Artifacts: Storytelling Through Material Forms

May 3 - July 26

Artifacts: Storytelling Through Material Forms is a mixed media exhibition showcasing works by Shakeeka Brooks, Chris-Annia Dobson, and Michelle Wilkie which explore identity, heritage and culture through various mediums.

Exhibition and Reception Details

• Location: Pullen Arts Center, 105 Pullen Road
• Parking: Visitors must have a parking permit between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Check-in at Pullen Arts Center’s front desk for a license plate-based parking permit. View our parking map
• Cost: Free and open to the public
• Hours:
  • Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Friday, closed
  • Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• To purchase artwork, contact Pullen Arts Center for details.

Closing Reception

Join us at Pullen Arts Center on Saturday, July 25 from 2:30 - 4 p.m. for a free closing reception. Check out the artwork, meet the artists, and enjoy an evening of community at Pullen Arts Center.

About the Artists

Shakeeka Brooks

Artist Statement

Shakeeka Brooks first became aware of basket weaving during a family vacation in Charleston, South Carolina, where she learned that the city was one of the earliest entry points for West Africans through the Atlantic Slave Trade. Enslaved Africans brought the art of coiled basketry to America, laying the foundation for a rich cultural tradition. 

Over time, this practice has often been categorized as a “craft.” As a result, many consider it a lost or undervalued art form. Her goal is to challenge the perception. She plans to help raise awareness of the art form and its history by highlighting its beauty and cultural significance. Her art portrays how pine needle basketry has evolved from a traditional and utilitarian craft into a fine art that incorporates sculptural techniques and intricate designs. Although the design of her basketry is unconventional, she uses weaving techniques that are comparable to those before her. 

Through her work, she aims to share a meaningful part of her African American heritage with the world. She hopes that the pieces she creates will inspire younger generations to not only learn the craft, but deepen their appreciation for the struggles of those who came before them, and encourage them to preserve and carry forward their cultural traditions and legacy. 

Biography

Shakeeka Brooks is a pine needle basket weaver and fiber artist based in Charlotte, NC, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. She specializes in creating intricate pine needle baskets, a passion she discovered during a family trip to Charleston, SC. Inspired by the cultural roots of the craft, she pursued formal training and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Wingate University in 2011. Soon after, she launched her online store, “Hand Works By Shakeeka.” 

Her work is deeply rooted in African American heritage. The rhythmic process of weaving offers a sense of calm and connection, allowing her to reflect on the traditions of her ancestors while working with natural materials.  

Her baskets have been exhibited at the Mint Museum, the Raleigh Fine Art Society and other galleries. She also teaches basket weaving classes and has self-published three children’s books.

Chris-Annia Dobson

Artist Statement

Chris-Annia Dobson creates sculptural installations that explore memory, spirituality, and cultural identity through material form. She believes everyday objects, hair, paper, botanicals, and found materials, hold emotional and ancestral power. Treating them as living archives, she uses their textures and histories to build intimate spaces for reflection and reverence. 

Dobson's current work continues her exploration of material storytelling in a series of shallow box assemblages. These pieces examine how Black identity is shaped and protected, while deepening her focus on ritual and gestures that preserve memory. Each panel is intuitively arranged and objects are layered, hidden, or revealed to echo how histories are held and passed down.

Biography

Chris-Annia Dobson (b. St. Ann, Jamaica) is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Raleigh, NC. Her practice explores identity, spirituality, and cultural memory within the Black diasporic experience, utilizing hair, found materials, and mixed media to create sculptural forms that honor lineage, resilience, and transformation. Beginning in photography and creative writing, Dobson's work has evolved into material-driven installations, where symbolically charged objects become vessels for ancestral narratives and contemporary selfhood. Rooted in her Jamaican heritage and a commitment to community storytelling, her work creates space for healing across generations. 

Michelle Wilkie

Artist Statement

Michelle Wilkie's artistic practice revolves around modern quilting where she seamlessly blends traditional techniques with a contemporary twist, embracing both improvisation, minimalism and color. Each quilt becomes a canvas where emotions and connections intertwine, and a story is told.

From Scraps to Soul embodies an exploration of renewal through the act of making. It celebrates the beauty of what is often overlooked in the scraps, remnants, and cast-off materials. Through this collection, Wilkie hopes to inspire viewers to embrace the joy of making, and to recognize the soul in every fragment.

Biography

Michelle Wilkie is an artist who works predominantly in textiles. Her work has been featured in prominent venues, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, Virginia Quilt Museum, PNW Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, the Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, and Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) Raleigh. She is fresh off three well-received solo exhibitions at the PAAL Gallery (VA), the Page-Walker Arts and History Center (NC), and the Durham Art Guild (NC). She has participated in notable juried international exhibitions in England, Taiwan, France, Italy, and Czechia.

Her work is included in the notable collections of SAS Institute (Goodnight Collection), the City of Raleigh (NC), and Chateau d’Orquevaux. She has also leased works for short-term periods with North Carolina Museum of Art and Triangle Community Foundation.