More Than a Month is San Francisco Public Library’s Black History Month celebration, in which they recognize important historical events, honorable leaders and steps towards collective change. More Than a Month programming features authors, poets and craft classes all ages.
They library will virtually visit the home studios of artist Cheryl Derricotte and Ramekon O'Arwisters, who will talk about how the history of Black craft and folk arts influences their current practice.
Cheryl Derricotte is a visual artist and her favorite mediums are glass and paper. Originally from Washington, DC, she lives and makes art in San Francisco, CA. Derricotte has an extensive background in the arts and community development. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University and a B.A. in Urban Affairs from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Ramekon O’Arwisters grew up in Jim Crow South during the Civil Rights Movement, where he had a safe haven, quilting with his Grandmother where he was “embraced, important and special.” These early memories prompted his nascent series of unique crocheted/ceramic sculptures titled, Mending. Employing ordinary household, or decorative pottery, broken and discarded, O’Arwisters combined traditional crafts into a dimensional woven tapestry, stripping both cloth and ceramic of their intended function. O’Arwisters is represented by Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco.
