"While neither of my parents are artists, both are very spiritual people.  My childhood procured aesthetics based on the spiritual meaning in materials and the value of well made textile objects.

“At Amherst College I followed in my  father's footsteps, who is a psychiatrist, and majored in psychology.  I amended my studies of human nature by focusing on my cultural heritage and minored in African studies. When I graduated from college I went to West Africa to study textiles from traditional artists. Two years later I was back in college getting a second bachelors degree, this time in fiber art from the Art Institute of Chicago. I studied with teachers like Nick Cave and Anne Wilson. From there I went on to graduate school at  Cranbrook Academy of Art.  In art school I discovered headdresses as a means of embodying my heritage, self expression, and interest in psychology.“The Yoruba of Nigeria have a saying, `The head wrap is only good when it fits.’  For many years I made headdresses to fit the collective head of those in the African Diaspora. They were symbolic  headdresses acknowledging the sanctity, power and history of my African heritage.  The head is a sacred place where cultural influences are absorbed, siphoned and retained, and the site where we process the world  through the senses.  I drew my source material from African culture and its retention and reinterpretation in the African Diaspora:  images of women carrying loads on their heads, African hairstyles and headdresses, and Caribbean carnival costumes.

“Another way of thinking of my work is to ask a question.  As a fiber artist, I asked myself a very simple question, ‘What was mankind's first fiber art?’  Hairdressing!  Ever since I thought about this I have been making works that deal with the power of hair.  After all, it holds our DNA, a readymade portrait.  So I make work about hairstyles and work that uses human hair gathered from my friends and family.  Most recently, I have been making work using combs.  They are the tools of the art of hairdressing so I thought, why not? I use thousands of black plastic combs to create large sculptures.

“The best thing about being an artist is that it is a way of thinking about culture and connecting with people through my ideas,thoughts and questions.  My advice is that if you find something interesting and challenging you should do it.  For me, that's being an artist. It's hard work and I cannot imagine doing anything else.”