Claire Alexandre is an intersectional artist and storyteller who weaves autobiographical reflections with ancestral knowledge while exploring larger themes of environmental, gender and racial justice. She seeks to deepen our collective understanding of Black community prosperity and its close ties with ecologies of all scales.

Through mixed-media painting, street art and botanical knowledge, she used her residency to create modern day mythologies and heroes honoring the resilience, power and complexities of Black Diasporic identity, particularly that of womxn. Claire hosted an artist share and paper making demo at Speak Easy Farms as an offering to the New Orleans community.

“My time at A Studio in the Woods was wondrous and nourishing. I got the opportunity to rest, learn from the land and all of its fascinating inhabitants. The more I listened to my surroundings the more I felt very called to include the natural elements surrounding the studio into my art practice. I began making thick paper using dried banana leaves, spanish moss, old book pages from the studio library all as a way for me to create unique autobiographical backdrops to be painted on. With the chance I was given to slow down, I wanted to be very intentional about the materials I used and how I used them. I got to deepen my exploration of Afro Indigenous spiritual practices and infused my paintings with sacred elements used in ceremony, including water and ashes. By the end of my stay, I created two portraits that I got to share with the community during a talk. I also got the chance to teach how to make paper with a friend I made during my stay. As an emerging artist, this chance has been so important for my ability to trust that I have a place in shaping alternative versions of our world.” – Claire Alexandre