Art Exhibition Opening: Linens and Laces

LINENS and LACES Exhibition

Join us for the opening reception of LINENS and LACES, a new art exhibition featuring works by Noelle Barber and Deshonna Buchanan, our latest Zora Neale Hurston Fellows in Placemaking, Community-Building, and Literary Arts.

PROGRAM

• 2:00–2:30 p.m., art plus live music
• 2:30 p.m., introductions and opening by Jennifer Wolfe
• 2:35–3:05 p.m., readings and Q&A with Deshonna and Noelle
• 3:05-4 p.m., conversation and exploration, including an opportunity to experience various forms of fiber arts: spinning, weaving, knitting, quilting, embroidery, and more.

Enjoy personal stories exchanged through mementos from the artists and the community: quilts, cross-stitch pieces, weavings, yarns, and more.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Deshonna and Noelle are exploring ideas of lineage and feminine creativity that have threaded down through the generations in the form of fiber arts, including spinning, weaving, natural dyes, the color indigo, and fabrics, as well as the role these creative traditions play in the rituals of women’s lives. It’s a kind of personal storytelling long underappreciated and critically important to understanding more of who we really are.

Noelle’s work focuses on the culture surrounding indigo, her Gullah Geechee heritage here in Jacksonville—the southernmost reach of the culture and one of its most fragile links—and how we can draw upon the knowledge and wisdom of our past to reconnect with the soil, with plants, and with the deep ancestral knowledge that has been forgotten.

Deshonna is an artist whose primary medium is writing. She uses photography as both a creative tool and a weapon for good, transforming her words into visual narratives that invite reflection, dialogue, and healing. Her current work explores the stories of African American brides before, during, and after their weddings, examining the memories, traditions, and lived experiences they carry. Through storytelling, photography, and textiles associated with the institution of marriage, she investigates how these traditions have shaped—and continue to shape—the lives of Black women across generations.

WHAT ELSE

We will have themed journals, anthologies, T-shirts, and, of course, art for sale. Your purchases will directly support women writers and artists, helping us fund future art exhibitions like this one, as well as fellowships, scholarships, internships, and other programs that make our community more accessible to a diverse range of women artists and writers.