In the fall of 2020, the Chesapeake Children's Museum of Annapolis, MD, installed an exhibition titled Culture Carriers. I led its installation contributing its central piece: a series of five doll-sized Inca wardrobes hand-made from various fabrics including felt, ribbon, and linen. This was my first venture into building textiles.

Culture Carriers celebrates ancient Mesoamerican societies spanning Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. I grew interested in the Inca for their weavers- women whose skill turned thread and pigment into vibrant clothing, quilts, and other pieces.

More commonly known as an agricultural society, the Inca were also incredibly talented weavers and spinners, particularly Inca women. Different colors symbolized different things, for example red symbolizing 'conquest', yellow as 'maiz' (corn), and black as 'creation' or 'death'. This is a story of a people who lived and died a long time ago yet remain immortalized by their artistry. Culture Carriers is a time-tunnel into the past encouraging viewers, particularly those of Mesoamerican descent, to celebrate a part of themselves that rarely ever feels celebrated.