as i lay changing | folaṣade

as i lay changing is an intuitive exhibition featuring Twin Cities based artists Qamar Yochanan, Paige Oyaleke, and BakiBakiBaki that speculates on the journey of Black Trans ancestors who lived in or passed through the upper Mississippi River Valley prior to the 1950s; invoking questions including: Who do we carry with us? Who guides us? Who receives and sends us off? Who keeps us safe on our journeys? Further to folaṣade’s curatorial vision, those who come to the gallery will enter into a rendering of the boarding room occupied by Black Trans Ancestor Cecelia Regina Gonzaga during Cecelia’s stay in St. Paul, MN in Summer 1885. The distinct artwork of Oyaleke, Yochanan, and BakiBakiBaki represent the essential items one might carry with them along their journey. Integrating their works into an immersive environment of ancestral veneration, as i lay changing reflects what one could imagine might have been a solace, a transitional space where this Transcestor may have found rest & conjured a future we can continue to move towards.

About the Artist:
folaṣade (they/she) is a blooming neuro/quirky poet, curator, and organizer concerned with the immediate survival and ongoing liberation of people of the global majority. Intuitively guided by her ancestors, they have self-published three poetry chapbooks including bodies are deep wells. This is their first solo-curation. They have additionally co-curated art exhibitions and film programs as a member of Studio AGD, and has published writing with Moody the Zine, Blue Earth Review, The Kitchen, and more.

For this fellowship, folaṣade was supported by Twin Cities based noted Culture Worker Mankwe Ndosi, with overall guidance throughout the learning cycle and manifesting of their exhibition by Barak adé Soleil, Director of ECI and Founder of Yearly Emerging Practices.

Gratitude to exhibition partner Fresh Eye Gallery, residency support from Pillsbury House+Theatre, and research support from both the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life, Archives and Special Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries, and the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies.

Accessibility:

• Masks are required for Community Event.
• High quality masks will be available
• Pre-recorded Audio Description for the exhibition will be available.
• Fresh Eye Gallery is wheelchair accessible
• We ask that everyone support a scent-reduced environment by not wearing heavily scented products.
• Language will be offered in ASL and English.
• All-Gender Restrooms are available.
• Care Attendants will be present for all Public Events.
• For more information or questions surrounding accessibility, please email access@emergingcurators.org