Join us for an engaging evening as we celebrate Nneka Kai, our inaugural Long-Term Resident, at the Sculpture Space Studio on Thursday, January 25th. This is an evening of lively discussion, reflection, insight, and cultural inflection. Nneka, has been actively working in our studio since October 2023 and will remain in residence through June 2024. Nneka Kai comes to Sculpture Space with an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, throughout her work she delves into the history and conservation of textiles, with a specific focus on the material sensibilities of Black women worldwide. During her tenure at Sculpture Space she has continued an exploration of personal and archival narratives using hair as a material. Her curiosity for hair, sparked during her BFA at Georgia State University, now forms the core of her studio practice. Nneka has showcased her works in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, and North Carolina, and participated in the 2021 Hair Stories Exhibition at The Newport Art Museum in Rhode Island. Currently an art professor, she has been expanding her practice with performative works that explore her home in Atlanta, Georgia, as a site of Black presence and preservation. Throughout her stay, she is expanding this work to Utica, NY. Tonight, Nneka shares background and context to her work, and will present some of her current projects. She will be joined in conversation by DeWitt Godfrey, Artist and Professor of Art at Colgate University. Be a part of her Utica journey and don't miss the opportunity to be part of her artistic exploration. We would like to publicly thank our partners in art at Pratt Munson College of Art and Design and Empire Recycling for helping Nneka in unique and generous ways during her stay in Utica.
