The Fowler will be closed May 4 & 5. This event will be rescheduled. 

Join us for a clay workshop with artist Nena Soul Fly and mold small containers for the orishas (divinities) Osun (associated with fertility, love, and prosperity) and Egbe (heavenly mates who dwell in the stars). Nena will discuss how to  house and contain spirits in the body, on land, and in objects so as to support physical and mental health. By deepening our connection to water and stars, she suggests, we can better meet the changes and challenges we face.

Nena Soul Fly (Tanya Melendez) is a Los Angeles-native of Puerto Rican descent. She is an Iyanifa (priestess of Ifa), Olorisa Osun (priestess of Osun), and Egbe Initiate. She comes from a lineage of Ifa practitioners in both her maternal and paternal lines in Puerto Rico and has been studying Ifa for the past 25 years, traveling to and from Nigeria since 2016.

Melendez is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary artist focused on social justice and women of color. She is also a world-renowned celebrity hair stylist who has worked with Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, Tyler the Creator, Li Saumet, Sasha Taylor Barnes, Simone Biles, Aunjanue Ellis, Donald Glover, and Ava DuVernay to name a few. Ten years ago, she launched her jewelry and accessory line, Nena Soul Fly.

Community Conversations are co-curated with artist and abolitionist Patrisse Cullors, whose installation formed part of the exhibition The House Was Too Small. These dialogues bring together community partners, leaders, artists, and Ifa practitioners to explore and celebrate the orisha divinities who play a vital part in our everyday lives.

This program is funded by the Nissan Foundation and co-sponsored by the Center for Religion and Cities at Morgan State University, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. Co-curation of this program is part of Patrisse Cullors’ artist residency at the Fowler Museum in 2023-24.