N’DJAMENA EMBASSY 2017

A fifth generation Navajo weaver whose name literally means “the weaver,” TahNibaa Naataanii lives on a Navajo reservation where she not only weaves but raises the sheep to supply much of the wool she needs. She shears, spins, and dyes the wool and then weaves it into rugs and wall hangings. “When I weave, I feel the wisdom of my Great Matriarchs before me.”

TahNibaa Naataanii, Mother Earth Shawl, Wool, Overall: 26 x 48 in. (66 x 121.9 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Shiprock, New Mexico

Alice Beasley, A Meditation on Time, Fiber, Overall: 28 x 22 in. (71.1 x 55.9 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Oakland, California

In the Urban Chatter series, “the density of contemporary city living merges vocal, electronic, mental, and spiritual chaos into a confluence of concentric hustles, jabbers of conversations.”

Sharon Kerry-Harlan, Hide and Seek, Artist-designed fabrics, thread, Overall: 58 1/4 x 63 3/4 in., 6 lb. (148 x 161.9 cm, 2.7 kg), Courtesy of the artist, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Jeffrey Gibson, who is half Choctaw and half Cherokee, creates sculptures and paintings that combine traditional Native American art with contemporary art and culture. Aurora is inspired both by modern paintings and Native American parfleche, or rawhide, bags.

Jeffrey Gibson, Aurora, Canvas over birch panels, graphite, acrylic, and oil paint, Overall: 68 x 87 x 2 1/2 in. (172.7 x 221 x 6.4 cm) - made of six separate sections: 1: 35.5 x 32; 2: 33 x 24; 3: 47 3/4 x 25; 4: 40 x 22 1/4; 5: 45 x 21; 6: 38 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches , Courtesy of the artist and Marc Strauss Gallery, New York, New York

"Meaning and intellect in abstract art can be difficult to locate, as there is no narrative to lead us into it. It is like the voice itself. I use pattern and color to create the voice. And I use structure and form to channel it."

Marina Adams, Cheek to Cheek, Acrylic on linen, Other: 78 x 68 in. (198.1 x 172.7 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York, New York

“These vessels often refer to women’s bodies as containers of shared experiences and individual stories, which shape and hold the content of their lives. They speak of the importance of the women in my life, of their strengths and sorrows, their growth and joys… My craft-development work with women in Africa has had a profound influence on my art and on my life.”

Jackie Abrams, The Stories of our Childhood, from "Spirit Women" series, Cotton fabric, waxed linen thread, stones, Overall: 8 x 7 x 7 1/2 in., 3 lb. (20.3 x 17.8 x 19.1 cm, 1.4 kg), Courtesy of the artist, Brattleboro, Vermont

Jackie Abrams, The Matriarch, from "Spirit Women" series, Re-cycled blouses, waxed linen thread, stones, sticks, Overall: 10 x 13 x 11 in., 6 lb. (25.4 x 33 x 27.9 cm, 2.7 kg), Courtesy of the artist, Brattleboro, Vermont

Maryanne Moodie, Untitled 2, Cotton, wool, silk, alpaca, lurex, copper rod, Overall: 50 x 40 in. (127 x 101.6 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Melbourne, Australia

Maryanne Moodie is best known for applying unexpected color combinations to her nostalgic designs. She is inspired by the intricacies of vintage textiles, traditional costuming, modern art, and the natural world.

Maryanne Moodie, Untitled 1, Cotton, wool, silk, alpaca, lurex, copper rod, Overall: 50 x 40 in. (127 x 101.6 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Melbourne, Australia

“My practice is driven by an ongoing fascination and involvement with retentions and continuities in the African-Atlantic world… The work seems to emerge out of the crossroads of life, history, memory, and imagination; a place between many worlds that suggest many layers of meaning.”

Leonardo Benzant, Paraphernalia Of The Urban Shaman (POTUS M:5), Clothes/textiles, cardboard tubes, leather, coins, coffee-grinds, string, wire, rope, monofilament, matte-medium, acrylic-ink, glass beads, and miscellaneous items, Lengths: 2 pieces: 105 inches 2 pieces: 101 inches 86 inches 127 inches 88 inches 25 inches 57 inches 84 inches Diameter; 2 inches - 6 inches Weight: Approx. total 275 lbs, Courtesy of the artist, New York, New York

"In the world of still life and landscape, conceptual events meet one another – the structural meets the narrative, the small stands in the space of the large, and color has a chance to navigate these meetings, changing everything. All my paintings show this shifting world."

