Exhibitions

LAKESHA LEE: MEMORY TO MATERIAL & OBJECTS

Reece Museum / 363 Stout Dr., Johnson City, TN July 3 - September 19th (Reception: September 4 5:00pm - 7:00pm)

LaKesha Lee

LaKesha Lee's work is an ongoing material dialogue between past, present, and future that honors self-representation, family legacy, and the resilience of Black identity. Through assemblage collages, sculptural forms, and ceramics, Lee uses found objects-old photographs, textiles, ceramics, and everyday artifacts-as a material language to explore memory, history, and cultural traditions.

Family is at the heart of Lee's practice. Drawing from matrilineal storytelling and African American craft traditions, she integrates photo repetition, material layering, and quilting techniques to recontextualize personal and collective histories. Repeating imagery creates new narratives, expanding the way the artist engages with every day, found resources.

"I work with materials that carry personal and communal significance, layering found objects, fabrics, and ceramics to build intimate and expansive material composition. These materials act as vessels of memory, balancing preservation and healing. Through cutting, stitching, firing, and assembling, my process becomes one of repair and reclamation-an homage to love, resilience, and continuity within the African American experience." says Lee.

LaKesha Lee is a multidisciplinary artist based in Knoxville, TN. Through her work, Lee provides self-empowerment by engaging with materials that foster storytelling and community connections. She uses techniques such as quilting, hand-building, and collage, combining found and self-made materials to craft visual narratives that bridge her family's past, present, and future.

The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, which is housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Follow the Reece Museum on social media for more content and digital programming.