| LaShawnda Crowe Storm, M. Eliza Hamilton Abegunde Be/ Coming mixed media installation with costume 19 ft. diameter |
Untitled
I AM
Jane James Albertina Daly Henrietta
James Vergie James Ataline Gentry
Harriety Gentry Mamie Perrin Lillie
Belle Mack May Munroe Celia Gilyard
Nellie Sanders
the woman who feeds you until
you are full with summer peaches
and the memories of old women laughing
while singing the ripest from the center of trees
I AM
Isabella Daly Muriel Daly George
Ramona Bouye Linda Theresa Daly
Hamilton Celestine Magnolia Blount
Juanita Gray Cordedia Smith Nichols
Leola Keller Bettie Jean Scott Moore Hall
the woman who whispers you to sleep
with the rustling of my fingers against
dry earth until it rains and your body is
mud and succulent dreams of love
in moments you would have preferred to die
I AM
Georgiana Lizzie James Lily Daly
Juanita Schwartz Eliza Frances James
Daly Mary Goodman Probia Elvira
Collins Wickliffe Helen Goodman Bessie
Marie Scott Mary Kay Bowen
the one who knows your stories before you
are born who draws you into the limelight
to meet your Self and love her without fear
I AM
Audrey Palestine Wickliffe Timberlake
Nancy Russ France Keller Russ Mary
Louise Wilson Mary Daly Peggy
Marshall Sadie Goodman Margaret Daly
the woman who walks without moving
who dreams without sleeping
who cuts without bleeding
who calls you without speaking Remember
I AM
Mary Pearl Goodman Sadie Goodman
Anna Washington Rachel Young Agnita
here now Daly Nevlyn Rawlins Maria Luzia de
Nascimento Maria Jose Silva de Jesus
Maria Augusta de Nascimento
did you think I would forget
I AM
the sun setting green over the Atlantic
the blues turned into magic
ballast exchanged for gold Spirit made flesh
--M. Eliza Hamilton Abegunde
--LaShawnda Crowe
COLLABORATIVE STATEMENT
Artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm and Poet M. Eliza Hamilton Abegunde
Be/Coming is rooted in various masquerade traditions found throughout Africa, particularly Gelede and
Egungun of the Yoruba (Nigeria). Gelede honors female mystical power while Egungun honors the
collective ancestors of an individual person or group.
Be/Coming is the first in an ancestral masquerade series that addresses historical and contemporary social
ills and in/justices rooted in American society. In this manifestation, Be/Coming dances for African-
American women to reclaim their primordial female power, which continues to be fractured, destabilized,
and undermined by the weight of history, negative stereotypes and derogatory imagery. Each time a
masquerade is danced, the memory of that people is activated and, through the performance, embodied
by those present. Be/Coming dances so that African American women can remember, honor, cherish, and
reclaim their ancestral power, as well as access and use it.
Be/Coming is a fusion of peoples and traditions. As such, it is grounded in the American folk art tradition of
quilting, which is about the piecing together of disparate parts and leftover things. African-American folk
traditions and mythologies (i.e. The Underground Railroad Quilt), and the controversies and hearsay
surrounding American history and iconography (i.e. the Statue of Liberty) are included. Various esoteric
and spiritual practices are also incorporated to activate the spiritual energy necessary to heal these
destructive forces.
Like many healing rituals, in order for the community to benefit, multiple individuals must take part in its
construction. As such, many individuals have woven their power into the fabric of Be/Coming, which
expands the circle of healing.
Artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm and Poet M. Eliza Hamilton Abegunde
Be/Coming is rooted in various masquerade traditions found throughout Africa, particularly Gelede and
Egungun of the Yoruba (Nigeria). Gelede honors female mystical power while Egungun honors the
collective ancestors of an individual person or group.
Be/Coming is the first in an ancestral masquerade series that addresses historical and contemporary social
ills and in/justices rooted in American society. In this manifestation, Be/Coming dances for African-
American women to reclaim their primordial female power, which continues to be fractured, destabilized,
and undermined by the weight of history, negative stereotypes and derogatory imagery. Each time a
masquerade is danced, the memory of that people is activated and, through the performance, embodied
by those present. Be/Coming dances so that African American women can remember, honor, cherish, and
reclaim their ancestral power, as well as access and use it.
Be/Coming is a fusion of peoples and traditions. As such, it is grounded in the American folk art tradition of
quilting, which is about the piecing together of disparate parts and leftover things. African-American folk
traditions and mythologies (i.e. The Underground Railroad Quilt), and the controversies and hearsay
surrounding American history and iconography (i.e. the Statue of Liberty) are included. Various esoteric
and spiritual practices are also incorporated to activate the spiritual energy necessary to heal these
destructive forces.
Like many healing rituals, in order for the community to benefit, multiple individuals must take part in its
construction. As such, many individuals have woven their power into the fabric of Be/Coming, which
expands the circle of healing.
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