host: Alyson Stanfield
Artist and activist Malene Barnett joins host Alyson Stanfield to unpack how she balances a multidisciplinary practice while designing work that “holds memory” in space. Malene shares the planning, community, and process-sharing that keep a long, installation-driven practice moving, and she offers a resonant lens on clay as a tool for liberation grounded in Caribbean and West African heritage.
Bits of her wisdom:
02:10 Family lineage and a first-generation background shape Malene’s practice.
04:20 The pact to center ancestry and identity in her work from art school onward.
08:20 Clay as a tool for liberation through Caribbean pottery history and markets.
13:10 Leaving bespoke rugs, after a sabbatical, to reclaim her voice and move into clay.
19:20 Tiles and architecture as ways to create a space that holds memory.
21:00 Planning around clay’s long timelines for drying, firing, and glazing.
22:20 Residencies, film, and building an archive of Caribbean potters.
26:40 Why sharing process, tools, and research sustains audience connection.
32:10 Founding the Black Artists and Designers Guild and how to start a community.
35:10 Crafted Kinship: agency, blurred lines between art, craft, and design.
41:10 Career advice: seek stability, invest, and take the long view.
43:20 What’s next: a large-scale ceramic mural in Greensboro, with installation in 2027.
This week, share one piece of your process with your community: a tool you rely on, a test tile, or a research thread you’re following.
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📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/kinship-barnett
⭐️ Connect with Malene and see more of her art: https://malenebarnett.com
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~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~
This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/
