I recently had the honor of listening to the story of Nekisha Durrett, an award-winning artist based in Washington D.C who’s work is currently being displayed at Sidwell Friends School. Durrett gained her BFA from The Cooper Union in New York City and MFA from The University of Michigan School of Art and Design as a Horace H. Rackham Fellow. Her artwork varies from standalone sculptures to intricate installations, skillfully employing unexpected materials to bring to light the historical associations and implications embedded in places and materials, often unnoticed in our daily existence.
Durrett’s exhibition Magnolia (2021) tells a tale of unwavering resilience amidst tragedy. Each magnolia leaf, 30 in total, honors the life of a Black woman murdered by law enforcement.
“During the spring and summer of 2020, I collected fallen leaves from a towering magnolia tree in Rock Creek Church Cemetery in my Washington, DC, neighborhood. Experiencing the impacts of two pandemics at once—COVID-19 and continued police brutality against Black bodies—I used the cemetery as a space for processing my anxiety and grief.”
The artist was inspired by a friend who complained about the longevity of the magnolia leaves littering her yard. Presenting these pierced leaves in an illuminated box, Durrett creates an alluring image that allows us to contemplate the lives that could have been.
“For many, the magnolia flower is the showstopper. However, it is the magnolia leaf that long after its death withstands rain, wind, and the lawn mower—bedeviling gardeners who find them a hassle to compost or discard. Even after death, the leaf refuses to be erased and forgotten.”
The artwork is accompanied by a book detailing the deaths of each woman.
More pictures of the artist’s work can be seen HERE.