Water, Fiber, Form: Stories of Black Hair is a mixed-media exhibition that explores the intersections of material, memory, and identity through textiles, ceramics, and collage. Rooted in Black hairstyling traditions, the work reimagines hair as a fiber art, positioning braiding, weaving, and adornment within the lineage of contemporary craft. Water functions as both material and metaphor, shaping form while reflecting transformation, resilience, and continuity. Through large-scale textile installations, woven hair tapestries, and ceramic vessels that hold, anchor, and expand fiber, the exhibition creates a layered environment where structure and movement coexist. Collage works extend this narrative, assembling fragments of image, pattern, and texture into visual stories of cultural memory and self-definition. Together, these works challenge conventional hierarchies of craft and art, honoring the labor, ritual, and innovation embedded in everyday practices while inviting viewers to reconsider what is seen, valued, and preserved.

IA&A at Hillyer - Washington, DC - June 2026

Photography: Stephen L.A. Miller