We recently connected with Aliyah Bonnette and have shared our conversation below.

Aliyah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Without my mother, I would not be where I am at all. I owe it all to that woman. She was a single mom growing up. Seeing her get up everyday, drop us at school, go to work, and cook dinner at the end of the day prepared me to be independent and really rely on myself to get me where I am today. When she started her own business, I watched her take a risk and succeed massively. It showed me where working hard gets you and even though there may be challenges, there may be moments where you don’t want to continue, discipline and dedication will get you to your destination. Most importantly, she taught me what it means to be a Black woman, one who can be independent and strong, but also tender, loving, and vulnerable, which I think is a huge message behind the woman I paint.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My work is heavily influenced by my relationships with my late grandmothers, my ancestors, or my ‘Kindred’ as I call them. I discovered quilting three years ago at age twenty after learning that quilting may have been used in the underground railroad to aid slaves to freedom. When I first told my grandfather about my sewing, I learned he had quilts and fabric from my late grandmother after she passed away. She was a quilter in the 1970s while living in Georgia and learned to sew by watching her own mother. A few days later, my mother and I drove to Georgia and were surprised to find barrels full of my grandmother’s unfinished quilts as well as used and unused fabrics. I was stunned. It was a sign that my grandmothers were alive within me, guiding me all along. Over time, I have taught myself a process of improvisational quilting to physically connect to my grandmother and the practices of my women ancestors. By incorporating the very fabrics and unfinished quilts she touched and sewed herself, my practice becomes a space to stitch together the stories and memories of black women across generations. My work tells the story of a black woman’s journey to find herself. My figures are representations of me and the women around me. Through them, I construct stories of our own blackness, femininity and sexuality beyond the violence and hyper sexualization that we face as Black women in a colonized world. My Kindred who have lived through slavery and Jim Crow directly aid me in the process of making while simultaneously guiding me on my own path of womanhood. The figures within my work are women living in comfortable environments where they may reveal their authentic self. They are Black women, often partially or fully nude, who take ownership of their bodies and refuse to be controlled by imposed standards of race, gender or sexuality. Guided by the Kindred, both myself and my figures may find our paths to our true selves, imagining who we may have been without the interference of colonization.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Going to a Predominately White Institution in the South definitely made it difficult sometimes. Sometimes being the only or one of two Black people in a class can be exhausting because rarely did they understand my experiences or the deeper meanings behind my work. Instead of letting that dim my light, although it had its moments where it got the better of me. I allowed that to make me firmer in my message and purpose with my practice.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect for me in this present moment is being able to connect with people. Whether it is someone in arts administration, or a practicing artist. Everyone has a message or purpose that they are trying to bring to fruition and grow. It’s a really beautiful thing to be able to watch them on their journeys. You learn so much by talking to them, because they are all doing something different and using materials or their voice in a way that is completely different from mine, even if we have aligning narratives. The people that I have surrounded myself with are all inspiring and push me to be better, and the mutual support makes you realize that you only need to be in competition with yourself, because there is room for everyone to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aliyahbonnnette.com
• Instagram: @sweetpeachlee

Image Credits
Matt Ramey Madison Cubs