Exhibition Recap: Bare My Soul in Detroit
This past weekend I opened my piece Lore at Norwest Gallery of Art in Detroit for the exhibition Bare My Soul. Curated by Deep Roots Experience, the show explores vulnerability and truth through the lens of art. In Lore, I reimagine Adam and Eve and the origins of shame, transforming a story I grew up with into a reflection on vulnerability as a form of power.
This past weekend, I had the honor of opening my latest work, Lore, at Norwest Gallery of Art in Detroit as part of the Bare My Soul exhibition. Curated by Deep Roots Experience, the show brings together artists from Cleveland and Detroit in a conversation about vulnerability, truth, and what it means to bare ourselves through art.
🌿 My Piece: Lore
My contribution, Lore, reimagines the story of Adam and Eve through a personal lens. At the center stands the Tree of Life, heavy with oranges, while Eve cradles Adam under its branches. A serpent lurks nearby, waiting for its moment. For me, this piece is about confronting the origin of shame, especially the way nudity was tied to sin in the stories I grew up with in a Christian household. Through collage, I wanted to reclaim this moment, not as sin, but as a mirror of vulnerability and the power it holds.
🌹 The Opening Night
The opening was a beautiful exchange of energy. The gallery buzzed with conversation, laughter, and reflection. It was powerful to see people encounter Lore and share their own interpretations, reminders that art doesn’t just live on the wall, it lives in dialogue.
✨ Gratitude
I’m deeply grateful to the Norwest Gallery of Art for hosting, to Deep Roots for curating with vision, and to every artist who shared space in this show. Thank you to everyone who came out to support. It means everything to be seen and celebrated in the community.
🌌 Why Bare My Soul Matters
This exhibition feels like an invitation to be brave, to sit in our own truths without shame. To bare one’s soul is an act of rebellion, of healing, and of connection. And being part of this conversation in Detroit has been both grounding and inspiring for me as an artist.
Lore: The Origin of Shame
My new work, Lore, reimagines the story of Adam and Eve through a personal lens. Centered on the Tree of Life, oranges, and a waiting serpent, this piece explores the origin of shame, vulnerability, and how art transforms fear into healing.
This month, my work Lore is on view at Norwest Gallery of Art in Detroit as part of the Bare My Soul exhibition. The show itself is about vulnerability, truth, and stripping away the layers we hide behind. For me, that meant returning to one of the earliest stories I was taught as a child growing up in a Christian household: the story of Adam and Eve.
In Lore, I reimagine that ancient narrative through my own lens as a Black woman and an artist exploring vulnerability. At the center of the piece is a great tree, standing tall and radiant, the Tree of Life. Its branches hold bright oranges, ripe with possibility, temptation, and consequence. Eve cradles Adam while a serpent lingers in the scene, waiting for its moment to disrupt everything.
I chose this story because it’s one of the earliest origin points for shame, the moment humanity became “aware” of their nakedness. Nudity became linked with guilt, modesty, and silence. Growing up in the church, I internalized these stories in ways that shaped how I experienced my own body and vulnerability.
By revisiting this narrative through collage, I wanted to strip it down to its core and confront the shame that has trickled through generations. In making Lore, I asked myself: What happens when we bare ourselves fully, without fear? What if vulnerability is not sin, but power?
Lore is both a return and a reimagining. It’s a way of reclaiming a story I was taught to fear, and instead using it as a mirror for my own growth, vulnerability, and healing.
🌿 The Beauty of Side Quests
In every quest, there are places you stumble upon that feel secret, carved out just for you. This moment, barefoot in a coral dress, holding a mirror to stone dragons reminds me that my side quests are not distractions. They’re discoveries. Each detour, whether it’s a photoshoot, a film experiment, or a teacup ritual, adds another relic to my inventory. I am both the wanderer and the world-builder, finding treasures in the cracks of the map and carrying them back to the main story.
In every video game…
the main quest pushes you forward. But it’s the side quests the odd jobs, the hidden villages, and random characters; that give the game its soul. Life works the same way. My artist journey is filled with side quests: film, photography, modeling, writing, tea-making, even collaging flowers into skies. Each one feels like a tangent, but really, it’s treasure I carry back to the main quest.
🌙 What Side Quests Teach
People often dismiss side quests as distractions. But what if they’re the secret curriculum? The little “extra credit” assignments from the universe. Film taught me how to frame stories. Photography sharpened my eye for light and intimacy. Modeling taught me presence, aura, and the art of becoming my muse. Tea-making taught me the value of ritual and patience, showing me how creation begins with stillness.Flowers taught me symbolism, how even the smallest bloom carries an epic of its own. None of these were throwaways. Each was an ingredient. And when I return to my canvas, I carry all of them with me.
🌸 Life’s Unexpected Detours
It’s not only in the studio. Life itself hands us side quests:
• A spontaneous trip.
• A conversation with a stranger that lingers.
• Motherhood moments that shift your pace.
• A heartbreak that blooms into self-discovery.
Each detour bends the light in a new way. Each one gives us a tool, a scar, or a song to bring back to our main quest.
🌹 Why Side Quests Matter
Side quests are where you learn resilience without pressure. They prevent burnout from chasing one goal too hard. They’re where you unlock hidden parts of yourself you didn’t know you needed. Without them, life is just a straight line. With them, life is a constellation.
✨ Returning to the Main Quest
The main quest gets you to the destination, but it’s the side quests that make you unforgettable when you arrive. Without them, the story isn’t half as rich. So here’s to the detours, the experiments, the unexpected blooms. Try something just because it sparks curiosity. To build worlds within worlds.
They’re not distractions.
They’re not wasted time.
They are the soul of the game.
🌿 Your turn: What side quest are you on right now, and what treasure is it giving you to bring back to your main story?
Photo by Cynthia Penter