Home has always been defined by more than one place for Sayma Ali. Raised between Bangladesh and the American South, the Atlanta-based multidisciplinary artist turns recycled materials, discarded plastics and found objects into captivating works of art – as well as expressions of identity and connection. Artist: Ali (also known as Sayma Hossain) was born…
For Melissa Callaway, every flower tells a story. The South Carolina multidisciplinary artist creates dreamy gardens of ink botanicals and handmade blooms that explore both the beauty of nature and the complexities of human emotion. “When I paint a plant, I’m making a portrait,” Callaway said. “I’m drawn to its stoicism, beauty, tenacity, and resilience…
To create her sculptural and flat works, Alabama textile and fiber artist Kami Watson specializes in wet felting – a centuries-old process that is both labor and time intensive. In Watson’s hands, the medium becomes a rich blend of personal narrative, deep-rooted craft and storytelling. Artist: Born in Nacogdoches, TX, Watson grew up in a…
Key West’s Helen Harrison transforms pieces of nature and found objects – from palm fiber and calabash to conch shells and coconuts – into sophisticated sculptures with balanced design and unexpected beauty. Artist: Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, she graduated with a BFA from Southern Methodist University. After college she married her husband Ben and…
In her latest installation works, Miami fiber sculptor Patricia L. Cooke uses material with saturated “girly” colors and layers of detail to imitate wood carving in antique furniture and interior architecture. Artist: Born and raised in Greensboro, NC, Cooke earned her BFA in studio art in 2011 from Appalachian State University. In 2018 she received an…
Kentucky native Emily Ridings says her fashion training helped refine her eye for silhouette, proportion and storytelling: Qualities that now define her basketry. Artist: The Kentucky native grew up in Richmond in a creative family. Judy Ridings, her grandmother, is a master basket weaver who lived nearby. Ridings’ mother is a talented seamstress. By age…
Growing up in Colorado, Chad Hayward experienced the feeling of openness and expansive space that today influence the Georgia artist’s wide-ranging and interdisciplinary work. Artist: Born in Summit County, NJ, Hayward moved to Colorado at the age of 7. After high school, he studied fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,…
Tennessee fiber artist Rena Wood employs vintage materials and elaborate hand stitching to create artwork that honors textile histories and past makers. Artist: Grew up in St. Louis, MO, making arts and crafts and encouraged by her creative parents. Wood’s dad is a painter and retired professor of art. Wood’s mother was skilled in sewing…
Christina Jensen Vicente took the scenic route to becoming an artist. After more than two decades working in the luxury industry, the Florida-based fiber artist now brings her design experience to life through handmade fiber wall hangings, sculptural works and material experimentation. Artist: The Georgia native was born to Danish parents and raised in Atlanta.…
Over her 30-plus years as a mixed media artist in Virginia, Frankie Slaughter has challenged herself to create art in various mediums. From intensely colorful paintings and porcelain panels to oversized sculptures and hand-sewn textiles. Artist: Born in Lynchburg, VA, Slaughter grew up with artistic parents. Her mom practiced modern dance and later taught art…