Pens and Needles: Our Story Stitched Together
Join us on September 22, 5-8PM for an art event for the whole family! Kids can engage in hands-on activities. Bryce Oquaye will be doing live-illustrating. Light refreshments will be served. All featured pieces will be for sale for the duration of the show. The show ends on October 20, 2023.
Exhibition Statement
Illustrator Bryce Oquaye and Fashion Designer Samantha Moore present a collaborative and interactive art exhibition. Both artists previously served as Camp Carnegie instructors; Oquaye led “Pens Paper and Rocket Punches,” and Moore led “Stitching the Self.” Oquaye and Moore empowered their students to confidently explore new pathways of self-expression. Student work will be on display alongside each artist’s own designs. Attendees are encouraged to participate in this unique creative experience.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BRYCE OQUAYE
There are two things that drove Bryce Oquaye towards illustration. Sequential art and hip hop. Visual storytelling and it’s place within black culture have informed his pen since childhood. It has influenced his vision and preference towards the delivery of intricate stories and narratives. The street artists of his many previous neighborhoods and the manga and comic artists of his favorite stories further crafted his skill.
SAMANTHA JEAN MOORE
Samantha Jean Moore is an actress, designer, and 4th generation seamstress based in Lexington, Kentucky. She is also the founder of MOCOCO: Modern Country Couture, a circular fashion brand which utilizes vintage, found, and recycled materials to portray a mixture of abstract design and classic Southern charm. Her current mission is educating people about the ill effects of fast-fashion and providing an alternative through hands-on instruction.
In 2016, she led creative workshops at EWHA Women’s University in Seoul and was featured in South Korea’s Annual Handmade Fair for her innovative textile designs. For the last 2 summers, Samantha has taught Stitching the S.E.L.F. at Camp Carnegie in Lexington, a week-long workshop focusing on sewing, entrepreneurship, leadership and fashion. The students learned how to design and assemble unique clothing and artwork using reclaimed fabrics. But they also learned about gaining confidence through personal expression and experimentation. The mantra for the workshop is “My choice is the best choice for ME.”
