1.
Passage, when momma lets my braids flow down my back
wool, synthetic braiding hair, wood, plaster, resin, satin
64 x 15 x 15 inches
2021

In collaboration with stylists Kiki Jewell, Nyja Amos, and Gracie Jewell

Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship
Portfolio

2.
Indigo Mask 1
From the collaborative project:

blue/Black/baby smiles,
singin’ to an old river-
we hear you coming.

indigo dyed wool, denim fringe, gemstone beads
19x8x4 inches flat
2021

3.
blue/Black/baby smiles,
singin’ to an old river-
we hear you coming.

A youth-led parade that took place in Cleveland, OH, sponsored by SPACES with support from Ohio Arts Council.

Youth Band: Dalma Cintron, Sir Majesty Lawson, Aniyah Correa, Iris Gamez Hernandez, Cari Hunter, Trinity Fine Foster, Yoshiah Brown
Youth Mask Performers: Skye Downey, Samone Cummings, Derrick Davis, Maxine McElrath

Locations:
St. John’s Episcopal Church, one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad
Lakeview Terrace, one of the first public housing projects in the United States
Whiskey Island, the site where enslaved Africans boarded boats to Canada in search of freedom

4.
Your Banks are Red Honey Where the Moon Wanders (self portrait)
wool, cocoa butter soap, black sand, resin on wood
36x51x10 inches
2020

5.
and the light would shine through, and we could remember their faces
wool, wood, fabric
26x18x4 inches
2022

6.
Inner City
indigo dyed wool, wood, wool fabric
33 x 30 x 3 inches
2020

7.
Remembering Her Homecoming
Masks- merino wool, wire, felt
18 x 26 x 18 inches.
2018

An ancestral journey, in the form of a collaborative traveling performance, that traces the arrival of Black people into the city of Richmond during the time of enslavement and the generations to follow.

Locations:

Richmond’s Slave Port, the beginning of the Trail of Enslaved Africans
African Burial Ground
The Devils Half Acre- site used as a jail of enslaved peoples
Jacksonward Neighborhood, a historically Black neighborhood and once a site of thriving Black businesses

Two minute clip from the short film,

Remembering Her Homecoming

Torian Ugworji
8:05 minutes
2018

8.
For Granddaddy
wool, mixed fabrics, glass beads, iron, plastic,
Tapestry rod fabricated by Patty Lyons
48 x 38 x 4 inches
2022

9.
For Auntie Rasha (Self Portrait)
wool, naturally dyed cotton, mixed fabrics, iron, plastic
Tapestry rod fabricated by Patty Lyons
40 x 30 x 4 inches
2022

10.
Security Blanket
Mixed textiles, glass beads, batting, steel frame
Quilt: 5 x 46 feet
Frame: 6.5 x 10 x 11 shoes wide, high and long
The dimensions of the frame are that of Canaan’s current cell, measured by his shoes
2021

Security Blanket is a part of the installation, Canaan: when I read your letter, I feel your voice - a multi-layered installation and collaborative performance that intimately displays the exchange between Nastassja Swift and her brother, who is currently incarcerated within the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Five minute clip from the performance,

Canaan: when I read your letter, I feel your voice

This performance included Nastassja, Kira Jackson, and Diamond Frost, who each read letters received from their incarcerated loved ones. Here, Nastassja is reading two letters from her brother, Canaan.

37:05 minutes
2021