Curated by Malene Barnett, an acclaimed artist of Jamaican and Vincentian descent, Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practice of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers (Artisan Books; October 29, 2024) marks the first time Caribbean makers have collectively shared the intimate stories of their art-making processes and the profound influence of their countries of origin. The featured artists work across various mediums, defying traditional labels and reshaping the boundaries of art and design.

Crafted Kinship offers readers a unique visual and narrative journey, capturing the essence of Black Caribbean creativity through powerful interviews and stunning photographs. Each artist featured in this collection creates a deep connection with their land, people, and cultural heritage, exploring themes such as African origins, ancestors, Black womanhood/manhood, identity, joy, memory, and the complex history of migration and diaspora.

Barnett's journey to curating Crafted Kinship began during her graduate studies in ceramics and a Fulbright trip to Jamaica in 2022. This project aimed to uncover and share the stories behind the clay objects made during the colonial period, which were often sold in markets as a means for enslaved individuals to buy their freedom. Her studies led her to seek a deeper understanding of her grandmother's migration and the cultural influences that shape her own artistic practice.

Barnett found that existing literature largely focused on finished works rather than the creative processes themselves. To fill this gap, Barnett brought together a group of makers for Crafted Kinship who shared these thematic concerns. Like Barnett, these artists resist being confined to a single discipline—an inherently Western concept—embracing instead a multidisciplinary approach that reflects a broader cultural tendency to engage with various forms of expression, an integral aspect of the Black experience.

Crafted Kinship showcases how these artists are reexamining their place in society and tracing their histories to imagine new Black futures. By documenting and sharing their stories, Barnett highlights their efforts to use historical contexts as starting points for creative exploration and social commentary.

Among the artists featured in Crafted Kinship are:

• Anina Major (New York, NY): A Bahamian visual artist reclaiming the significance of straw basketry through ceramics.
• Morel Doucet (Miami, FL): A Haitian artist and educator whose work provokes viewers to interrogate truth, reality, and what lies beneath the surface.
• April Bey (Los Angeles, CA): A Bahamian interdisciplinary visual artist whose work explores themes of African diasporic speculative futurism.
• La Vaughn Belle (St. Croix, Virgin Islands): A multidisciplinary artist from St. Croix interrogating colonial legacies through archival sources.
• Sonya Clark (Amherst, MA): A textile artist and educator of Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Bajan heritage exploring power, race, and gender using meaningful materials like hair.
• Anishka Clarke and Niya Bascom (Brooklyn, New York): Interior designers whose studio (Ishka Designs) honors a blend of Jamaican and Guyanese history through sustainable practices.
• Nina Cooke John (Montclair, New Jersey): A Jamaican multidisciplinary artist spanning collage, architecture, and public art whose work claims space for Black stories.
• Ouigi Theodore (Brooklyn, NY): A Haitian fashion designer, artist, and the founder of the Brooklyn Circus whose work is anchored in storytelling and collaboration.

Through their multidisciplinary creations, these artists redefine the meaning of art and design, showcasing a rich tapestry of cultural expression and innovation. Crafted Kinship is not just a book; it is a celebration of the profound impact of Caribbean heritage on contemporary art.