Family Follicles is a mixed-media textile piece honoring my ancestors.
Burlap represents their labor.
Synthetic braiding hair represents my DNA—my roots.

I’ve been researching my family tree for years, and this is the first time that work became physical.
The images span generations—my grandparents, their parents, and their grandparents—alongside census records, marriage licenses, and war registration cards.

The table in front was made by me in grad school from found and scrap wood.
It holds a candle, a small statue of a mother, grandmother, and child, and my late great-aunt’s Bible—opened to Psalm 23, a verse my grandmother made us recite every visit.

I wanted this to feel like a quiet corner of a family home.
An altar of memory, lineage, and labor.

I made two versions—one for my maternal side, one for my paternal side—
holding space for those who came before me and sharing their stories