Sarai Black is a queer artist living in the Pacific Northwest.
I am a maker and creation is something that I experience as a spiritual relationship. I feel that there are energies that want to manifest in our physical world and I make what flows through me. Often those energies feel in service to healing, transformation, embodiment, grief, connection, love, beauty, the earth. My work is a labor of touch, a regard for old and sacred ways, and a connection to my ancestors. My work is a processing through of thoughts, care, emotions, pain, grief — a practice of surrender. I am inspired by and devoted to the earth. To be in relationship with plants, trees, flowers, rocks, and waters is a gift that I will forever feed and grow.
Most of my weavings are made with handspun wool yarn and often dyed with plants. I start with a sheep’s fleece from a farm. I wash, card, spin and dye it to end up with the final weaving material. The long labor of this is an important part of my process, infusing the artwork with time, touch, and care.
I live and work on the unceded territories of the Multnomah, Wasco, Kathlamet, Cowlitz, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other Indigenous peoples. My ancestral background is Belgian, Italian, Scottish, Irish, and English and I recognize that I am occupying stolen land. I am committed to decolonizing, paying reparations, dismantling white supremacy, moving toward collective liberation, and learning in the places where I am lacking. A portion of my income is paid as rent to the Chinook Indian Nation and to paying reparations of all kinds.
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