Award-winning textile artist, Wokie Massaquoi-Wicks, of Knoxville, was born and raised in Liberia. Growing up in West Africa, she was exposed to her native Vai and Mende textile designs through observation and practice in everyday life. Her uncle, Fritz Massaquoi, was a prominent fabric artist and head of an international recreation center in Liberia where he taught tie-dying, batiking, screen printing, weaving, pottery, and painting. Since Wokie was a child, Uncle Fritz taught her traditional West African textile arts and instilled in her the importance of carrying on the culture and traditions of their ancestors. Reflecting on her own style now, Wokie states, “Traces of his influence can be seen in everything I make.”
Since her family moved to the United States, Wokie has made her home in Knoxville and has carried on her cultural traditions and family legacy. She and her sister run the Gallinas House gallery and store in downtown Knoxville’s arts center, the Emporium. The textile designs that Wokie creates exemplify art in everyday life. She explains, “What is considered art in the western world is part of everyday living in much of Africa.” These traditions are important because, “they are central to our culture and history, part of who we are, and they tell our story. Africans are known for using oral traditions to educate, and to continue traditions throughout generations. I share my knowledge of these traditions through family gatherings…and at our studio, by educating our customers.” Most recently, Wokie’s work was featured in “Crafting Blackness: Black Bodies Making Form,” an exhibit at East Tennessee State University’s Slocumb Galleries. This art form is endangered in West Africa today and rare to East Tennessee, making safeguarding her traditions even more crucial. “Passing them down ensures a better understanding of our cultural heritage and increases the likelihood of their preservation. I believe that within our designs, our ancestors live, their presence is felt, the bond continues.”
As part of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program this year, Wokie will be teaching her son, Lahai Alexander Massaquoi Wicks. Lahai has always had an enormous interest in his African heritage and cultural traditions and has observed his mother and grand uncle Fritz practicing these art forms his entire life. He explains that he, “was deeply influenced by their work and saw that our community admired their crafts.” Wokie will teach Lahai the techniques of tie-dying, batiking, and mud cloth making. Equally as important, she will be teaching Lahai, “the significance and meaning of these art forms in everyday West African life.” These art forms carry great symbolic meanings, as Lahai writes, “The preparation and development of pigmented textiles play a fundamental role in a number of social and political activities within our tribes. For example, the color and design of outfits is of central importance in the nonverbal distinction between political roles, tribal affiliations, martial arrangements, etc.”
Lahai is passionate about carrying on this important family legacy, “I want to work with my mother because she has gone to great lengths to learn the textile-based crafts of our tribes. These crafts were mastered by her teacher, my grand uncle, and are central to many of the cultural values of our people. By working with my mother, I might be able to preserve them, pass them on, but also introduce new and innovative methods based upon the experiences we’ve gained in immigrating to Appalachia.” Lahai seeks to pass on his knowledge to others by compiling techniques and methods into a manual that can be widely shared. “This manual would hopefully include ideas for how to improvise when traditional tools/supplies are inaccessible, as well as ideas for how to create beautiful pieces in an environmentally friendly manner.”
