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The Bid
18 in x 26 in
Textile, Mixed Fabrics, Mud Cloth.
2025

The story behind this piece is a good one. Hear more about it at The CAN Opener, the official opening reception of TENFOLD, honoring ten years of the CAN and the artists, community, and vision that have shaped this journey.

Join us at the @contemporaryartsnetwork CAN Gallery in City Center — 701 Mariners Row, Suite 104 for an evening marking this important milestone in Hampton Roads’ creative ecosystem.

TENFOLD showcases a powerful cross-section of works by artists who have been part of CAN’s journey over the past decade, featuring painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and film that reflect the evolution of contemporary art in our region. The exhibition honors the depth, range, and experimentation that CAN has championed — from emerging voices to established creatives — highlighting work that speaks to identity, place, memory, social inquiry, and imaginative futures. Together, these pieces form a living archive of artistic growth, resilience, and collective vision.

#contemporaryartsnetwork #textileart

The Bid
18 in x 26 in
Textile, Mixed Fabrics, Mud Cloth.
2025

The story behind this piece is a good one. Hear more about it at The CAN Opener, the official opening reception of TENFOLD, honoring ten years of the CAN and the artists, community, and vision that have shaped this journey.

Join us at the @contemporaryartsnetwork CAN Gallery in City Center — 701 Mariners Row, Suite 104 for an evening marking this important milestone in Hampton Roads’ creative ecosystem.

TENFOLD showcases a powerful cross-section of works by artists who have been part of CAN’s journey over the past decade, featuring painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and film that reflect the evolution of contemporary art in our region. The exhibition honors the depth, range, and experimentation that CAN has championed — from emerging voices to established creatives — highlighting work that speaks to identity, place, memory, social inquiry, and imaginative futures. Together, these pieces form a living archive of artistic growth, resilience, and collective vision.

#contemporaryartsnetwork #textileart

The Bid
18 in x 26 in
Textile, Mixed Fabrics, Mud Cloth.
2025

The story behind this piece is a good one. Hear more about it at The CAN Opener, the official opening reception of TENFOLD, honoring ten years of the CAN and the artists, community, and vision that have shaped this journey.

Join us at the @contemporaryartsnetwork CAN Gallery in City Center — 701 Mariners Row, Suite 104 for an evening marking this important milestone in Hampton Roads’ creative ecosystem.

TENFOLD showcases a powerful cross-section of works by artists who have been part of CAN’s journey over the past decade, featuring painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and film that reflect the evolution of contemporary art in our region. The exhibition honors the depth, range, and experimentation that CAN has championed — from emerging voices to established creatives — highlighting work that speaks to identity, place, memory, social inquiry, and imaginative futures. Together, these pieces form a living archive of artistic growth, resilience, and collective vision.

#contemporaryartsnetwork #textileart

First in Line | 2024
17” x 22”
Textile, appliqué, and stitching on fabric
Materials: Cotton, denim, paper, and vinyl

Part IV of the Ft. Monroe Series. This piece is inspired by a photo of my oldest son and my oldest niece—the first grandchildren of our family—on the pier with my father, their grandfather. They were fortunate enough to experience my parents in their fifties, more agile and mobile, still making those early morning fishing trips, still planning family outings to Fort Monroe with their family.

Though they come from different backgrounds, different nationalities, they share the same heritage, the same bloodline, the same love for the pier, the ocean. It was something special watching them march down to the water with my father, rods in hand, buckets swinging, eager to seize the day. They were so small, yet so ready to learn. Never once complaining about the hours spent waiting for a bite, never once tiring of watching my father and brother reel in the catch. They’d run up and down the pier, poking at fish and crabs in the bucket, screaming with laughter when the water splashed.

Now, they are adults, and in hindsight, I can see how these experiences shaped them. These moments weren’t just childhood memories—they were lessons, traditions, roots. I hope one day they carry these memories forward, passing them down to their own children, so the legacy of Fort Monroe and the love of fishing lives on for generations to come. This is my way of reminding them that they are and always will be, first in line.

