OUR EXHIBITIONS ARE A PROCESS DIFFERENT FOR EACH ONE.

THERE DEFINITELY IS A LOT OF WORK.

EVERY SHOW THAT I HAVE WORKED ON, THERE HAS AT LEAST BEEN WORK, AT LEAST NINE MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO GET IT TO WHERE IT IS AT.

>> WHEN YOU PUT TOGETHER A BIG EVENT, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A TEAM.

WE HAD TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY.

EVEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHATEVER HAPPENS BEFORE THIS EXHIBITION, THE ARTISTS WORK WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE JUST TO GET TO THIS POINT.

YET THE INSTALL TEAM, OR INSTALLING THE EXHIBITIONS, THERE ARE NIGHT, YOU MIGHT BE HERE UNTIL 2:00 IN THE MORNING.

IT IS ALL FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF LIFE.

I AM TRADITIONALLY A POET.

A LOT OF ME TRANSITIONING INTO THE EXHIBITION WORK HAS BEEN ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I WILL ENGAGE PEOPLE THROUGH PHYSICAL INSTALLATIONS OF MY WORK.

I REALLY STRUGGLED TRYING TO THINK VISUALLY AT FIRST.

WHEN I WAS PREPPING FOR THE EXHIBITION THAT I HAVE COMING UP, NOBODY TEACHES US HOW TO BE DAUGHTERS, I WROTE INTO IT.

I WROTE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PIECES.

I WROTE THE POEMS.

I WAS LIKE, HOW DOES THIS SHOW UP PHYSICALLY?

SOME SHOW UP WITHOUT LANGUAGE.

HOW DOES IT SHOW UP AS UGLY IN THE SPACE?

HOW WOULD SOMEBODY ENGAGE WITH THIS?

HOW DOES THIS MAKE SOMEBODY FLAT REFLECT OR PAUSE AND INSERT THEMSELVES INTO A STORY?

HOW DOES IT MAKE THEM CONCERNED WITH THE STORIES OF THEIR OWN FAMILY OR THEIR OWN IDEAS OF INHERITANCE?

>> WHEN APPROACHING THE EXHIBITION AND CURATING, WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THE EXHIBITION TO REALLY ARTICULATES WHAT THE TOPIC IS, ESPECIALLY MY CASE.

A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I DEAL WITH IS BEING BLACK.

IT IS SUCH A COMPLEX TOPIC.

UNLESS YOU ARE PART OF THAT COMMUNITY, YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

I THINK OFTEN TIMES, WHEN IT COMES TO THE EXHIBITIONS, WE THINK ABOUT THE INHERENCE.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BRING TOGETHER ALL OF LIFE'S INSTANCES AND MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE PART OF THE EXHIBITION?

>> NO ONE TEACHES US HOW TO BE DAUGHTERS STARTS WITH A STORY OF A FAMILY MEMBER OF MINE THAT HAD GONE MISSING.

I WAS REALLY STUCK ON THIS IDEA OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MISSING, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS A BLACK PERSON AND AS A BLACK WOMAN.

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE GO MISSING WITHIN OURSELVES.

JUST THE IDEA OF ONE SINGLE IDEA THAT IS SPLITTING ITSELF IN 1 MILLION DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND THEN IT HITS THE VISUAL PIECE AFTER I HAVE WRITTEN INTO IT.

>> THE TAPESTRY HERE, THIS WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION WE HAD IN AN URBANIZED SPACE.

I WAS ABLE TO PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY WENT.

WE ARE CONSIDERING A FLOW, REGARDLESS OF ALL THE PIECES IN THE SAME SPACE.

IT WILL NOT TAKE PLACE OR MAKE SENSE.

THERE SHOULD BE A STORY.

HOW DO WE THINK OF DURATION AS STORYTELLING?

WE GO INTO THIS PROJECT.

27 ARTISTS.

WENT TO TELL THE STORY.

FROM THEIR, IT IS JUST NAVIGATING AND WORKING WITH DIFFERENT ARTISTS, AND DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND HAVING A VISION.

WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP THEIR RELATIONSHIPS.

>> MY FAVORITE PART WAS LEARNING TO LEAD.

I LIKED THE PLANNING IN THE BEGINNING.

WITH IT BEING YOUR FIRST TIME, YOU CAN EITHER THINK TOO SMALL, OR YOU CAN THINK SOME BIG.

