The Story Makers: Tales of Black Heritage through Jewelry and Objects
Gallery Loupe
50 Church St, Montclair, NJ 07042
April 5 - April 27, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday April 5th, 3-5 pm
Gallery Loupe is pleased to present The Story Makers: a group exhibition curated by Sebastian
A. T. Grant, featuring the work of Panchita Carter, Funlola Coker, Aminata Conteh, Tanya
Crane, Douriean Fletcher, Cheryl R. Riley, and Joyce J. Scott, seven artists of different
generations who have come together to explore their roles as storytellers through jewelry and
objects. Stories contain immense power, recording memory and fostering imagination. In some African
tribes, women would take on the role of “storytellers”, weaving epics from thin air to connect to
an ancestral tapestry. In the form of folktales, they have been a catalyst for the preservation of
African and African-American heritage, one of the major tools to ensure its survival.The works in
The Story Makers also display the diverse legacy of the African Diaspora, captured in various
craft skills, ideas around materiality, and the different methods each artist uses to tell their story.
Like folktales, craft initiates a legacy, passed down from one generation to the next. This
exhibition highlights the importance of craft making for African American women and feminine
identifying peoples by exploring the artist’s role as storyteller. The artists in The Story Makers
bring their seven separate lives into one single story. The objects they make will explore family
and social ties, strength, freedom, equality, and the concept of ‘womanhood’ as we understand
it today. A special installation will feature an example of each artist’s work placed on a central table as if
set for dinner. Mealtimes have always been an important locus to engage in conversation; and
in fact, many times stories were first told during a meal. Each of these artists tells their story,
within this context, and explores how their own tales connect to a greater fabric of African
heritage and tradition.