#FirstInLine #FtMonroeSeries #FamilyLegacy #TextileArt #FiberArt #MwaNangu #MingMing #GenerationsByTheWater #StitchedMemories

First in Line | 2024
17” x 22”
Textile, appliqué, and stitching on fabric
Materials: Cotton, denim, paper, and vinyl

Part IV of the Ft. Monroe Series. This piece is inspired by a photo of my oldest son and my oldest niece—the first grandchildren of our family—on the pier with my father, their grandfather. They were fortunate enough to experience my parents in their fifties, more agile and mobile, still making those early morning fishing trips, still planning family outings to Fort Monroe with their family.

Though they come from different backgrounds, different nationalities, they share the same heritage, the same bloodline, the same love for the pier, the ocean. It was something special watching them march down to the water with my father, rods in hand, buckets swinging, eager to seize the day. They were so small, yet so ready to learn. Never once complaining about the hours spent waiting for a bite, never once tiring of watching my father and brother reel in the catch. They’d run up and down the pier, poking at fish and crabs in the bucket, screaming with laughter when the water splashed.

Now, they are adults, and in hindsight, I can see how these experiences shaped them. These moments weren’t just childhood memories—they were lessons, traditions, roots. I hope one day they carry these memories forward, passing them down to their own children, so the legacy of Fort Monroe and the love of fishing lives on for generations to come. This is my way of reminding them that they are and always will be, first in line.

#FirstInLine #FtMonroeSeries #FamilyLegacy #TextileArt #FiberArt #MwaNangu #MingMing #GenerationsByTheWater #StitchedMemories

First in Line | 2024
17” x 22”
Textile, appliqué, and stitching on fabric
Materials: Cotton, denim, paper, and vinyl

Part IV of the Ft. Monroe Series. This piece is inspired by a photo of my oldest son and my oldest niece—the first grandchildren of our family—on the pier with my father, their grandfather. They were fortunate enough to experience my parents in their fifties, more agile and mobile, still making those early morning fishing trips, still planning family outings to Fort Monroe with their family.

Though they come from different backgrounds, different nationalities, they share the same heritage, the same bloodline, the same love for the pier, the ocean. It was something special watching them march down to the water with my father, rods in hand, buckets swinging, eager to seize the day. They were so small, yet so ready to learn. Never once complaining about the hours spent waiting for a bite, never once tiring of watching my father and brother reel in the catch. They’d run up and down the pier, poking at fish and crabs in the bucket, screaming with laughter when the water splashed.

Now, they are adults, and in hindsight, I can see how these experiences shaped them. These moments weren’t just childhood memories—they were lessons, traditions, roots. I hope one day they carry these memories forward, passing them down to their own children, so the legacy of Fort Monroe and the love of fishing lives on for generations to come. This is my way of reminding them that they are and always will be, first in line.

#FirstInLine #FtMonroeSeries #FamilyLegacy #TextileArt #FiberArt #MwaNangu #MingMing #GenerationsByTheWater #StitchedMemories

First in Line | 2024
17” x 22”
Textile, appliqué, and stitching on fabric
Materials: Cotton, denim, paper, and vinyl

Part IV of the Ft. Monroe Series. This piece is inspired by a photo of my oldest son and my oldest niece—the first grandchildren of our family—on the pier with my father, their grandfather. They were fortunate enough to experience my parents in their fifties, more agile and mobile, still making those early morning fishing trips, still planning family outings to Fort Monroe with their family.

Though they come from different backgrounds, different nationalities, they share the same heritage, the same bloodline, the same love for the pier, the ocean. It was something special watching them march down to the water with my father, rods in hand, buckets swinging, eager to seize the day. They were so small, yet so ready to learn. Never once complaining about the hours spent waiting for a bite, never once tiring of watching my father and brother reel in the catch. They’d run up and down the pier, poking at fish and crabs in the bucket, screaming with laughter when the water splashed.

