Virtual | October 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM EDT
As part of the Textile Society of America’s Fall 2026 Colloquium, (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal, we are pleased to present a special conversation exploring the ethics of storytelling, representation, and responsibility in cultural production.
Ethical & Community-centered Storytelling: A Conversation with Keidra Daniels Navaroli & the Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole film team will feature members of the creative team behind the forthcoming documentary Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole, including Executive Producer and protagonist Brian Xsavior Pettway; Director, Producer, and Co-Director of Photography Phillip Loken; and Co-Director of Photography Courtney Jefferson. Moderated by curator, scholar and thought leader Dr. Keidra Daniels Navaroli, the session will include a screening of the film’s sizzle reel followed by a conversation and audience Q&A exploring ethical approaches to storytelling, representation, and community collaboration.
Too often, films, exhibitions, and other forms of cultural production extract stories from communities without creating meaningful relationships, accountability, or long-term benefit. Similar to colonial practices, these approaches can unintentionally perpetuate harm while claiming to preserve or celebrate culture. This conversation asks a different question: What becomes possible when storytelling is rooted in care, reciprocity, and community partnership?
Together, the panelists will reflect on their experiences documenting Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and discuss how community-centered approaches can create more authentic, ethical, and lasting narratives.
About the Film
Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole is a Southern Documentary Fund fiscally sponsored project that offers an insider’s perspective on the people, histories, and cultural traditions of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, also known as Boykin.
While Gee’s Bend is internationally recognized for its extraordinary quilting legacy, the film expands the conversation beyond the quilts themselves to explore the community’s lived experiences, collective memory, and evolving identity. Through the voices of residents and descendants, the project examines the nuances that have shaped this Black-majority community and the generations of makers who continue to call it home.
Featured Speakers
Brian Xsavior Pettway
Executive Producer & Protagonist
Imbued with the essence of Hip Hop aesthetics, the artistry of X The Artist fearlessly embarks upon a journey that intricately navigates the intricate tapestry of our global landscape, embracing its dichotomous facets. This odyssey is underpinned by a vibrant mixed media/collage approach, dynamically harnessed as a strategic conduit for penetrating social analysis—an embodiment of a manifesto that astutely acknowledges the artist’s seminal role within the 21st century paradigm. Notably, this creative voyage draws profound sustenance from the ancestral wellspring of inspiration, traced back to X’s great-grandmother, the pioneering Quilter Martha Jane Pettway, whose ageless elegance and flair reverberate throughout his artistic process, evocatively reflecting her extraordinary ethos towards existence.
Phillip Loken
Director, Producer, and Co-Director of Photography
Currently based in Mebane, North Carolina, Phillip Loken was born in Texas and has lived in various cities and towns across North Carolina since the age of four. His photography is intimately tied to his lived experiences as an Afrikan man in the American South.
Loken is one of the recipients of The Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University’s 2024 Collection Awards and his work has been exhibited nationally. As a professional photographer, Loken has worked with a variety of organizations and companies, including the City of Raleigh, CreativeMornings, the North Carolina Museum of Art, NoirBnb, Special Olympics North Carolina, and Woodforest National Bank. www.plstudio.xyz
Courtney Jefferson
Co-Director of Photography
Throughout Courtney’s experiences in the professional photography/creative direction fields he has been able to contribute to many notable projects. One of his most notable project contributions would come from his years of experience gained from creating customer facing digital media campaigns as well as physical installations for Reebok North America, Europe and Asia. VSCO.co/CJefferson
Keidra Daniels Navaroli, Ph.D.
Moderator
Dr. Keidra Daniels Navaroli is a curator, art historian, and thought leader whose work examines how museums, public history, and textile traditions can challenge cultural divisions, foster intergenerational dialogue, and elevate underrepresented communities.
Currently at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Daniels Navaroli has spent more than eighteen years working across scholarship, curation, and arts leadership. She has lectured nationally and internationally for organizations including the American Alliance of Museums, the Surface Design Association, Studio Art Quilt Associates, and the University of the Arts London. Her award-winning curatorial work has been featured in Forbes, Culture Type, and numerous other media outlets.
She currently serves on the Textile Society of America’s Membership, Outreach, and Programs Committee.
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.
Help Make This Conversation Accessible
TSA is committed to keeping registration affordable while ensuring broad access to meaningful conversations like this one. Sponsorship support helps underwrite speaker honoraria, technology, accessibility services, and reduced-cost registration for students and emerging professionals.
Sponsorship opportunities are available from $250 to $5,000. To learn how you can support Ethical & Community-Centered Storytelling and the broader Fall 2026 Colloquium, please contact hello@textilesocietyofamerica.org.
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