Adderley Lecture

This years Adderley lecturer was Xenobia Bailey. The Adderley lecture was started in 1995 in honor of Tyrone Adderley and helps bring African American artist to Massart. Bailey in a funk inspired fiber artist dealing with traditional women's work and the transformation into fine art. She mainly crochets her vibrant design packed work. This is clothing not for the simple and basic dressed woman it is for the woman who wants o wow the world. the woman who wants a one of a kind that makes everyone have their eyes on her. Bailey shows a strong connection to the identity of ancient Africa in her work titled "Paradise Under Reconstruction in the Aesthetic of Funk".

Eventhough she has taken designs from a Navajo basket weave the designs come together with the shape and colors that of a true African identity. She first started this process by making hats. When she first started making hats she didn't know what it would be in the beginning. She would start and let it become what it was meant to become then she would name the project. These projects were created by first crocheting a kuffi like shape and then sculpting it at the end. To finish the hat she would laquer the outside. To go with these hats she started to create her own earings to match her wonderful creations.


When Bailey started to make garments she used patterns from exteriors of homes. These garments are able to be machine washed and dryed and are very durrable. they are meant to hug the body and are easy and comfortable to wear. it is from the garments she moved to making Mandalas. she considers her mandalas to be extremely primal and close to nature. She has one of her mandalas at the Americn Embassy in Ghana and she has even advertised Absolut with her vibrant cricheted creations. One of the most deeply moving pieces was the cotton picking bag that was then made into a memorial for her friend who died in 9/11 and had helped install all of her work.

While making her mandalas she started adding records into the circles. She would take the title of the song and make it the title of her work. These mandalas than became mditation and prayer rugs. She also create vinettes with varius elements that become one. She combines her rugs, mandalas, hats, earings, and garments to make an installation. These have to do with nature and identity. examples of these vinettes are "Sister Harvest" and "Sister Paradise". To keep her inspiration coming she likes to go for walks inboth Prospect park in Brooklyn and Central Park in Mahattan. She gets insiration and vitality from the interweaving and interconnection of the branches of the trees.