The Textile Society of America will welcome Malene Djenaba Barnett, award-winning multidisciplinary artist, textile surface designer, author, and founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, as the keynote speaker for (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal, our virtual colloquium taking place October 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET.
In a featured conversation with TSA Board President Dr. Sharbreon Plummer, Barnett will explore the intersections of cultural memory, community stewardship, creative practice, and the regenerative futures that textiles and craft make possible.
Barnett’s practice is rooted in her African Caribbean heritage and explores the connections between identity, place, and creative expression. Through ceramics, textiles, surface design, writing, and public scholarship, she examines how ancestral knowledge informs contemporary making and how creative communities can preserve, celebrate, and build upon shared histories.
As the founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, Barnett has created a platform that advances visibility, connection, and opportunity for Black artists and designers. Her work extends across artistic practice, research, and community building, reflecting a commitment to honoring diasporic traditions while imagining new possibilities for creative futures.
In 2024, Barnett released Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practice of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers, a groundbreaking collection featuring conversations with more than 60 artists of Caribbean heritage. Through these intimate stories of creative process, Barnett highlights how land, heritage, and cultural memory shape the work of contemporary makers.
Her artistic work has been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally, including the Museum of the African Diaspora, the National Gallery of Jamaica, the African American Museum of Dallas, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She has received a Fulbright Award, completed residencies at leading craft institutions, and presented lectures and conversations with audiences around the world.
This keynote continues TSA’s multi-year exploration of textiles as sites of memory, imagination, repair, and renewal, from (re)Claiming Narratives in 2022, through (re)Imagining Futures, (re)Membering, and now (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal. This final chapter asks a critical question: “How do we transform fragmented systems into ones rooted in repair, reciprocity, and collective care?”
Barnett’s practice offers one response. Through ceramics, textiles, design, and community building, she demonstrates how creative practices can honor ancestral knowledge while creating pathways toward more connected futures.
This half-day virtual gathering will bring together scholars, artists, makers, and cultural leaders to share practices, spark collaborations, and reimagine the future of textiles. Additional speakers and program details will be announced soon.
Registration is open now.
Classroom options are available
- Basic Classroom: $45 One shared link for in-class viewing, plus one shared post-event recording link.
- Premium Classroom: $75 for Individual access for up to 30 students, plus post-event recordings for all.
Interested in sponsoring this keynote conversation?
Partnerships help make this work possible. A limited number of sponsorships are now available to directly support critical components of the event, including livestreaming, captioning, speaker honoraria, and digital archiving, ensuring the broadest possible access and long-term impact. Visit our sponsorship page or contact the TSA to learn more about underwriting opportunities at hello@textilesocietyofamerica.org.
We cannot wait to gather with you!
