Griot Designs

Griot Designs Griot Designs offers jewelry, accessories, clothing, greeting cards, and original artwork made of rec

Original post: May 23, 2020"Let's take a long walk around the park..."📷: Kenya Templeton, Samsung S9, no filter or editi...
05/23/2026

Original post: May 23, 2020

"Let's take a long walk around the park..."
📷: Kenya Templeton, Samsung S9, no filter or editing @ First Ward Park

Today's post: May 23, 2020

It's funny that this memory came up today because I had my latest camera in my hand yesterday and decided I need to integrate photography into my weaving practice, as I miss this.

Though I am no longer in contact with my father, photography has been our connection even in absentia. These are the last photos he saw that I took, and he was shocked at how I got these with my camera phone. I haven't been moved to go on walks to find stuff to photograph due to my disabilities, but I am seeking solutions so I can get back to this, as it is beckoning my return.

The past six weeks have been a lot. I allow the grief of losing my first best friend, Grandma Katie, on April 1 to move ...
05/18/2026

The past six weeks have been a lot. I allow the grief of losing my first best friend, Grandma Katie, on April 1 to move through me unabashedly. She was one of the only adults I felt safe with as a child. It's weird to say she is gone from this realm after 53 years, since she's always been here physically.

On May 14, almost a year to the exact minute, I was leaving the garage at work on the first anniversary of my love's stroke. I pulled over and cried uncontrollably as that call from his sister last year led to one of the scariest periods of my life.

I am proud of the work he put into his recovery and his determination to live differently, with the intention of being a better person. I see you, , and love that, as I lost one of my best friends, I have gained another.

Thank you to everyone who asked about his well-being, donated money for meals while I spent almost every night of his 10-day stay in the hospital. HUGE thanks to my closest friends who have checked on me over the past year. I appreciate my VAPA crew for reaching out when they didn't see me in my studio for months. A girl who rarely received unconditional love as a child knows she is loved now. Thank you for loving on me and mine.

05/04/2026

I am still riding high from the grand opening festivities of the Sidala Learning Lounge this Saturday in . The constant traffic and positive energy blessed the space.

Claude was ecstatic and floored by the support of his community. I say, "You receive that which you put out into the universe." Your hard work paid off, and you should be so proud of yourself, sir.

The festivities are not over. This Saturday, May 9, from 6 pm to 9 pm, stop by for the VAPA Center's Night Market and attend Claude's closing reception from 6 pm to 9 pm. There will be plenty of other stuff taking place in other studios, so make a night of it.

========================

SIDALA LEARNING LOUNGE
GRAND OPENING Pt. 2
Random Thoughts Art Exhibition Closing Reception
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 6 pm to 9 pm
Inside the VAPA Center, Lower Level
700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC

FREE parking. Enter the parking lot on College Street.

The Sidala Learning Lounge proudly presents Random Thoughts Solo Art Exhibition: 10 Works by C.L. Harding during its gra...
04/30/2026

The Sidala Learning Lounge proudly presents Random Thoughts Solo Art Exhibition: 10 Works by C.L. Harding during its grand opening. Meet Mr. Harding and hear music he has composed and performed this Saturday, May 2, from 1 pm to 4 pm.

SIDALA LEARNING LOUNGE
GRAND OPENING
Random Thoughts Art Exhibition Opening Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1 pm to 4 pm
Inside the VAPA Center, Lower Level
700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC

☀️ Learn about summer camp and other upcoming learning opportunities
☀️ 20% off Sale on Griot Designs jewelry and art prints.
☀️Complete a questionnaire to help with future programming of the space.

FREE parking. Enter the parking lot on College Street.

04/29/2026

SIDALA LEARNING LOUNGE
GRAND OPENING
Random Thoughts Art Exhibition Opening Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1 pm to 4 pm
Inside the VAPA Center, Lower Level
700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC

☀️ Learn about summer camp and other upcoming learning opportunities
☀️ 20% off Sale on Griot Designs jewelry and art prints.
☀️Complete a questionnaire to help with future programming of the space.

FREE parking. Enter the parking lot on College Street.

