Artist Statement:

 

For generations, art has been a form of communication throughout the African and African- American culture. It is how we pass down history, communicate, and celebrate. Like music, visual art is a powerful tool to tell the story of a people. Marcus Garvey's quote, "a people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots,” has heavy influence on my artwork. My artwork tells a story of communication between the past worlds into today. Art started off as a documentation of my journey to learning ‘self’. Like my grandmothers and mother, my dreams serve as a mirror to past lives, coded messages and events in motion or coming. I treat each vision as an ancestor’s footprint.  Instead of running from my visions, I started to create artworks telling the story and the emotion behind each one. A lot of the materials I choose, like cowrie sea shells, glass beads, wood, clay, and metal, are all influenced by cultural tradition. Through these materials, I continuously engage my viewers in my journey.

 

Artist Bio:

 

Danisha Edwards is an American artist born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. After switching her college major from Architecture to Art, she graduated from the University of North Florida, 2014, with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts concentrating in sculpture. Under her degree, Danisha has studied other mediums, including painting, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics. She applies a duo of techniques to create multimedia sculptures. After spending time in New Orleans at graduate school, Danisha is an active artist and art educator in Jacksonville, Fl.