Juneteenth Tour: Black Memory Scholar

Not long enough ago, Black people were denied access to reading, writing, and formal interactions with letters. Yet, they found powerful alternatives to preserve and transmit their legacies. These constraints often led to the most compelling forms of creativity and storytelling.

In celebration of Juneteenth National Independence Day, curator Jada Simone Haynes will lead a conversation on the objects that inspired and are on display in Black Memory Scholar. This tour is meant to emphasize the importance of memory work and the preservation of Black communities, legacies, and stories within and outside “GLAM” institutions.

(they/them) was raised in Tracy, CA. They earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Design from the University of California, Davis. During their time at UC Davis, Haynes served as Lead Director of the Basement Gallery and completed an independent honors thesis under the mentorship of Azin Seraj and Darrin Martin.

Haynes is Black nonbinary memory worker and artist described as a weaver of fiber, verses, and vision. They are primarily a fiber and materials sculptor that collects organic materials; discarded or secondhand textiles; and uses knots, weaving, and interlocking of these materials to express the density of grief, memory, security, and desire. Haynes believes the vessels and objects they create are like abstracted self-portraits, memory-keepers, talismans, proof of life in a world sinister to Black and gender nonconforming bodies.

They were the recipient of the Freemon Gadberry Award in Art and the Freemon Gadberry Award in Sculpture in 2022 and received the New York Studio School scholarship within that same year. Haynes' work has been exhibited at notable venues such as the Afrofuturist Center, Bass & Reiner, Mercury20, Root Division, The San Francisco Gallery, Textile Arts Center, and represented in the Letterform Archive Collection.

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