The Aesthetic of Funk With Xenobia Bailey

sabrinasgordon

Story by sabrinasgordon

Published on Feb 22, 2012 in Watch

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Even amidst the midday chaos of NYC, you can’t miss her — the signature cap, crocheted work dress, and vintage glasses are unmistakably Xenobia Bailey, the singular and prolific fiber artist. Her work is extraordinarily imaginative and diverse — crowns, mandalas, dresses, sculptures, even teas — but they’re all an articulation of what she calls the “aesthetic of funk.” Xenobia says that she learned to “funk it together” by watching the women in her community beautify their environments with limited resources. She has continued to preserve and extend that tradition in her extraordinarily diverse art pieces and clothing.

Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and editor who has been working on  films for over a decade. Her next artist profile is the NEA-funded feature length documentary, BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, exploring the life and work of the renown poet and activist. For more information, visit her website.

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