Truth be told,

the Memoranda Project began when my Auntie Arlene gave me this notebook along with my maternal grandmother’s other journals and belongings. I never knew her but that day I felt that she came home with me. I was no longer afraid of her story. It was time for me to get to know her for myself. At age 33 a lot of things started to make sense about the women in my mother’s family. I determined that I would do a project one day to share their experience and the treasures they had preserved. The other part of this project came together as result of Blakbird Jewelry. In 2010 I got a message that I needed to stay alive and that I needed to do this business. It has had many incarnations but in 2018 I was able to take it to another level.

My father, Morris Dawson was born in during the Harlem Renaissance. He was a prolific artist who mastered every medium he tried. While I had little time with him as a child before he passed, he is my greatest inspiration as an artist. From a young age I was aware that I was an artist and that many types of things could become art. My mother, Marian Dawson was a seamstress and a quilter. They both encouraged my creative expression and as I grew art continued to be a way to connect with my father. It was this energy that drove me to keep trying to provide for myself with my creative work.

In 2020, a local Pittsburgh publication wrote an article about Blakbird Jewelry that led to a reunion with my father’s side of the family. In 2021 my nephew, Morris’ grandson was researching his work and came across the article. I refer to this as a miracle. I imagined and prayed that I would find them when I could get up the courage. There was something about being found in this way that gave me so much hope. Along with the hope and joy there was confusion and disorientation. It was hard to process all of this and focus on my business and a day job.

The opportunity to apply for a grant became a great chance to get some clarity about what to do next. I realized that I needed time to just be an artist. I wanted to paint and improve my metalsmithing techniques. I also wanted to find out more about my ancestry. Ancestry and connection with my ancestors have always been a theme in my work and I wanted to delve into that. I wanted to spend time with my newly found family and take time to explore my new reality.

The Memoranda Project is the culmination of these desires. I call it an artistic tribute to my ancestors because seek to honor and remember them through various forms of art and craft. I am also guided through genetic memory to explore art forms connected to my ancestry. This is an intuitive journey. Ancestral work through art that I hope will be healing for my family, myself and anyone else looking for creative paths to healing.