many of the things I wanted to do…”