Today, May 30, 2026, La QuNa (Café + Atelier + Gallery) celebrates the culmination of Precious Lovell’s artist residency at the gallery. La QuNa writes, “We invite you to the presentation of “Juana Agrippina: Afro-Puerto Rican Warrior Woman,” part of her ongoing project Warrior Women of the African Diaspora (WWAD), a series of symbolic war shirts honoring women of African descent whose lives and acts of resistance continue to inspire us. Join us for an evening of art, memory, and conversation.” [Read more about the artist below and at https://www.preciousdlovell.com/.]
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00pm
La QuNa, 38 Hermógenes Álvarez, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Precious Lovell—Artist Statement: My creative practice explores the narrative potential of cloth and clothing to address stories of the African Diaspora omitted from the traditional historical narrative. These narratives, whether personal or universal, include social and cultural commentary, documentation, and history around the experiences of Black people. When I pick up a piece of fabric, a needle, and thread, I am reminded of how cloth and clothing have served as social, cultural and political indicators throughout history. Every day we attach ourselves to these objects and use them to express and define who we are either consciously or unconsciously. This intimacy serves as a point of departure for my work, to establish human connections between the work and the viewer.
Cloth and clothing as departure points are often used in combination with artifacts related to how, and by whom they were made and cared for. Each individual narrative is built by transforming these two and three-dimensional objects with alternative visual cues. Whether I use gold paint on the tips of wood clothespins to illuminate the work of the Negro washer woman or light matchsticks against cloth to create pattern and tell a story of a fiery rebellion, I embed each piece I make with meaning specific to its story. I look for the extraordinary within these ordinary materials and objects to expand viewer expectations beyond preconceived associations. Whether I stitch through metal or build a soap tower on an upturned wash tub, my work will always reveal its relationship to and foundation in cloth and clothing practices.
Ultimately, as an artist of African descent who, along with my ancestors, has worked in various occupations related to cloth and clothing, my work is an ongoing narrative of who I am, where I fit and how I choose to participate in the historical canon.
Today, May 30, 2026, La QuNa (Café + Atelier + Gallery) celebrates the culmination of Precious Lovell’s artist residency at the gallery. La QuNa writes, “We invite you to the presentation of “Juana Agrippina: Afro-Puerto Rican Warrior Woman,” part of her ongoing project Warrior Women of the African Diaspora (WWAD), a series of symbolic war
