Beads, Fabrics, and Silhouettes
with Elisa McKay and Pedra Chaffors
Featured Artist
Pedra Chaffers
Pedra has been making art for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan she was immersed in a community that was a great supporter of the Arts. Additionally, her parents were very supportive of her creative endeavors. Her passion for the visual arts led her to attend the University of Michigan and receive a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) and certification to teach Visual Art K-12. After teaching Art in the classroom for two years, Pedra returned to the University of Michigan for graduate study. During this time she was introduced to the field of Museum Studies. A keen interest in Museum Education led to post graduate positions at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Both institutions gave her in-depth exposure to various African beadwork traditions. Working as a Museum Educator also expanded Pedra’s understanding of the community connections that can be created between schools and museums. In 2001 Pedra moved to St.Croix. For eight of her twelve years on island, she was the Lower and Middle School Art teacher at The Good Hope School (2004 - 20012). In addition to her work as an educator, Pedra continued her work as an artist. She participated in The Good Hope Art show for ten years and as well as numerous Art Thursday exhibitions. Currently, Pedra lives in Washington, D.C.. She continues her work as an Art Educator at the elementary school level in Charles County, Maryland.
Elisa McKay
I work in collage art using fabric, paper, flowers, metal, wood, found objects, photographs and a variety of other items, including acrylic, watercolor and gouache. My images portray family, community, celebration, culture, history and those memories of joy, love, spirituality and all that evokes feeling good. My love for dance is often seen in my work as an aesthetic value representing the life force or spirit within. As the ocean is one body of water, so is the life force one and the same power existing everywhere and within everything. I believe in the oneness of us all, so my images are mostly created without hair or facial features. I love the human body...and I will often create images of the female anatomy, which I know more about than any other. I have not been formally trained, but somehow, I have a feeling for composition and color. My work is often a meditation...a zen experience, if you will. I give thanks for learning and growing with each new art piece that I create.