=========================

The Sidala Learning Lounge proudly presents Random Thoughts Solo Art Exhibition: 10 Works by C.L. Harding during its grand opening. Meet Mr. Harding and hear music he has composed and performed this Saturday, May 2, from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Quote from Artist Statement:
==========================

"Drawing from the legacies of artists such as Kandinsky, Dalí, and Man Ray, Harding creates dreamlike, fanciful compositions that move fluidly through past, present, and future. Works are often developed from small sketches, though at times they emerge directly on a larger scale. Themes of solitude recur throughout the practice—solitude understood not as loneliness, but as a reflective, generative state."

=========================

04/27/2026

The Sidala Learning Lounge proudly presents Random Thoughts Solo Art Exhibition: 10 Works by C.L. Harding during its grand opening. Meet Mr. Harding and hear music he has composed and performed this Saturday, May 2, from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Quote from Artist Statement:
==========================

"Drawing from the legacies of artists such as Kandinsky, Dalí, and Man Ray, Harding creates dreamlike, fanciful compositions that move fluidly through past, present, and future. Works are often developed from small sketches, though at times they emerge directly on a larger scale. Themes of solitude recur throughout the practice—solitude understood not as loneliness, but as a reflective, generative state."

=========================

SIDALA LEARNING LOUNGE
GRAND OPENING
Random Thoughts Art Exhibition Opening Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1 pm to 4 pm
Inside the VAPA Center, Lower Level
700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC

FREE parking. Enter the parking lot on College Street

04/24/2026

Sidala Learning Lounge loading...

Opening Sat., May 2, 2026
With an art exhibition by Claude Harding
12 pm to 6 pm
FREE!
Lower Level
700 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Please support Claude in his first solo art exhibition.

LATE POST:Last month, I had the awe-inspiring opportunity to attend an artist talk by , the first black artist to have a...
04/22/2026

LATE POST:

Last month, I had the awe-inspiring opportunity to attend an artist talk by , the first black artist to have a solo exhibition at Museum of Modern Art.

When Chakaia was a fellow at the McColl Center, I was tagged on her work every time it was posted. Do people think I wouldn't know a black artist whose works feature tires? I first saw her work in the Brooklyn Art Museum. Then I saw her public art in Upstate NY.

Chakaia's work reminds me that anything is possible. Her work reinforces the notion of using what you have, right where you are right now. The structure of her works sparks my love of architecture. The fluidity lends to my affinity for textiles. Ah!

That's exactly what I have done with my jewelry making. I started making and selling art at eight years old, using corrugated cardboard, acrylic paints, puff paints, jewels, glue, and spray varnish. I sold them at church, flea markets, festivals, and to schoolmates. I have worked with everything from leather to plastic container lids.

Thank you, Chakaia, for being you.

I am most grateful for the past two weeks of hibernation and reflection. As an artist who sells retail and wholesale in ...
01/18/2026

I am most grateful for the past two weeks of hibernation and reflection. As an artist who sells retail and wholesale in addition to performing, it is always the busiest time of the year from Halloween to New Year's.

I sat in my living room this morning in silence as the sky lightened, and took notice of many blessings amongst a time of transition in my personal and business life.

💚 One of four folding chairs gifted to me where I do chair yoga almost every morning to strengthen my disabled knees and ankle.
💚 An original painting that barely survived a car accident totaling my new car in 2007 on my return from the October Gallery Black Art Show in Philadelphia. The Bucks County, NJ Sheriff's Department had to cut the roof of the car to get the painting out.
💚 A single snake plant leaf from a friend's mom, whom I helped replant some plants. Hopefully, plant babies will come from its propagation.
💚 An off-season bloom from a peace lily gifted to me by . I finally kept it moist enough to encourage blooming.
💚 A sterling silver ring from Uganda gifted to me by a visitor at work.

Thank goodness for making it another day to notice these things that are reminders of my familial friendships, unf**kwithable determination, and physical strength among my health challenges.

01/14/2026

Remember the hand-painted, 3D-printed elephant I created last month as the centerpiece for a Delta Sigma Theta holiday event?

Welp, it SOLD! 🔴 Thanks to an NC State 🐺 alumnus in Seattle who snagged it for an alumna who is a Delta Sigma Theta here in NC. Small world. This is my first art sale of 2026 and I appreciate the purchaser for reaching out. This was the one time I did not mind a man hitting me up in my DM's. 🤩

Thank you to Joanne Rogers, owner of Studio Gallery in Charlotte for this opportunity.

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Charlotte, NC
28213

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