Picking Up What You’re Putting Down

“Picking Up What You Are Putting Down” is about connecting with those values as represented by the banjo, an instrument with strong cultural connections to Black history. The banjo forms are constructed from wet-processed handmade paper. The banjos sit across from each other like figures sharing stories on a porch. They call to mind sound but sit silent, withholding their conversation from the viewer. The two translucent forms have a skeletal and ghostly form, shifting between something old and possibly something of an organic speculation of the future.

The banjo is arguably the most American instrument we have. It is an African American and Afro-Caribbean instrument that was left behind during the Great Migration because of its association with slavery. In the present day, many Black people in America, including myself, have picked the banjo back up. With both a desire to connect with the values of those from our past and a call to redefine this symbol.