i followed the drinking gourd and it led me to myself/love/healing/community
i followed the drinking gourd…is a collection of screen prints using foods of the African Diaspora as a reference to memory, love, health and travel. I honor the various methods of cooking, visual details and culinary histories and traditions associated with Hibiscus, Okra, Collards, Black eye peas and Yuca.These are all foods I ate growing up that hold significant importance to place and people for me. I reflect on the use of memory and personal experience as a way to archive and share my story with others.
I created repeat pattern designs as the base layer for each work using the foods and their textures as the surface and proceeded to layer my memories, writings and personal photos to create the final collage. The hand-sewn bead sequins references my Haitian roots and adds a final layer of raised dimension.
"Hibiscus"
12.5” x 19”
Screenprint and mixed media on paper
Edition of 25
Text Reads:
some call you jamaica //
others call you sorrel //
i heard my mom call you te choublak //
but i know you as my favorite //
you bleed a red so beautiful //
from deep hued dried leaves //
that when drank as a tea //
brings back instant memories of home //
of ayiti //
each of your petals are a page //
that shares our connections //
our recipes //
across the afro diaspora //
i never knew you came in different colors //
until i saw you all dressed in white in okap //
i am in deep gratitude for your existence //
whenever our paths cross //
"Black Eye Pea"
12.5” x 19”
Screenprint and mixed media on paper
Edition of 25
Text Reads:
while walking the streets of bahia //
I had you in the form of acarajé //
a street food involving meticulous preparation //
dating back to west africa //
whose spiritual connections speak of the orisha shango in yoruba //
watching the women grind and beat the soaked peas //
and then drop the mixture into the red hot palm oil //
showed me a new way to enjoy you //
these ‘balls of fire’ connect us back //
to our spiritual practices //
our songs //
our histories //
our stories //
"Collards"
12.5” x 19”
Screenprint and mixed media on paper
Edition of 25
Text Reads:
your leaves are like navigational maps //
of routes //
pathways //
highways //
and bridges //
guiding us to the wealth and abundance //
that is ours //
what if you were used in this way? //
long ago //
to guide my people//
to this day //
to these moments in time //
where we get to commune //
around you //
and connect with each other //
over and over again //
you are especially significant //
every new year //
where there is always a space for you //
on the southern plate //
whether made with ham hock //
bacon //
turkey neck or good ol' seasoning //
the pot likker will always be good //
"Okra"
12.5” x 19”
Screenprint and mixed media on paper
Edition of 25
Text Reads:
sautéed, fried or pickled //
i'll take you however you're prepared //
i found you on every continent i've traveled to thus far //
but when i learned to grow you myself //
was when i loved you even more //
you require a patience //
that is humbling //
yet a harvest that is plentiful //
when split lengthwise //
your pods hold //
seeds of understanding //
each one reminding me how to use the knowledge //
of my people //
as i go forward//
in life //
from stem to flower //
you are divine //
"Yuca"
12.5” x 19”
Screenprint and mixed media on paper
Edition of 25
Text Reads:
my favorite memory of you //
was in cuba //
i've had you before //
both savory and sweet //
but sitting in havana //
surrounded by artists and musicians //
hearing the sounds of rumba in the background //
enjoying yuca con mojo and yuca fritas //
both with salsa de ajo //
left a distinct taste in my mouth //
one of connection //
in your uncooked state //
your skin reminds me of tree bark //
the way it cracks along the path //
each ridge holding the properties of health //