MacKenzie River Foy is a multidisciplinary artist, archivist and culture worker examining Black ecologies, histories and fictions. Her practice intertwines research, print and digital media, speculation and memory.
Photo by Alphonso Smith. Jr.
Inspired by the griot of West Africa, my storytelling is deeply connected to my roots, my stolen ancestors, my kin. I learn from them in oral histories, in recipes, in communing with the earth.
Across/against discipline, I experiment with the ways language assists in reconnecting Black communities to our indigenous identities, forges pathways for our stewardship of land, and builds momentum toward Black ecological futures. I am dedicated to telling the complex stories of my family and ancestors. My practice requires me to collaborate locally and globally with other artists, writers and memory workers; my work is driven by community engagement.
I am descended from generations of farmers, teachers, domestic workers, and small business owners. I’m from places called Virginia and South Carolina and Texas and Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There are parts of me I gave birth to, parts of me born in a chocolate city. All of me is currently living happily by the water in Susquehannock and Piscataway Territory, also known as Baltimore, MD.