Okra Collage (2020)
Commissioned by Pop-Up Magazine and Instacart for Issue in a Box
Overview
In fall 2020, I was commissioned by Pop-Up Magazine to contribute to Issue in a Box—a special edition storytelling project developed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Known for its live multimedia storytelling events, Pop-Up Magazine shifted formats to create a limited-edition mailed experience featuring original art, writing, and objects by selected artists and creatives.
My contribution, a collage titled Okra, was commissioned by Pop-Up Magazine in partnership with Instacart, and was featured on a custom seed packet coaster included in the box. The project invited audiences to connect with the stories of artists through tactile, plantable, and interactive elements.
Materials & Meaning
The artwork, Okra, draws on the vegetable’s cultural and culinary significance. As the key ingredient in Barbados’s national dish, Cou-Cou, and a staple in American Gumbo—particularly in my then-home city of Tulsa—okra serves as a visual and metaphorical anchor. On the front of the packet, the collage celebrates the vitality of the plant; on the back, I wrote a short personal narrative tracing my deep-rooted connection to okra, cooking, and creative process.
Collaborators
Commissioned by Pop-Up Magazine in collaboration with Instacart.
Issue in a Box launched in November 2020 and featured work by Samin Nosrat, Ada Limón, Hrishikesh Hirway, Karen Russell, and others.