Protect Our Piece
creative director.
creative direction. creative concepting. script writing. art direction. copy editing.
The current administration has been relentless in its attacks on Black people and our history, rolling back rights and erasing the contributions we have made to this country. So we acted. Not with anger, but with preservation.
The Launch
POP debuted as a physical installation at the Juneteenth Market in Chicago. People ran to it. They sat on it, photographed it, and wrote down their own things worth protecting. The installation lives online at protectourpiece.com where contributions continue to grow.
The Insight
Our ancestors already showed us how to protect what matters. When they got something precious, something hard to come by, they wrapped it in plastic to make it last. The couch was the center of the home. Where family gathered. Where community was built. Where life happened. Protecting it was never just practical. It was an act of love.
The Idea
Working with fiber artist Chelsea Billingsley, we created Protect Our Piece, a couch stitched with 19 phrases representing what Black people have given this country and what is currently under threat. We chose 19 in direct tribute to June 19th, Juneteenth. The phrases sewn into the fabric included Black joy, Black media, Black expression, HBCUs, Black churches, Black leadership, Black resistance, Black bodies, banned Black books, AAVE, and queer identity. Then we wrapped it in plastic.
What's Next
POP is currently in conversation with art collectives for museum placement, moving from a single activation into a permanent cultural artifact.
Social Assets
creative direction x creative oversight.
PRESS
