A Womb of Violet

As part of the Project for Empty Space 2019 Feminist  Incubator Program, I organized and published A Womb of Violet: An Anthology which organically evolved later in the year into a collective of Black women writers, poets, and interdisciplinary visual artists from Newark. Our limited edition, 146-page risoprint artbook, A Womb of Violet: An Anthology, features a collection of contemporary voices in poetry and art by Black women artists who pay homage to the work of Black feminist/womanist thinkers. A Womb of Violet is archived in collections at The Newark Public Library, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The Free Black Women’s Library, The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale and The Library of Congress.

In the fall 2019, A Womb of Violet was then commissioned to create a mural in conjunction with The Four Corners Public Arts project. The collective worked in collaboration with muralists Layqa Nuna Yawar and Kelley Prevard to visualize and execute a 110 feet mural honoring two significant figures in Newark arts and poetry community, Gladys Barker Grauer and Breya Knight. Members of the collective that contributed to this project include Jasmine Mans, K. Desireé Milwood, Bimpé Fageyinbo, Jillian M. Rock, Shekia Norris, Dr. Antoinette Ellis–Williams, Margie “Mia X” Johnson, Kween Moore, and Jennifer Mack-Watkins.

A Womb of Violet was also featured at the Art on the Vine art fair in Martha’s Vineyard and highlighted at the 2019 Badass Art Woman Awards in 2019.