Artworks

Haven No. 3, 2021Wood, plexi, crushed shells, ceramic shards

Bullet proof structure surrounds Angela Davis in “An Evening with Angela Davis” a fundraiser for her the Angela Davis Legal Defense Fund, at Madison Square Garden, 1972. Image courtesy of Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; photograph by Bettye Lane

Installation photos: Scott Lynch; Sofie Kjørum Austlid

Inspired by the bullet proof structure made to protect activist Angela Davis at Madison Square Garden in 1972, Anina Major’s Haven No. 3 is a wood and plexiglass installation built to express the importance of protecting all Black women while simultaneously providing a place for stillness. The crushed shells and ceramic shards installed at the bed of the installation are recurring materials for the artist, who often references her Caribbean heritage. The Madison Square Garden event was part of a fundraising tour to support her legal defense costs against bogus criminal charges.

Programming

‘A Legacy of Textures and Sun’ Ayana Evans perform at ‘Haven No. 3
March 20, 2022 | 3-4pm

Instagram Takeover

About the Artist

Anina Major (she/her) is a visual artist from the Bahamas. Her decision to voluntarily establish a home contrary to the location in which she was born and raised motivates her to investigate the relationship between self and place as a site of negotiation. By utilizing the vernacular of craft to reclaim experiences and relocate displaced objects, her practice exists at the intersection of nostalgia, and identity. She holds an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies, including the Elizabeth Foundation for the Art Studio Program. Her work has been exhibited in The Bahamas, across the United States, and Europe and featured in permanent collections, including the Fuller Craft Museum and the National Gallery of The Bahamas.

Website: aninamajor.com

Instagram: @aninamajor

Audio Guide

Click below to listen to the artist speak about their work.

Audio transcript available upon request.

Exhibition