Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership today announced the appointment of contemporary artist Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989, Mexia, TX; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA) to its board of directors. Best known for his woven tapestries exploring African American and queer identity, American history, and his own life experiences, Brackens employs techniques from West African weaving, quilting from the American South, and European tapestry-making to create both abstract and figurative works. His appointment continues the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to advocating for the historical and contemporary importance of work created by African American artists from the South and to fostering economic empowerment, racial and social justice, and educational advancement in the communities that gave rise to these artists.
Brackens’ work has been presented in solo exhibitions at the New Museum, New York, NY; Various Small Fires, Los Angeles, CA; Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS; and Johansson Projects, Oakland, CA; and his work is in the permanent collections of institutions including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; the Brooklyn Museum, NY; the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX; the New Orleans Museum of Art, LA; and the Oakland Museum of California, CA. He received a BFA from University of North Texas, Denton, TX, and an MFA in textiles from California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA, and he is currently an Assistant Professor and Program Head of the Fiber Department at California State University Long Beach.
Souls Grown Deep stewards the largest and foremost collection of works by Black artists from the Southern United States, encompassing some 1,000 works by more than 160 artists, two-thirds of whom are women. The Foundation and Community Partnership advances its mission through collection transfers, exhibitions and publications, advocacy and public programs, grant-making, and values-aligned investments.