Quilts
Queer Atlantics (2024)
Quilted cyanotype photographs printed on cotton, 110 in x 100 in
The quilt is a visual archive of my queer and trans community in Miami finding solace, comfort, acceptance and refuge in Florida bodies of water. I felt a quilt was the perfect medium for a visual archive that centers the warm feeling of being held and loved on by our natural environment. The construction process involved several community quilting circles, inviting my queer community to collaborate in embroidering the quilt and printing messages about their relationship to the ocean for the border.
These textiles function as visual archives and counter narratives of queer and trans life in Florida. More than just survivors of anti-trans and homophobic state legislation, my queer community gathers at and seeks power from our natural aquatic environment. Documenting these rites and rituals is crucial in the face of erasure of Florida queer and trans histories.
Ancestor Altar (2024)
Cyanotypes on cotton, digital photographs, paper, upcycled antique quilt, 80 in x 40 in
A family heirloom quilt chopped and screwed. An antique quilt from Virginia passed down from my aunt, collaged with photos of ancestors, ancestral lands and family history on fabric. Investigating quilting as a medium to connect with a long line of quilters in my family tree as a mode of healing white settler generational violence and trauma.
Weaving our Stories: Miami Workers Center 25th Anniversary Quilt (2024)
Quilted cyanotype on cotton, vintage tenant rights campaign shirts, 105 in x 105 in
A collaboration with the Miami Workers Center. The quilt acts as a living archive, weaving our history and struggles together and celebrating 25 years of building power with working-class tenants, workers, women, and families in Miami-Dade County.
The quilt was designed and built communally by the multigenerational members of the Miami Workers Center through a series of workshops I facilitated. Members learned cyanotype photo printing techniques, machine and hand sewing, quilting and embroidery techniques.
The theme of the quilt is homecoming. A quilt is a sacred object passed down through generations, fulfilling the essential need for warmth and comfort as much as creative expression and storytelling. Ensuring working people in Miami have safe and affordable homes is at the core of the Miami Workers Center’s advocacy for tenant rights.