Mary Vernon, Botany, Oil and graphite on Yupo, Image: 60 x 96 in. (152.4 x 243.8 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas

“In Just A Few Patches, I was thinking of a story about George Washington Carver as a scientist. Carver was searching for the secrets of the universe when God revealed to him, ‘I can’t show you all the mysteries of the universe - you couldn’t take that - but I’ll show you the peanut.’ And so the story goes that he went on to make all these discoveries involving the peanut. And so, I’m dealing with quilts. What happens if you take a look at just a few patches? Maybe there’s a whole world when you are just looking at a few patches.”

Sedrick Huckaby, Just a Few Patches, Oil on canvas wrapped on a wood panel support, Overall Diptych: 108 x 168 in. (274.3 x 426.7 cm); Each panel, of 2: 108 x 84 in. (274.3 x 213.4 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas

“I enjoy working with the idea in mind of smaller parts making up the whole… I would like to think my work, and the act of making the work, connects me with past cultures who used the same materials to make vessels for ceremony or everyday use. I like the idea of being a part of the long history of people making things with their hands.”

Jim Kraft, Cord Cylinder, Stoneware, Overall: 26 x 13 x 13 in. (66 x 33 x 33 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Butters Gallery, Ltd., Portland, Oregon

“Water is mysterious, powerful, and staggeringly beautiful; but unfortunately water is in such peril that it will deeply affect our future… Although I am moved by the challenges we face today preserving water, for me the greater challenge is in my studio where, in some small way, I attempt to convey the beauty of this essential resource and what we are giving up by ignoring it.”

Anne Neely, Spill, Oil on linen, Overall: 70 x 92 in. (177.8 x 233.7 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Greenwich, Connecticut

Anne Neely, Alchemy Soup, Oil on linen, Overall: 70 x 92 in. (177.8 x 233.7 cm), Courtesy of the artist, Greenwich, Connecticut

James Little’s process is laborious. He starts by applying five or six coats of stand oil to a canvas so it will not burn from the hot wax and then uses palette knives to manipulate upward of twenty layers of paint. “To me, the most heroic art produced is abstract art, because… it made us see in a different way.

James Little, The Difference between Then and Now, Oil and wax on canvas, Overall: 72 x 94 in. (182.9 x 238.8 cm), Courtesy of the artist and June Kelly Gallery, New York, New York

The textile art of Birgitte Daddah assimilates elements of nomadic culture through the exploration of motifs found in the cities and encampments of the Sahara and the Middle East.

Abdoulaye Barry, Pêcheurs de nuit, Photographs, Each, of 12: 15 3/4 x 19 11/16 in. (40 x 50 cm), Courtesy of the artist, N'Djamena, Chad

Artist Unknown, Traditional Sara Currency, Iron, Currency mounted to cleated panel: 32 x 29 x 1 1/2 in. (81.3 x 73.7 x 3.8cm) with 3 in. (7.6 cm) deep Plexi cover,

Artist Unknown, Musgum Shield, Reeds and wood, Overall: 52 x 24 x 3 in. (132.1 x 61 x 7.6 cm),

Artist Unknown, Massa Shield, Reeds and wood, Overall: 69 x 23 x 6 in. (175.3 x 58.4 x 15.2 cm),

The American bison, commonly referred to as buffalo, is the largest terrestrial mammal in North America. Though the American bison no longer dominates the Great Plains, the animal still serves as the national mammal of the United States.

Rick Shaefer, American Bison, Charcoal on vellum mounted on aluminum, Overall: 96 x 148 in. (243.8 x 375.9 cm); Each, of three panels: 96 x 49 in. (243.8 x 124.5 cm), Courtesy of Sears-Peyton Gallery, New York, New York

Artist Unknown, Eight iron implements mounted to wood panel, Iron, Overall: 53 × 96 × 1 1/2 in. (134.6 × 243.8 × 3.8 cm), Courtesy Amyas Naegele, New York

Adia Millett, Multiplicity (Abstract), Textile / quilt, Overall: 44 × 53 in. (111.8 × 134.6 cm),

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