Ancient Memory: Painting Medicine, Receiving Wisdom...Beneath Her Sacred Skirts.
To egress is to emerge, be seen, or come to the surface. Just as water will egress from behind two rocks, and flow forth unrestrained and unobstructed, the images in this series are here to cleanse, refresh, and rejuvenate the heart. Ancient Memory commemorates a nine-year spiritual journey inward, which the artist, Mandisa Amber describes as hanging out beneath the skirts of the village grandmother. The artist uses deep inquiry for the retrieval of medicine and shares these images with her community in order to reweave a new origin story where marginalized people preserve their ancient rituals, knowledge, and autonomy. A sacred exploration through paint, Ancient Memory features vibrant and powerful icons of the divine feminine. Come community, join Mandisa Amber, and taste liberation as the healing images awaken the wisdom in your blood and bones.
Memoria Antigua: Pintar Como Medicina, Recibir Sabiduria...Debajo De Su Sagradas Faldas.
Emerger significa, ser visto, o salir a la superficie. Del mismo modo que el agua emerge detrás de dos rocas, y fluye sin restricciones y sin obstáculos, las imágenes de esta serie están aquí para limpiar, refrescar y rejuvenecer el corazón. Memoria antigua conmemora un viaje espiritual hacia el interior de nueve años, que la artista, Mandisa Amber describe como “colgando debajo de las faldas de la abuela del pueblo”. La artista usa profunda investigación para la recuperación de la medicina y comparte estas imágenes con su comunidad con el fin de volver a tejer una nueva historia de origen, donde la gente marginada conserva sus antiguos rituales, el conocimiento y la autonomía. Una exploración sagrada a través de la pintura, la memoria antigua cuenta con iconos vibrantes y de gran alcance de la divinidad femenina. Bienvenidos comunidad, unámonos con Mandisa Amber, y probemos el sabor de la liberación que las imágenes de curación despertará la sabiduría en nuestra sangre y huesos.
To egress is to emerge, be seen, or come to the surface. Just as water will egress from behind two rocks, and flow forth unrestrained and unobstructed, the images in this series are here to cleanse, refresh, and rejuvenate the heart. Ancient Memory commemorates a nine-year spiritual journey inward, which the artist, Mandisa Amber describes as hanging out beneath the skirts of the village grandmother. The artist uses deep inquiry for the retrieval of medicine and shares these images with her community in order to reweave a new origin story where marginalized people preserve their ancient rituals, knowledge, and autonomy. A sacred exploration through paint, Ancient Memory features vibrant and powerful icons of the divine feminine. Come community, join Mandisa Amber, and taste liberation as the healing images awaken the wisdom in your blood and bones.
Memoria Antigua: Pintar Como Medicina, Recibir Sabiduria...Debajo De Su Sagradas Faldas.
Emerger significa, ser visto, o salir a la superficie. Del mismo modo que el agua emerge detrás de dos rocas, y fluye sin restricciones y sin obstáculos, las imágenes de esta serie están aquí para limpiar, refrescar y rejuvenecer el corazón. Memoria antigua conmemora un viaje espiritual hacia el interior de nueve años, que la artista, Mandisa Amber describe como “colgando debajo de las faldas de la abuela del pueblo”. La artista usa profunda investigación para la recuperación de la medicina y comparte estas imágenes con su comunidad con el fin de volver a tejer una nueva historia de origen, donde la gente marginada conserva sus antiguos rituales, el conocimiento y la autonomía. Una exploración sagrada a través de la pintura, la memoria antigua cuenta con iconos vibrantes y de gran alcance de la divinidad femenina. Bienvenidos comunidad, unámonos con Mandisa Amber, y probemos el sabor de la liberación que las imágenes de curación despertará la sabiduría en nuestra sangre y huesos.
Mandisa Amber
Artist Bio:
Art: The narrative painting style of Mandisa Amber, M.A., M.F.A. features powerful women as icons for the liberation of both people and the earth. The painting process is done in a sacred container, where the images that appear on the canvas carry a specific healing message for the collector, community member, or friend who may feel a connection to the piece. Mandisa is initiated in the Lucumí Orisha tradition. She is an Intuitive Creativity Coach, certified in Shiloh McCloud's Color of Woman Painting Method.
Agriculture: Mandisa is an urban farmer, with a certificate in Permaculture Design from Oregon State University (2015). Her work as a food justice activist included a Farmer's Market and garden she managed for 6 years at Hoover Elementary School in West Oakland.
Dance: Mandisa is a multi-disciplined performer, choreographer and teacher of sacred movement with over 18 years of experience studying the dances of the African Diaspora. Trained locally and internationally, Mandisa danced with the Brasilian troupe Fogo Na Roupa for 10 years and was a freestyle soloist with the dynamic Batucada do Leste for 5 years. Mandisa is a former dancer for the amazing SpiritDrumz created by Afia Walkingtree. She studied dance, drum and folklore with Los Muñicitos de Matanzas and Afro Cuba and received a certificate in Rumba and Folklore from the University of Matanzas, Cuba.
