Anina Major: The Sacred Mangrove

Bahamian-born artist Anina Major transforms clay through hand-weaving to honor the cultural practice of weaving, elevating craft traditions often overlooked. About Bahamian-born artist Anina Major (b. 1981, Nassau, Bahamas; lives in New York) works at the intersection of ceramics, sculpture, and installation, using clay to eternalize the cultural practice of weaving—a tradition that holds stories of labor and ancestry. By hand-weaving clay to resemble palm-leaf plaiting, she transforms a tradition rooted in softness and impermanence into one of permanence and reverence. This shift from organic fiber to fired earth honors the labor, knowledge, and lineage embedded in Bahamian craft—elements often overlooked or commodified within the tourism economy. Major's practice reflects the tension between the Bahamas' image as a marketed paradise and the undervalued cultural traditions that define its identity. For her forthcoming project at PAMM, Major expands these ideas into an installation that includes Water Tower (2024), from the museum's collection. The environment will feature towering woven clay sculptures, bottle trees, and a path of crushed conch shells—materials that ground the installation in the cultural and ecological history of the Caribbean. By reimagining weaving through clay, Major elevates a practice often dismissed as craft, presenting it instead as a profound statement on memory, value, and belonging. Anina Major: The Sacred Mangrove is organized by Jennifer Inacio, PAMM Curator. The exhibition is presented with supporting sponsorship from Goldman Sachs and PAMM's International Women's Committee. Ongoing support for PAMM's project galleries from Knight Foundation and additional exhibition support from Carol and Vincent Damian, Jr. and Leslie and Greg Ferrero is gratefully acknowledged. Read more Toggle Sculpture Installation