Links & Lineage at Congo Square
“Links & Lineage at Congo Square”, Mixed Media: Textiles, Acrylic, Spray Enamel and Handmade Papers and Ephemera, 40x30x2in, 2026
“My artworks center immersive, multidimensional explorations of cultural memory, history, music and identity of the Black diaspora and in particular the rich, complex tapestry of my Caribbean and my family’s New Orleans’ African American and jazz heritage.
My husband’s family has long-standing roots in New Orleans, spanning generations whose stories are intertwined with the city’s history, culture, and resilience. Their legacy, alongside the histories of the Free People of Color, informs much of the thematic and visual language of my work. Through photography, digital tools and software, assemblage, and mixed-media installations, I explore these intergenerational narratives using multimedia and mixed media works, highlighting the ways family and geography carry lessons, values, and cultural wisdom forward as legacy.
The figurative pieces [in this artwork] draw on the traditions of Congo Square, where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays to drum, dance, and preserve cultural practices under the canopy of ancient trees. These works honor the Ancestor Tree as a meeting place of spirit and body, a space of resilience and cultural rebirth. In the canopy of the Church of the Sacred Ground, figures appear in communion—dancing, listening, and remembering—embodying the ways in which trees and landscapes hold memory and spirit.”
—Dr. Michelle Ferrier, aka d.a.f