Educator: Mandisa is pursuing a degree in Sustainability Education from Prescott College in Arizona. She received a M.A. in Women's Spirituality and a M.F.A in Creative Inquiry from New College of CA. She has a B.A. in Communications and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. Mandisa was an instructor at NCOC, the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and Sofia University in the Women's Spirituality MA Program, where she was Adjunct and Associate Core faculty. She is currently adjunct faculty at Napa Valley College in the Humanities Department.
Artist Statement:
My dream as an artist is to inspire change within others, through healing images, dances, agriculture, or education. Where one tree stands alone, we will eventually have a lush forest community, if we work together.
My artistic expressions are cultivated spiritual practices. These art forms help me alleviate stress, set intentions for positive growth, and create the ideal model of an empowered, healed, and fiery self. My creative inquiry is multi-dimensional, each painting represents a life lesson, and often times there are words or dances to accompany the images.
As an educator I fearlessly tread through issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, income disparity, and violence against women. My graduate thesis work was based on the sacred text of black skin, and how people of African descent lost the ability to own and adorn their flesh when they became enslaved and oppressed in the Americas. In my research I found that we all have ancestral memories, we all adorn ourselves and we all have sacred practices that come from a place deep in our blood and bones.
Each of us has a specific task and gift as we walk on this earth. My goal is to better understand how our art, activism, teaching, agriculture, dance, and other work can bring mutual liberation to humanity and the planet, to shift the ill effects of climate change, systems of oppression, femicide, poverty of the pocket, and poverty of the spirit.
Wearing lightening bolts in my hair, and tearing the veil from my eyes I face the world head on, ready to truly make a difference so our women and children can thrive.
Artist Bio:
Art: The narrative painting style of Mandisa Amber, M.A., M.F.A. features powerful women as icons for the liberation of both people and the earth. The painting process is done in a sacred container, where the images that appear on the canvas carry a specific healing message for the collector, community member, or friend who may feel a connection to the piece. Mandisa is initiated in the Lucumí Orisha tradition. She is an Intuitive Creativity Coach, certified in Shiloh McCloud's Color of Woman Painting Method.
Agriculture: Mandisa is an urban farmer, with a certificate in Permaculture Design from Oregon State University (2015). Her work as a food justice activist included a Farmer's Market and garden she managed for 6 years at Hoover Elementary School in West Oakland.
Dance: Mandisa is a multi-disciplined performer, choreographer and teacher of sacred movement with over 18 years of experience studying the dances of the African Diaspora. Trained locally and internationally, Mandisa danced with the Brasilian troupe Fogo Na Roupa for 10 years and was a freestyle soloist with the dynamic Batucada do Leste for 5 years. Mandisa is a former dancer for the amazing SpiritDrumz created by Afia Walkingtree. She studied dance, drum and folklore with Los Muñicitos de Matanzas and Afro Cuba and received a certificate in Rumba and Folklore from the University of Matanzas, Cuba.
Educator: Mandisa is pursuing a degree in Sustainability Education from Prescott College in Arizona. She received a M.A. in Women's Spirituality and a M.F.A in Creative Inquiry from New College of CA. She has a B.A. in Communications and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. Mandisa was an instructor at NCOC, the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and Sofia University in the Women's Spirituality MA Program, where she was Adjunct and Associate Core faculty. She is currently adjunct faculty at Napa Valley College in the Humanities Department.
Artist Statement:
My dream as an artist is to inspire change within others, through healing images, dances, agriculture, or education. Where one tree stands alone, we will eventually have a lush forest community, if we work together.
My artistic expressions are cultivated spiritual practices. These art forms help me alleviate stress, set intentions for positive growth, and create the ideal model of an empowered, healed, and fiery self. My creative inquiry is multi-dimensional, each painting represents a life lesson, and often times there are words or dances to accompany the images.
As an educator I fearlessly tread through issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, income disparity, and violence against women. My graduate thesis work was based on the sacred text of black skin, and how people of African descent lost the ability to own and adorn their flesh when they became enslaved and oppressed in the Americas. In my research I found that we all have ancestral memories, we all adorn ourselves and we all have sacred practices that come from a place deep in our blood and bones.
Each of us has a specific task and gift as we walk on this earth. My goal is to better understand how our art, activism, teaching, agriculture, dance, and other work can bring mutual liberation to humanity and the planet, to shift the ill effects of climate change, systems of oppression, femicide, poverty of the pocket, and poverty of the spirit.
Wearing lightening bolts in my hair, and tearing the veil from my eyes I face the world head on, ready to truly make a difference so our women and children can thrive.