Bricks
ON DISPLAY IN THE SOUTH GALLERY
OF THE COLUMBIA ART LEAGUE
7.11.26 - 8.8.26
Artist Statement
I’m a fiber artist. I love crocheting, weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing, and processing raw wool. I’m developing my own signature style that combines these techniques. My work is inspired by nature, history, and the lived experiences of African American communities. My art is deeply rooted in tradition but strongly guided by my intuition. I primarily needle felt on denim. Denim was once considered “negro cloth” and was one of the only pieces of clothing enslaved Africans were allowed to wear and was meant to be a degrading, cheap, but durable piece of fabric. The indigo used to dye the fabric blue became the second cash crop in South Carolina, grown and cultivated from the knowledge of people stolen from West Africa. My maternal grandmother and grandfather’s origins trace back to Gullah communities in both North and South Carolina. My paternal side is also from both Carolinas but more inland. I have a deep personal, cultural, and ancestral connection with denim, fiber works, and textiles. I allow the material to speak to me as I speak life into it. Although I'm the artist, it's still a collaborative approach to the work. While I'm manipulating these materials with my hands, they still speak and tell me what they want to be.
About two years ago as I walked around Joann's shopping for nothing in particular, my intuition guided me down the fabric section and right in front of the denim fabrics. I was immediately drawn to one, picked it up, and named it Bricks. I carried that bolt of fabric on my shoulder and nuzzled against my neck like a baby. Little did I know that fabric would become what you see today.
Baby Bricks sat in a corner of my art studio not yet speaking of what it wanted to be. Then the election happened. The subtle shift in atmosphere in Columbia when the performative support that was so trendy during a change for social justice, transformed into a cry “To Make America Great Again”. But when was it actually great for people that look like me? That's when Bricks started talking. This 8 piece series titled BRICKS is my visual interpretation of how institutionalized racism and colonization has affected many black communities and how despite all of the challenges we have faced, we remain resilient, resourceful, and revolutionary. They can try to split up communities. They can try to erase our history and overlook our trauma. They can try to silence us, criminalize our blackness. But through it all we rebuild, heal, and press forward. We are powerful. We are, after all, roses grown from concrete.
Artist Bio
Jadi Davis, is the owner of Jadielle Arts. She's originally from Gastonia, NC and currently resides in Columbia, MO with her four children. She's a self taught fiber artist and Navy veteran specializing in crochet dolls and needle felt portraits. Jadi also processes locally sourced raw wool and spins yarn that she hand dyes with natural dyes. She has experience with continuous strand weaving, felting of all kinds (wet, nuno, needle), and likes to knit, embroider, and sew.
Since 2024, Jadi has developed her own art style that incorporates many of these techniques, an idea that came to her in a dream from her brother that passed away. She uses her strong intuition and spirituality to guide her in creating art work that honors her ancestry and heritage. She is also inspired by nature, history, and the lived experiences and cultural narratives of African American communities. These themes converge into artworks that are both intimate and political celebrations of heritage, resilience, and individuality.
Jadi has shown work in galleries locally and regionally and currently has a studio space at Orr Street Studios, where you can see more of her work.
