Angela Drakeford: Homecoming

July 11 – August 17, 2019

In her solo exhibition, Homecoming, the artist Angela Drakeford explored the power of plants to preserve the human spirit and the home garden as a place of healing and refuge from racialized trauma. Drawing on her personal home aesthetic, Drakeford brings together real and artificial plants, vintage furniture, textiles, books, and digital media to create a multi-sensory environment inspired by the domestic spaces she has created to nurture her own wellbeing.

Against the backdrop of current media, where citizen videos evince how Black bodies are hyper-policed by law enforcement and civilians in public spaces, from parks to golf courses, Drakeford understands her work to be an “act of resistance” and “a mental health practice.” Visitors are invited to read and relax in the gallery while reflecting on the privilege of rest. Drakeford says: “I think of the exhibition as an invitation to be in your body.”