April M. Frazier

Familial Landscapes (Re)imagined brings together the past, present and future, within April's ancestrally connected landscapes of Fayette and Wharton County Texas. Archived photographs of her grand, great grand, and second great grandparents are juxtaposed against portraits of herself, as she acknowledges her past while looking toward the future. Familial Landscapes is an introspective journey of remembrance of what came before on those lands while (re)imagining the meaning of being present now, in place and time. This exhibit is on view in partnership with The Witness Series and The Houston Climate Justice Museum. On View: February 18th - April 30th at The Houston Climate Justice Museum at PostHTX, 401 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002 More Info: https://www.climatejusticemuseum.org/rooted-immigration-migration-and-greenspaces This exhibit is on view in partnership with the Community Artists' Collective and JourneyHTX as Participating Spaces for the FotoFest Biennial 2024. On View: March 16 - April 21 at JourneyHTX, 3219 Almeda Genoa Rd, Houston, TX 77047

re-planted – verb. plant (a tree or plant that has been dug up) again, transferred to another place (re)planted: to plant again, or anew time spans circular, and what comes around goes around life is (re)generated re(planted) is a pictorial homage to the multilayered generations of mothers in my familial line, the land in which they were stewards, and the fruits of our collective harvest. from the rural farm towns of texas, across the blue waters to the lush, green mountains of jamaica, moss, okra, canna lily, rose, cotton, bamboo, bougainvillea, and other plants are visualized as backdrops to these ten poised and candid diptych portraits of mothers, grandmothers, and daughters. i draw inspiration from the readings of braiding sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants, by robin wall kimmerer and in search of our mother’s gardens, by alice walker. respecting how each writer beautifully speaks of the interwoven connection between the land and the mother, and the reciprocal give and take that cyclically occurs between the two. each element in these environmental portraits denotes my documentation process of gathering seeds and roots from the rural lands in which my ancestral mothers inhabited and (re)planting them in a garden of my own with careful observation of the life cycle of these ancestral offerings from seed, to budding plant, to flower, and ultimately to the fruit of each harvest. my great grandmother, grandmother(s) and mother provided a blueprint for me to follow. cyanotype chemistry was manipulated with flecks of gold and applied to natural elements derived from harvests to create “blue prints” honoring their generational contributions as the backbone(s) of the family. i harvest from the seeds planted before my time and share their origin stories through collaging these images. by (re)planting seeds and continuing our tethered connection to the earth, i complete the circle of time in fluid motion, bringing the past to the present, and carry it forward into the future. my practice is at the four-way intersection of inherent memory, tethered connection to the landscape, ancestral and historical investigation, and lived experience. by tapping into remnants left behind, i continually (re)connect to my roots and bring aglow the path the ancestors set forth, showing reciprocal appreciation for (re)sources the land provides, and the knowledge bequeathed to me by them. elements from long ago lend to the story of now. our story is evergreen. *capital letters formally denote the beginning of a sentence. since these words were chosen to speak of a family tradition and practice that did not begin with me, I elected to keep the script lower case. April M. Frazier

an act or instance of passing from one place or condition to another an opening or entrance into, through or out of something the route or course by which a person passes​​ the permission, right, or freedom to pass a voyage by water from one point to another a lapse or passing, as of time transference transition Almost 15 years of research led me on a journey of discovery, ​six​ generations back on my mother's side to a small town in rural Texas. A place where the population was never more than 200 people, who farmed and crafted sandstone from the bountiful supply in the area. To a road that leads to where my family lived, worked and died. These images are a blend of the collection of photographs my grandmother had of her family​,​ used to continue the narrative in new photographs made by me in the same area my family resided. With a current population of approximately 35 people, I tried to capture what life was still there, while reflecting on the past life of the town. Some remnants of a community post slavery still remain, but mostly, what exists from then to now are ​just the​ trees. Passage Book: https://www.blurb.com/b/10444065-passage

2023 Witness Series Houston is one of the nation’s most diverse cities. The 4-part Witness Series 2023 will explore the many profound experiences Communities of Color have to the Land and Waters of Southeast Texas and beyond. Co-curated in partnership with artists from the Indigenous, African American, Latino, East Asian and South Asian communities, each Witness experience will bring communities together through the power of nature and art. The series will provide historically under-served communities with greater access to nature-based opportunities. Attendees will become co-authors, editors and observers as they take part in these participatory public art experiences centered around green spaces and environmental equity. This year’s Witness Series will be captured by artist April M. Frazier, as she participates in each event. Through her art, we will be able to experience the power of community building and making in green spaces. The Witness Series was created by Jaime González, a Houston-based conservationist and storyteller, and Kristi Rangel, Houston-based multi-disciplinary artist and education advocate. It is their shared belief that environmental equity is a basic human right. https://www.thecollective.org/the-witness-series

“This Water Knows It All” delves into a study of the various waterways I have traversed and their intersection / overlap with historical waterways that were the initial vehicle to the existence on this continent of my ancestors and their kinfolk. This Water marks time by my creation still images of the movement observed on these bodies of water of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf Coast of Galveston Texas, Rio Grande River, Ocho Rios (Eight Rivers) and Winifred Beaches of Jamaica, and others. Water holds the memory and history of these kinfolk, and this display serves as a celebration of their sacrifices. Descent and Transformation is on view November 9th through December 21st, curated by Kathie Folie-Meyer, PhD Residency Art Gallery, 1245 District Dr., Inglewood, California https://www.residencyart.com/ Opening Reception Saturday, November 9th 1 – 5 PM For more information check out the web page for event details: https://www.humanities.uci.edu/events/descent-transformation-vol-i-voyages-americas