Rachel May

Blessings. Please join me and the exciting cohort of incredible fiber artists for the closing reception of our beautiful exhibition ‘Crafting The Mind’ at the @somervillemuseum One Westwood Road Somerville MA 02142 March 28th 3-5pm. Curated by @daniellekrcmar and @rasumay This a great opportunity for those who couldn’t make the opening reception to view my pieces “They came before Columbus” (2 pieces) titled for the book by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Quilt for my grandmother, and ”The Orbs of Lands End”. See you there!

Join us Saturday, February 21st, 12-2pm at the Somerville Musuem for Crafting Care: A Community Quilt Workshop! Link in bio for info and registration, or visit bit.ly/CraftingCare This participatory workshop invites attendees to reflect on the concept and practice of care through embroidery and fabric collage, in dialogue with the Crafting the Mind exhibition. Participants will be taught some simple embroidery stitches and will be supported in creating individual quilt squares reflecting their personal understanding of care. We’ll have time to share our quilt squares with each other and create a temporary, ephemeral community quilt, assembled and shared at the close of the workshop before each participant departs with their work. No prior art experience required; all materials provided.    [ID: a flyer with sage green background and a bamboo embroidery hoop in the center of it with the text: Crafting Care: A Hands-on Embroidery & Community Quilt Workshop, with art therapist, Lauren Leone, Saturday, February 21, 12-2pm, under the green background and image is a white rectangle with a maroon logo for the Somerville Museum and text that reads: Info & Registration, bit.ly/CraftingCare, 1 Westwood Rd, Somerville, MA]

Come tell a story, make a protest block, or just play w fabric — tomorrow Saturday, 10-12, @somervillemuseum a story quilt workshop for kids & caregivers, $7 or $12, free to anyone w wic/snap & anyone who needs it (dm me or @daniellekrcmar ). Hope you’ll join us ❤️

We got to spend time together on a cold day before the storm, talking about how making fiber art connects us to each other, helps us survive and process grief, remember ancestors, stay grounded in nature…It was such an honor to hear @ifearts_ @ife_franklin_slave_narrative @_lauren_leone_ @kateholcombhale (I wish I’d gotten a pic of you with your gorgeous ladder!), @joettamaue , @daniellekrcmar at the @somervillemuseum especially on another dark day 🩵

This afternoon folks braved the cold to come to the Curator/Artist talk for the exhibition “Crafting The Mind” at the Somerville Museum number 1 Westwood Rd. in Somerville Massachusetts. This group exhibition features 21 contemporary Fiber Artists… I am honored to be among them. “Crafting The Mind” is an exhibition that speaks to the early history of crafts as a therapeutic practice at McLean Hospital, the country’s first psychiatric hospital. Crafting the mind, explores the evolving definition of care, health, and treatment in different cultural context, as well as today’s advocacy movement for mental health equity. This exhibition is beautifully created by @daniellekrcmar and @rasumay 💛💛💛💛💛👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Images: @grimeskristine @lboogie1617 💛💛💛💛💛👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙏🏾🏆 You can experience this exhibition until March 28, 2026. I am forever grateful to my mighty ancestors for love and guidance. Thank you Baba Stanley Pinckney for your love, wisdom, and tutelage in the art form of #adire textile creation. Ase’ and Amen. #cotton #ancestors #grandma #ifefranklin Thank you @eldermamalula for making the journey to be there and for hyp’in your bestie UP! 💛💛💛💛💛👀💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 The poncho I am wearing is one of the few wearable art pieces I kept from my wearable art business “IfeArt Wearable Art. I dissolved that business to begin work on the ancestor slave cabins. If you happen to have a piece of my wearable art, could you take an image and share it with me? I would love to see it… and by the way, your wearable art piece is now a collectors item…I strongly suggest that you have it framed. 💯👀🏆💛💛💛💛💛👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Come in out of the cold and join us for the Artist + Curator walkthrough 1/24 at 11 am @somervillemuseum

Come see the works in Crafting the Mind at the Somerville Museum, and dip your toe into weaving on this magical loom on loan from @lady__of__leisure ❤️❤️❤️ @ife_franklin_slave_narrative @carter_shocket

