Oral Histories, the Sensorial, and Kinship

Kelly Taylor Mitchell centers oral histories woven into the fabric of the Africana Diaspora, specifically related to concepts of land tenure, territorial claims, community autonomy, swamp marronage, and inherited identity. Her work manifests as immersive installations and partnered artists books offering a venue for the sensorial - specifically smell - to connect to, convey, and reimagine rituals and rites of autonomous kin, collectives, and individuals of the Africana Diaspora. Kelly and her practice are deely tied to familial roots in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Pennsylvania. Her interdisciplinary practice spans printmaking, papermaking, installation, book arts and sculpture.