♪♪ >> THIS IS MY FAMILY.

THIS IS WHAT I CALL MY FAMILY ROOM.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I LOVE AND THAT LOVE ME.

MY ART IS IN HONOR OF MY ANCESTORS.

INSPIRATIONS FROM GOD DESIGNED BY THE ANCESTORS.

SO GOD INSPIRES ME, THE ANCESTORS GIVE ME THE IDEAS IN TERMS OF WHAT STORIES THEY WANT ME TO TELL.

I HAVE ONE OF THOSE ACCORDION FRAMES AND THEY ARE RIGHT THERE IN MY STUDIO.

SO WHEN I GO IN MY STUDIO, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DO, I WILL PRAY, YOU KNOW, AND THEN I WILL WALK AROUND.

I'M LIKE, OKAY, ANCESTORS, YOU KNOW, I NEED Y'ALL TO TELL ME WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO BE TALKING ABOUT?

I AM THE EMBODIMENT OF WHO THEY WERE, WHO THEY WANTED TO BE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT DURING THAT TIME WHEN BLACK PEOPLE HAD LAND, A LOT OF THE SLAVE OWNERS WHO LANDS WERE CONFISCATED BY THE UNION WERE GIVEN TO THE BLACK FOLKS, THAT PERIOD, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THAT WHEN THEY STARTED RETURNING EVERYTHING BACK.

SO THOSE ARE THE TIME PERIODS FOR ME.

MY ART, I CALL THEM SLINKIES.

THEY HAVE VERY LONG SKINNY ELONGATED NECKS.

IT'S -- FOR ME IT'S THE REGALNESS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE UP, THEY'RE PROUD, THEY'RE WILLOWY, WHICH MEANS THEY CAN MOVE.

MY PIECES TALK TO YOU.

THEY DON'T HAVE FACES, AND BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE FACES, HOWEVER I DRESS THEM GIVES YOU THE PERSONA OF WHO THEY ARE.

WITHOUT FACES I HAVE TO MAKE THEM MOVE, SO THEIR ARMS MAY NOT MOVE, BUT YOU'VE GOT THE LOUD COLORS, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT THE POSITION OF THE ARM, SOMEONE IS HOLDING A PURSE, SOMEONE MIGHT BE HOLDING A FISHING POLE, BUT THERE'S -- IN ALL OF MY PIECES THERE'S SOME FORM OF MOVEMENT.

I'M PROUD OF THEM.

I'M PROUD OF WHERE I CAME FROM.

I'M PROUD OF THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE NOTHING AND MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING.

THEY TAKE THE SCRAPS OF THE PIG, YOU KNOW, AND MAKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, TASTY, YUMMY, UM, UM, UM, MAKE YOU WANT TO SMACK YOUR MAMA FOOD.

YOU KNOW, THAT IS JUST A GIFT.

AND WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN MY ARTWORK, IT'S REPURPOSED.

IT'S REPURPOSED FABRIC, IT'S REPURPOSED RUSTY ITEMS, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S -- I'M TAKING WHAT THEY TAUGHT ME.

WORK WITH WHAT'S READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU.

THIS IS WHAT I CALL PUTTING ON THE SKIN.

THIS IS THE PART THAT I LIKE THE MOST, AND THE LEAST.

BECAUSE WHAT IT DOES, THIS IS WHEN A PIECE STARTS TALKING TO ME AND I BEGIN TO GET A FEEL FOR WHO THEY'RE BECOMING.

YOU KNOW, GENERALLY I'M PLAYING SOME REALLY NICE JAZZ UP IN HERE OR SOME -- OOPS -- SOME NICE AFRICAN MUSIC, OR SOME OLD SCHOOL, LIKE THELONIOUS.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> THIS IS LUBELLE KNIGHT, SHE WAS THE MIDWIFE.

SHE WAS ALSO THE ROOT WOMAN.

YOU KNOW, SO WHEN A CHILD HAD TO BE BIRTHED, SHE BIRTHED THEM.

WHEN SOMEONE WAS SICK, SHE HAD HER MEDICINES IN HER SACK.

AND SHE WAS AN OLD WOMAN, SO SHE HAD TO WALK WITH THAT CANE.

SO SHE'S -- THERE'S JUST A SIMPLICITY ABOUT HER.

HER CANE AND HER BAG.

SO SHE'S THE WOMAN THAT'S CONSTANTLY WALKING, YOU KNOW, TO WHEREVER IT IS SHE NEEDS TO GO WHEN SHE COULDN'T GET A RIDE.

THIS PIECE HERE IS IN HONOR OF OSCAR MICHEAUX WHO WAS THE BLACK FILM DIRECTOR.

WHEN I MADE HIM -- I CRIED WHEN I MADE ALL OF THEM.

IT'S AWFULLY SPECIAL.

EXCUSE ME.

I DID NOT REALIZE I HAD MY GIFT UNTIL LIKE 2007.

YOU COULD HAVE NEVER TOLD ME I WOULD BE AN ARTIST.

WHEN I SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF ME, I KNOW IT'S NOT ME.

I KNOW IT'S MY ANCESTORS TALKING TO ME.

I HAVE A GIFT AND THIS GIFT IS JUST AWE INSPIRING.

I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD THIS GIFT.

SO WHEN I SEE SOMETHING THAT COMES OUT OF ME, IT MAKES ME FEEL SPECIAL, IT MAKES ME FEEL CHOSEN, IT MAKES ME WANT TO DO MORE, IT MAKES ME WANT TO LEARN MORE.

AND I WILL SAY THIS, AND YOU CAN CUT IT OUT OR WHATEVER IF YOU NEED TO, I'M BIPOLAR.

SO -- AND I'M ALSO AN INCEST SURVIVOR.

SO WHEN I SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF ME, I SEE THE POSSIBILITIES OF WHAT I CAN BE, WHAT ANYONE CAN BE, JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO STAY IN THAT PLACE OR LIVE IN THAT PLACE.

SO WHERE I'M AT NOW IN MY ART IS JUST LIKE, I DID THAT.

YOU KNOW?

I DID THAT.