THERE WERE MOMENTS WHEN I WOULD CATCH MYSELF THINKING SMALL.

I WAS LIKE, WE GOT THIS TEAM IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE, LET'S THINK AS BIG AS WE CAN.

>> THE PROCESS WAS MY FAVORITE, NOT EVEN THE EVENTS.

I LIKE THE CONTINUATION OF WHAT WENT ON BEHIND THE SCENE.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COLLABORATING AND BRAINSTORMING AND RESEARCHING, AND FIGURING OUT HOW WE WANTED TO ADDRESS ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS.

THAT ALL CARRIED OVER INTO THE ACTUAL EVENTS.

>> THE EXHIBITION ITSELF WAS IMMERSIVE.

THE EVENTS THAT WE HAD WERE IMMERSIVE.

IT REALLY ALLOWED ME TO SEE, EVEN MORE THAN JUST BEYOND MY HEAD, HOW CREATING THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES, IT IS VERY ENGAGING IN THAT SPACE.

>> THE OPENING PART OF THE EXHIBIT IS PULLING FROM THE VIDEOS THAT I TOOK OF MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER BEFORE SHE PASSED.

I HAD ABOUT AN HOURS WORTH OF VIDEO OF HER.

I ONLY HAVE ABOUT FOUR MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS LEFT.

I AM PULLING FROM THAT AUDIO, AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.

WE HAVE SOME PHYSICAL PIECES THAT BELONGED TO HER.

>> I WANTED TO FOCUS ON INHERITANCE AND THEN MOVE THROUGH ALL THE THINGS THAT DISRUPT IDEAS OF INHERITANCE.

I AM HOPING TO END IN THE SPACE THAT CAUSES FOLKS TO REFLECT OF THEIR OWN INHERITANCE AND THEIR OWN PLACE, THEIR OWN METAPHYSICAL LOCATIONS.

I THINK SO MUCH ABOUT THE FOLKS THAT CAME BEFORE ME.

FOR ME, THAT IS MOST SPECIFICALLY THE WOMEN.

I THINK SO MUCH ABOUT LINEAGE, AND THE VALUE OF THE STORIES OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME BEFORE ME.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HOPE FOR IS THAT PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE A PROCESS OF REFLECTING ON THEIR OWN, AND MAYBE HAVING THEIR OWN INVESTMENT IN THE PRESERVATION, THE PRESERVATION OF STORIES, AND PEOPLE THEY MIGHT STILL HAVE ACCESS TO, AS THOSE EMBODIED ARCHIVES, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I THINK HISTORY, AND RETELLING IS SO FICKLE.

THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE ONLY ACCESSIBLE FOR YOU.

IF THEY ARE NOT ARCHIVED AND PRESERVED, THEY WILL BE LOST.

SOME THINGS ARE PRESERVED THROUGH ORAL STORYTELLING.

THAT FEELS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO ME AS A BLACK PERSON TO BE IN CHARGE OF ACTUALLY DOCUMENTING THE LINEAGE.

I HOPE THAT, REGARDLESS OF HOW FOLKS IDENTIFY, THAT THEY WILL HAVE A MORE VESTED INTEREST IN PRESERVING THE STORIES OF FOLKS AROUND THEM.

>> YOU CANNOT APPROACH EACH OTHER SAYING EVERY SHOW IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY VISION IS DIFFERENT.

THERE IS A DIFFERENT SHOWING STORY AND EACH SHALL.

WE'RE LOOKING WHERE WE LOOK AT THE EXHIBITION.

WE LOOK AT WHAT THE PURPOSE, THE VISION, AND GOING FROM THERE.

THAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST LESSON.

>> WE ARE LEARNING THINGS ABOUT DOING THIS WORK.

WHEN WE SEE THE IMPACT IT CAN HAVE ON THE ARTISTS IN THE SHOW, AND THE COMMUNITY THAT IS VIEWING THE SHOW, AND IN SOME CASES, LIKE WATCHING THEIR VISION COME TO LIGHT, I ENJOY HELPING AND GETTING TOGETHER.

IT ALL REFLECTS A CERTAIN EXPERIENCE IN THE CULTURE.

THE REACTIONS THAT I ENJOY THE MOST ARE CHILDREN.

I REMEMBER BEING A KID AND GOING TO ART SHOWS AND THINKING, WOW!

SEEING THE CHILDREN”S REACTION THAT’S MY FAVORITE PART OF IT.