Theda Sandiford Mixed Media

My Emotional Baggage Carts are vessels to dispose of racial trauma. The act of making, weaves the sting of macro and microaggressions into the cart, freeing me from these constraints. Each recovered shopping cart is unique, but they all are woven with upcycled materials like rope, paracord, grocery bags, rope lights, beads, fabric, and bottle caps. The cart is with a protective zip tie blanket to trap trauma and prevent its escape. For me, my Emotional Baggage Carts are a release, for you, they are an opportunity to look within and recognize any emotional baggage you, yourself may be carrying and release it. Theda Sandiford...

'My Emotional Baggage Carts are vessels to dispose of racial trauma. The act of making, weaves the sting of macro and microaggressions into the cart, freeing me from these constraints. Each recovered shopping cart is unique, but they all are woven with upcycled materials like rope, paracord, grocery bags, rope lights, beads, fabric, and bottle caps. The cart is with a protective zip tie blanket to trap trauma and prevent its escape. For me, my Emotional Baggage Carts are a release, for you, they are an opportunity to look within and recognize any emotional baggage you, yourself may be carrying and release it.' Theda Sandiford...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors ...

“Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtaposes various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping and jewelry making techniques. Meticulously collected materials, transformed by their collective memory become “social fabric” weaving together contemporary issues and personal narratives. 100-foot extensions of rope, twine, and yarn impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, ribbon, lace, tape and bottle cap bobbles lures you into my hue-imbued, enmeshed installations symbolizing natural hair. These bold albeit whimsically twisted and locked forms gingerly invite the audience into off the-wall conversations about micro aggressions against black women and their hair. Community art making is also key to my process. Multi-disciplinary experiences pairing people, food, wine, music and art, create a safe space to explore themes such as equity & inclusion, sustainability and personal wellbeing.” -Theda Sandiford

Drawing inspiration from hair braiding and beading styles from my youth, different bottle caps have been strung together into colorful oversized beaded...

Dispose of any emotional traumas that no longer serve you, in this mini emotional baggage cart. Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

Dispose of any emotional traumas that no longer serve you, in this mini emotional baggage cart. Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

I custom dyed the cotton rope a bright yellow using Jacquard ink, then wrapped the rope with ribbon, pom pom trim, yarn and vintage fabric from a block print tapestry that hung in my college dorm room. Theda Sandiford...

Extensions of rope, impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, zip ties, ribbon, lace, tape and beads lure you into a hue-imbued, installation symbolizing n...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors ...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

Dispose of any emotional traumas that no longer serve you, in this mini emotional baggage cart. Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though...

“Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtaposes various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping and jewelry making tech...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

“Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtaposes various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping and jewelry making techniques. Meticulously collected materials, transformed by their collective memory become “social fabric” weaving together contemporary issues and personal narratives. 100-foot extensions of rope, twine, and yarn impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, ribbon, lace, tape and bottle cap bobbles lures you into my hue-imbued, enmeshed installations symbolizing natural hair. These bold albeit whimsically twisted and locked forms gingerly invite the audience into off the-wall conversations about micro aggressions against black women and their hair. Community art making is also key to my process. Multi-disciplinary experiences pairing people, food, wine, music and art, create a safe space to explore themes such as equity & inclusion, sustainability and personal wellbeing.” -Theda Sandiford

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...

After taking a stroll through St. Georges Botanical Garden in St. Croix USVI this gold spray painted shopping cart part woven with webbed polyurethane ribbons, deconstructed Fresh Direct bags, bottle caps, vintage scarf, plastic grocery mesh and paracord came together. “Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtaposes various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping and jewelry making techniques. Meticulously collected materials, transformed by their collective memory become “social fabric” weaving together contemporary issues and personal narratives. 100-foot extensions of rope, twine, and yarn impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, ribbon, lace, tape and bottle cap bobbles lures you into my hue-imbued, enmeshed installations symbolizing natural hair. These bold albeit whimsically twisted and locked forms gingerly invite the audience into off the-wall conversations about micro aggressions against black women and their hair. Community art making is also key to my process. Multi-disciplinary experiences pairing people, food, wine, music and art, create a safe space to explore themes such as equity & inclusion, sustainability and personal wellbeing.” -Theda Sandiford

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors ...

Theda Sandiford, is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Though art is engrained in her psyche, Theda’s first creative endeavors were in the music business as a...