Karena “Kidd” Graves
is a multidisciplinary artist based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They hold an MFA from East Carolina University and a BFA in Sculpture from UNC Greensboro. Graves’ practice draws from African American folklore, dream symbolism, and domestic traditions, often weaving found and secondhand materials into sculptures, wall tapestries, and tufted textiles. By embedding the histories of these materials and symbolism from African American culture, their works create layered narratives that connect the past with the present into Afro-futurism.
Artist Statement
My work explores African American folklore in the South, drawing from oral traditions, family stories, and symbolism surrounding life and death. My research began with fish dreams shared among the women in my family. When women in my family dream of seeing or catching a fish it signals a pregnancy of a family member or close friend. This phenomenon inspired my MFA exhibition Fish Dreams, a body of weavings and sculptural assemblages. From there, my practice expanded to folklore around death, particularly the role of birds such as owls, roosters, and herons as omens. At Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, I created large-scale mixed-media tapestries that reflected these stories and their layered meanings.
I work primarily with tufting, weaving, and assemblage, using repurposed steel, found objects, and recycled yarns to reimagine these stories in sculptural form. Tufting has become central to my practice, allowing me to explore texture, relief, and dimensionality beyond traditional rug-making. By merging textiles with sculptural processes, I aim to push the boundaries of how tufted textiles function in contemporary art. My work serves as both a playful and reverent interpretation of collected materials and stories, inviting audiences to engage with African American folklore and to consider how these narratives shape memory, community, and imagination.
Outside of my personal practice. I collaborate with other artists, (more specifically with the artist collective Buckets and Bolts), and communities to create public artworks, sculptures, murals, and installations. These works are abstract and figurative constructions centered on story telling, nature, and historical moments. Sharing stories and histories of the communities I work within has become an important part of my overall practice.
All of my artwork and practice is a playful iteration of the materials I gather whether it be repurposed objects, textiles, or stories. No matter who we are, there is a way to find commonalities in our own stories. Whether these stories resonate close to the soul, mind or ears, they serve as bridges that bring people together.