I'm a Black, queer artist and metalsmith based in Chicago.

I first began metalsmithing in 2021 at a local studio. I started my handmade small batch jewelry business, Metal Petal Jewelry, in February of 2023. I design and sell ready-to-wear and custom pieces. I also design art objects for display and exhibition.

I make objects out of metal as a way to express elusive feelings tied to my Black queer identity. Influenced by West African design, I reinterpret traditional forms to create my own visual language that reflects my experience living in the diaspora. My work explores themes of queerness, belonging, kinship, dis/connection & cultural (il)legibility at the intersections of race, gender, & sexuality. Black and queer futurity are cornerstones of my design practice as I pull from ancestral and contemporary influences to both reclaim my cultural lineage and imagine new possibilities for self-definition and collective liberation.

Thanks for being here - follow me on Instagram @metalpetaljewelry to learn more about my artistic practice <3