Now, they are adults, and in hindsight, I can see how these experiences shaped them. These moments weren’t just childhood memories—they were lessons, traditions, roots. I hope one day they carry these memories forward, passing them down to their own children, so the legacy of Fort Monroe and the love of fishing lives on for generations to come. This is my way of reminding them that they are and always will be, first in line.

#FirstInLine #FtMonroeSeries #FamilyLegacy #TextileArt #FiberArt #MwaNangu #MingMing #GenerationsByTheWater #StitchedMemories

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

“The Hidden Archive”
17 in x 22 in
Textile collage, mixed fabrics, hand-stitched and machine-sewn

The story:
There was this one night—a holiday dinner in one of those old brownstones on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, not far from Rittenhouse Square. The kind of home I’d only ever seen in Woody Allen movies—book-lined walls, moody lighting, every corner full of charm and character.

As the evening unfolded, the host—an art professor and true patron—invited us on a tour. We climbed floor by floor, past walls of fine art and shelves of rare books. On the top floor, we reached a library.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get more magical, he tapped a book on the shelf—and the entire bookcase swung open, revealing a hidden room filled with preserved artifacts. Quiet. Mysterious. Sacred.

That moment never left me.

The Hidden Archive is my stitched version of that memory. A textile map of that secret room and the feeling it gave me—of reverence, curiosity, and the quiet power of preserving what matters.

#TextileArt
• #FiberArt
• #ContemporaryArt
• #MixedMediaArt
• #ArtCollector
• #ArtOfVisuals
• #ArtThatTellsAStory
• #HandStitched
• #SlowArt
• #ArtInstallation

Life is simple in joy. ✨💐

Life is simple in joy. ✨💐

Life is simple in joy. ✨💐

The moment Nicole realized she threaded her own bobbin & machine and her stitch was actually stitching!!! Ahhhh… I screamed in my head. Look at her smile with knowing how to do it! 😂🧵✨

Art moves imagination.
Art moves skill.
Art moves me.

On Saturday @virginiamoca ,I had the pleasure of guiding students as they learned their sewing machines and confidently built a new skill with their own hands.

It was dope watching strangers becoming makers together, and somewhere between the threading, laughter, questions, and first stitches… a small community formed.

Sewing Saturdays is now a thing! And we are at the museum with it!!!!! 🥰 Now that you’ve mastered the machine, it’s time to play a little “Textile Design” - classes begin in June.

#Sewing #virginiamoca

Sewing 101 - Threading Your Machine.
Saturday
Links in bio

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, “I’ve been wanting to learn how to sew,” I’d be a thousandaire lol

For those with intentions to learn—see you Saturday, we’re going to have fun and you’re going to leave sewing. 🧵🪡

Heart + Share 💐

Lakan Sulo
10 x 10
Recycled Fabrics, Linen, Cotton & Polyester.
2026

I’ve been studying how light meets the body—how shadows fall and shift with time. It has me in a chokehold, in the best way. At the same time, I’ve been returning to my mother’s native language, tracing its roots back to pre-colonial Philippines.

This is the first work in an untitled four-part collection.
It’s my favorite so far. It made its debut on Saturday at @virginiamoca Community Day as part of a collaborative U-Haul exhibition with the @contemporaryartsnetwork.

What a day! Thank you for stopping in to view the @contemporaryartsnetwork U-Haul Gallery activation for @virginiamoca Community Day.

Original works, prints, and murals by resident artists: @creator_flower @_dkane and @raintheneo

What a day! Thank you for stopping in to view the @contemporaryartsnetwork U-Haul Gallery activation for @virginiamoca Community Day.

Original works, prints, and murals by resident artists: @creator_flower @_dkane and @raintheneo

What a day! Thank you for stopping in to view the @contemporaryartsnetwork U-Haul Gallery activation for @virginiamoca Community Day.

