Licia Priest: I Am We,

Crafting Community in Paper Tole

April 25th - August 17th, 2025

Artist Talk: Saturday, May 10th, 2-3pm

Licia Priest is a Louisville-based interdisciplinary artist whose paper tole reliefs provoke conversation regarding the divides between African culture and that of the African diaspora, particularly in the United States. An exploration in global community making, I Am We recognizes the universality of the human experience while simultaneously honoring the uniqueness that each individual carries.

The dispersion of myths through passive acceptance of media narratives is a driving factor in her work, which begins with cross-cultural exchanges in Zimbabwe. Using photographs taken on these trips, Priest layers identical prints to create the perception of depth on an otherwise flat surface, a craft called paper tole. Additionally, her compositions often involve unconventional materials and processes including plastic shopping bags and gel nail polish. Through precise cutting and layering, Priest physically and metaphorically features deeper meanings that challenge dominant, one-dimensional narratives.

A departure from Priest's past work that draws from cityscapes and architecture, the work in I Am We features rural landscapes and emphasizes the women and girls who reside within them. Through the adornment of paper flora and fauna from the region, Priest underscores the ways in which our environments and lived experience shape us-both as individuals and as members of a community.

I Am We follows a three-month residency that Priest held at KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council.
Special thanks to Denise Scearce, Shantell Maddox, Vickie Craycroft, Tia Craycroft, Aysa Irvin, Nahla Joy, Brenda Hill, Sonya Reid, Alisa Maddox, Joyce Neal, Mark Priest, Charlene Cain, Tiffany Tatum, and ENID Collective.