Stephanie J. Woods is a multimedia artist originally from Charlotte, NC, creating textile, photography, video, and community-engaged projects. Through the use of symbolic imagery and materials referencing black american culture and the southern experience, her body of work examines the cognitive effects of forced cultural assimilation, and how performance is an ingrained part of our identity.
Woods earned an MFA from UNC Greensboro and is the recipient of several residencies and fellowships, including Halcyon Arts Lab social impact fellowship, the Fine Arts Work Center fellowship, ACRE Residency, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency, and Penland School of Craft. Woods’ has exhibited her work at the Mint Museum, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture, and forthcoming Smack Mellon. Her work has been featured in publications such as Art Papers, Burnaway, and the Boston Art Review. Additionally, her art work has been notably recognized by the Chenven Foundation, the South Arts State Fellowship, and the North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award.
For more information, please see: www.stephaniejwoods.com and on Instagram @stephaniej.woods.
Stephanie J. Woods, A Radiant Revolution I, 2018, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, woven brass chains, t-shirt, textile foil, polished furniture vinyl, dresser mirror frame, and upholstered taffeta print. 9ft X 5.5ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
First, and most importantly, how are you doing? How are you navigating the highs and lows?
I’m doing ok, doing what I know best, and that is being creative. Making art is a therapeutic process for me. I often find that I get lost in the studio for hours, and that is what keeps me going.
Stephanie J. Woods, A Radiant Revolution I (detail), 2018, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, woven brass chains, t-shirt, textile foil, polished furniture vinyl, dresser mirror frame, and upholstered taffeta print. 9ft X 5.5ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
It's my experience that most artists engage with some level of self-isolation in their day to day art practice. Has this been your experience? And if so, have you found these innate rhythms to be helpful during this larger, world-wide experience of isolation?
For the past two years, I have had the privilege of being at many artist residencies and fellowship programs. Most residencies involve some form of remoteness; even though I do not prefer or need isolation to work. However, my time spent at residencies trained me for the solitude we experienced during the quarantine. Those months were what my life has essentially been the past two years.
Stephanie J. Woods, A Radiant Revolution II, 2018, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, woven brass chains, t-shirt, textile foil, polished furniture vinyl, red tablecloth, gold rope, dresser mirror frame, and upholstered taffeta print. 9ft X 5ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
It would be great if you could briefly talk to us through your practice. Understanding it is integral to appreciating the multivalence of your work.
Yea, so, I am a multi-media working in textiles, photography, video, and community-engaged projects. Conceptually my work is largely informed by my experiences in the south as a black american woman. A lot of my work utilizes symbolic imagery and materials that reference those experiences, through the use of material language; such as hair weave, satin bonnets, afro hair, and sweet tea.
My photography and video work often capture portraits of a woman wearing handmade objects that are usually woven, sewn, or repurposed goods. Those works examine the cognitive effects of forced cultural assimilation, and questions how performance is an ingrained part of our identity. Typically my photographs are transferred onto satin fabric using dye-sublimation techniques and upholstered inside of pre-existing utilitarian objects or handmade made structures that I build.
Stephanie J. Woods, A Radiant Revolution II (detail), 2018, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, woven brass chains, t-shirt, textile foil, polished furniture vinyl, red tablecloth, gold rope, dresser mirror frame, and upholstered taffeta print. 9ft X 5ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
Has any of your imagery shifted in a reflection to what's currently happening? And why, or why not?
Yes, it has affected my work. Before the shutdown, my hair was loc’d for nine years. I loved my locs, however, before the stay at home order was issued I was considering cutting them shorter, but of course, I did not because I became attached to them.
During the height of the shutdown, I began unraveling each individual loc in my hair which resulted in a mound of hair that was essentially nine years of hair that I was carrying around on my head. Which inspired a new piece I made titled “the wait of it.” “the wait of it” is a moving photograph I made in response to a poem I commissioned from poet Laura Neal titled “Bleached.” The title “the wait of it” is a play on words that speaks about the nine years spent growing, and collecting my hair. As well as the psychological weight of being black in America, and the politicization of afro hair.
Accompanying “the wait of it” is audio created by artist Johannes Barfield. At the beginning of the video is the sound of fire, and as the video progresses the sound of water fades in. The score for this work was inspired by the 2020 Minneapolis “riots” and the following Martin Luther King quote. “We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know that we will win. But I've come to believe we're integrating into a burning house."
Stephanie J. Woods, Lavender Notes, 2019, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, satin bonnets, upholstered satin prints, vinyl, textile foil, and handmade upholstered frames. 6ft X 9ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
Are you thinking differently? Coping differently? Inspired differently?
I move with more urgency now, though my work has done the opposite. You’ll see that my work now focuses more on the slow moments. After losing out on many opportunities, I have realized how important it is to be in the moment, as well as how important it is to seize the moment.
Stephanie J. Woods, Lavender Notes (detail), 2019, Burlap dyed with sweet tea, satin bonnets, upholstered satin prints, vinyl, textile foil, and handmade upholstered frames. 6ft X 9ft. Image courtesy of the artist.
Are you reading anything?
I am reading “Learning to Weave” by Deborah Chandler. I have been teaching myself how to use the floor loom, and It has been both challenging and fun. I have been sewing most of my life, however, I have a concentration in sculpture, specifically ceramics. So I am spending a lot of my time studying.
Stephanie J. Woods, “the wait of it” moving audio photograph, 2020, Nine years of detangled afro hair formed into a loosely woven vessel, hand-harvested red clay from Winston-Salem North Carolina, audio poem by poet Laura Neal, and an original score by artist Johannes Barfield. Image courtesy of the artist.
Stephanie J. Woods, “the wait of it” (detail) moving audio photograph, 2020, Nine years of detangled afro hair formed into a loosely woven vessel, hand-harvested red clay from Winston-Salem North Carolina, audio poem by poet Laura Neal, and an original score by artist Johannes Barfield. Image courtesy of the artist.
What is bringing you solace, or even joy, in this moment?
Weaving, I love listening to the sounds of the floor loom. The repetitive act of weaving relaxes me. I get lost in the process for hours.
Stephanie J. Woods. Image courtesy of the artist.