Malene Barnett creates a visual vocabulary that blurs the lines between art, craft and design. Through site-specific ceramic installations, objects and public art, she builds on the legacy of surface pattern design to explore Caribbean diaspora experiences — reclaiming identity and redefining home for Black Diasporans.
ABOUT
INSTALLATIONS
PUBLIC ART
EXHIBITIONS
Greensboro Public Art Commission
A monumental ceramic tile installation celebrating the city's African American heritage through patterns drawn from quilting traditions and architectural ornament found throughout historic Black neighborhoods.
Public Art
Martime Museum Maine
Re|Sounding stems from the maritime process of “sounding,” or measuring depth beneath a vessel as a form of navigation. With this exhibit, Maine Maritime Museum is dedicated to re-measuring our institutional understanding of Maine’s maritime history by centering Indigenous and Black perspectives. Directed by a group of humanities scholars and community leaders in collaboration with museum curators, this exhibit will examine Wabanaki and Black maritime history and culture. With a humble acknowledgment of work that lies ahead, Re|Sounding also marks a moment of institutional reflection and a commitment to responsibly and inclusively collecting, exhibiting, and sharing Maine’s maritime stories.
EXHIBITION
The Last Potters on the Island
Award-winning multidisciplinary artist Malene Barnett was selected to design large-scale public art for the future Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex (WCNCC). The City of Greensboro, in collaboration with the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro’s Public Art Endowment, seeks suggestions for the project. Residents may offer input and perspectives through this online survey.
Ceramic Film