Original works, prints, and murals by resident artists: @creator_flower @_dkane and @raintheneo

What a day! Thank you for stopping in to view the @contemporaryartsnetwork U-Haul Gallery activation for @virginiamoca Community Day.

Original works, prints, and murals by resident artists: @creator_flower @_dkane and @raintheneo

The CAN Foundation is honored to participate in the Uhaul exhibitions and workshops @virginiamoca Community Day taking place this Saturday, May 2nd from 10am-4pm.

Within the Uhaul, CAN Foundation Artists in Residence - MarieAnn Fluker, Rain Spann, and Dathan Kane - will present murals, original works, and embellished prints.

Additionally, at 3:15pm, First Patron AIRs, MarieAnn Fluker and Rain Spann will present an interactive conversation and workshop. Read on for the workshop description:

Join @creator_flower & @raintheneo for a conversation exploring their work in the CAN Foundation U-Haul activation and the deeper realities of building a life through art. They’ll examine collaboration as a force that expands, challenges, and transforms both artist and process. Grounded in their residency experience, this conversation offers insight into the risks, evolution, and commitment required to grow a sustainable creative practice.The experience will include a participatory element, inviting attendees to engage beyond observation.

The CAN Foundation is honored to participate in the Uhaul exhibitions and workshops @virginiamoca Community Day taking place this Saturday, May 2nd from 10am-4pm.

Within the Uhaul, CAN Foundation Artists in Residence - MarieAnn Fluker, Rain Spann, and Dathan Kane - will present murals, original works, and embellished prints.

Additionally, at 3:15pm, First Patron AIRs, MarieAnn Fluker and Rain Spann will present an interactive conversation and workshop. Read on for the workshop description:

Join @creator_flower & @raintheneo for a conversation exploring their work in the CAN Foundation U-Haul activation and the deeper realities of building a life through art. They’ll examine collaboration as a force that expands, challenges, and transforms both artist and process. Grounded in their residency experience, this conversation offers insight into the risks, evolution, and commitment required to grow a sustainable creative practice.The experience will include a participatory element, inviting attendees to engage beyond observation.

The CAN Foundation is honored to participate in the Uhaul exhibitions and workshops @virginiamoca Community Day taking place this Saturday, May 2nd from 10am-4pm.

Within the Uhaul, CAN Foundation Artists in Residence - MarieAnn Fluker, Rain Spann, and Dathan Kane - will present murals, original works, and embellished prints.

Additionally, at 3:15pm, First Patron AIRs, MarieAnn Fluker and Rain Spann will present an interactive conversation and workshop. Read on for the workshop description:

Join @creator_flower & @raintheneo for a conversation exploring their work in the CAN Foundation U-Haul activation and the deeper realities of building a life through art. They’ll examine collaboration as a force that expands, challenges, and transforms both artist and process. Grounded in their residency experience, this conversation offers insight into the risks, evolution, and commitment required to grow a sustainable creative practice.The experience will include a participatory element, inviting attendees to engage beyond observation.

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Friday night @virginiamoca was one of those nights… you just had to be there for. ✨

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

Bonjour! Sharing a moment of gratitude. I have this childhood friend, Jeannine (aka J9). She’s on her book tour.

Why would she randomly invite me to Paris to join her? Crazy right? So anyway…while there’s so much I could say about this…I’ll just keep it simple.

Because, what @itsmetheyfollow is really doing on her book tour…is writing people into each other’s lives.
She’s activating conversations where community is the story. It’s a remarkably moving story that I am extremely honored to be a part of.If you read her book…you’ll get it.

Keep writing this out J9, I’m here for it!Merci! 💐

🤍 @parisronnie @akua.lovelyn

@asajacksonart took us close to the heavens…
but we were still here on earth.

At Les Yeux du Monde — Paradise Found was a full experience! Took my gosh darn breath away!

Driving up the mountain to see — a must.

#Contemporaryart #lydmgallery #Art #ParadiseFound