Subscriber First Name͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Dear Subscriber First Name, It’s been a while since my last update. The air here in Texas has a chill and blustery days will follow, but not for too much longer. The early bulbs have pierced through the soil - a reminder that Spring is near. Here in the studio, I am dusting away the remnants of an unexpectedly challenging 2023 to make way for a brand-new year. I am happy to share with you the following updates, information and invitations.
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New WorkHistory of a People
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The bird symbol on the cover is the Sankofa, reaching back to the past for knowledge and wisdom.
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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.
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History of a People Edition
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While the version of History of a People created for NMWA is a unique book, I have also completed a deluxe edition of 10.
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There are a few differences in material for the edition. The cover is braided and embellished with cowrie shells and hair.
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Instead of beading as in the unique book, the Adinkra symbols of the deluxe edition are burned into the wooden base.
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In addition to Washington DC, I’m pleased to have works exhibited at other venues this Winter in Oakland, Minneapolis, and Lynchburg, Virginia. I invite you to stop by to check out the following viewing opportunities.
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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.
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I’m thrilled to announce that I am the recipient of a Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Grant. The grant will allow me to embark on a self-directed printmaking residency, where I’ll work on two series: One will take inspiration from W.E.B. Dubois’s hand-drawn charts for The Exhibit of American Negros at the 1900 World’s Fair and Amanda Williams’s photographic series Color(ed) Theory. The second is inspired by the frequently banned health education book It’s Perfectly Normal.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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As always, I am happy to discuss or provide additional information about anything mentioned in this newsletter or any other projects. Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!
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Thanks for reading this newsletter You’re receiving this message because you signed a notification list from a show, lecture, or workshop, or requested or consented to receive updates. I hope you’d like to remain on the list, but if not, please click the unsubscribe link below. Kind Regards ~alisa
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