The Egyptian goddess Ma’at, along with the activism of African American women, and Afrofuturism, are the inspiration for this installation which contemplates the ideals of cosmic balance and divine order. The principles of Ma’at act as a framework for how we should behave and speak. Truth and Justice lead to Divine order to ensure the way the world should be. As the Earth responds to the stars and the planets, so does this installation respond to its environment, the sun, and the moon. The figure is the personification of harmony and the 3-sided wall is her balance. A universal order and path of truth are essential to keeping he world running.

Statement accompanying One in All — Grace Kisa and Ellex Swavoni

Thank you Ma’at for reminding me of order and balance. Thank you Ma’at for being both the sun and moon. Thank you Ma’at for celebrating the beauty of impermanence. Thank you Ma’at for ordering my steps toward truth and justice. Thank you Ma’at for singing a song of harmony and dissonance. Thank you Ma’at for expanding my world to include the strength of goddesses and the breadth of civilizations.

I don’t want a world without myths and legends. I don’t want a world without hope and aspiration. I don’t want a world without figure and ground. I don’t want a world without ebbs and flows. I don’t want a world without green space and community. I don’t want a world without public art.

A Note on my Atlanta Beltline Writing Project

I am practicing paying attention. I am practicing noticing beauty. I am practicing getting in touch with my artist self. I am practicing connecting with the outdoors. I am practicing my inner Mary Oliver. I live in Atlanta, “the city in a forest.” I live on the Atlanta Beltline, an interurban trail that graces the city. The Beltline is part arboretum, part art gallery, part park. It connects shops and restaurants and homes with people of all descriptions. I walk on the Beltline 4 or 5 times a week. I have spent the last year appreciating all that it is. I have personally photographed the images I will share. My hope is to write about it — its art, trees, landmarks, etc.— for the next few weeks as spring unfolds.