THIS SATURDAY January 24th 11am/Noon join us @somervillemuseum for one of several Curator/Artist talks. If you weren’t able to attend the reception last Thursday here is an opportunity to have a more personal look at all of the dynamic work in this exhibition and hear from the creators of these pieces. I will be one of the artists speaking on Saturday..please come out, like and share! There is a fee of $8.00 to enter the Somerville Museum on Saturday. Please have your coinz ready. 🙃💛🙏🏾👀 #ifefranklin #bostonartist #goodjuju

Y’all gonna be sick of me because I’m going to share every image! 💛💛💛💛💛👀😂 These beautiful images and the beautiful tapestry I received as a gift were shared with me by @batikboy2002 my “Brother of the cloth”. Thank you George for all of the beautiful work that you have created over time, decades you give your life to this work as do I and here we are. Thank you so much. #ifefranklin #fiberartistsunite #goodjuju Eleko Adire Starch Paste Resist.

“Ifé, Tell Us About Your Dress”. Eleko Adire Starch Paste Resist. Dyed Olive Green and Brown. From my series “They Came Before Columbus” by the book of the same title by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. Crafting The Mind. Somerville Museum. Through March 2026. Curated by : @daniellekrcmar and @rasumay #ifefranklin #bostonartist #goodjuju

Yesterday was the opening reception for the exhibition ‘Crafting The Mind’. I had the pleasure to have four pieces included in this exhibition. *Two pieces from my Elektro starch paste collection entitled ‘The Came Before Columbus’. Named after the acclaimed book of the same title by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. 1989/1990. * Tea towel quilt for my grandmother. Is a Aso Adire (Indigo fabric) piece consisting of several Adire techniques that include: Eleko Adire (wax resist), Alabere - sewing technique, Elelo - ‘To coil up’ and Sabada- pleading and folding of fabric to achieve specific designs and patterns. 2013. * the framed piece ‘The Orbs Of Lands End-Saint Helena Island South Carolina. 2025. The dress I wore was birthed as a tapestry in the series. I had it created into the beautiful olive green dress that holds cellular coded memory embedded into the threads. Thank you to everyone who made it out to the reception last evening. It was beautiful! I would like to personally thank my friends and all who showed up for me. I am forever grateful. I am also grateful for all of the new people I encountered, started following here on Instagram and had lovely conversations with last evening. thank you so much for connecting and for speaking so highly of my work. Thank you so much @daniellekrcmar and @rasumay for inviting me to be a part of this very beautiful, very meaningful exhibition. Ya’ll did that! 💛💛💛💛💛🏆 Thank you, to my mighty ancestors and my Ori for continuous love and guidance. I think the mighty creator for Stanley Pinckney I would not be who I am today without his love, support, and tutelage. It is a blessing that he has been in my life for over 30 years. 🙏🏾💛 The images are by various photographers/friends from last evening. Please forgive me for not adding your names. I didn’t want to forget anyone. I had a glorious time! I had an incredible time! I loved putting on this dress that was made for me over a decade ago, and I was still able to shine in it! It is OK for us to shine! I plan to do a lot of that. This exhibition can be seen through mid March. There are Curator/Artists talks, coming up very soon. I hope you can join.

EXCITED! The opening reception for “Crafting The Mind” is THIS Thursday, January 15th 6 PM to 8 PM at the Somerville Museum one Westwood Rd., Somerville, MA 02143. I have 4 Adire pieces in this exhibition.💛🔥🔥🔥🔥 “Crafting The Mind” is an exhibition of contemporary fiber art that speaks to the early history of crafts as a therapeutic practice at McLean Hospital, the country’s first psychiatric hospital. “Crafting The Mind” explores the evolving definition of care, health, and treatment in different, cultural context, as well as today’s advocacy movement for mental health equity. Curators of this exhibition are Danielle Krcmar and Rachel May. See you there! * The Somerville Museum is on a residential street, there is no parking lot connected to this museum. *Parking is extremely tight. Don’t let this distract you from making it out! Just wanted to give you a heads up. #ifefranklin #fiberartist #goodjuju Thank you mighty ancestors, thank you Ori, thank you Ifa. 💛💛💛💛💛