WHAT, WHERE, WHY, HOW, WHo is - BRAIDWOMAN ™ …
BRAIDWOMAN ™
BRAIDWOMAN™ is an experimental short film series by Joanne Petit-Frère,
that is examining her Visionary & Sculpture practice w/ Braiding Hair as a living archive of storytelling, artifact-making and form of Hospitality.
A Sculpture practice,
stemming from her early day-job working experience as In-house/ On-set Hair Artist for Celebrity Performers such as,
Beyoncè, Solange, Janelle Monáe, Les Nubians, Nana Mensah, Ho99o9, Joey Bada$$, Melo-X, Zsela … also sought by Trinidad James, Lady Gaga, Wynter Gordon & more…
A braided practice, conceptualizing series Redressing the Crownselecting Photographers Nigel Hosang, Michael Slosar from Vogue Italia & contributing to subsequent Highness series as photographed by Delphine Diallo …
- also Heading Hair departments for Sundance & Cannes Fest award winning films, Hair Wolf, Port Authority &
HBO television series (collaborating w/ Director, Terence Nance, Head of Hair & Makeup Art - Risha Rox & collaborating w/Sesame Street Puppeteer, Josh Cohen with Specialty Hair Props) for Random Acts of Flyness -
Additionally, in-supporting her Sculpture practice, she has also braided experiences as Maitre D’ - Front of House Manager & Hostess, for Fine Dine & Upscale Casual restaurants in New York City -
such as Sant Ambroues, Kappo Massa, Kamasu & Her Name Was Carmen for Kissaki Hospitality Group, Sant Ambroues Hospitality Group and Larry Gagosian hybrid restaurant/gallery model…
… Ms. Petit-Frere leads w/ her Visionary & Sculpture practice, with elite experience exhibiting at
Somerset House Museum for Black Venus, NoMA, MoMA PS1, The Philbrook, Philip Martin Gallery, Museum of Pop Art, New Museum, CAAM, Fresno Art Museum , Harvard University’s Cooper Gallery …
participating in Residencies and receiving Art grants, from LAND, Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs, Andy Warhol Foundation, Culture Hub, Haitian Cultural Arts Exchange & more …
Thus … softly, in distilled jumbo—braid culmination … framed with mighty fine micro-braid accenting -
each activation unfolds as an archived home of an independent platform -
a form of literary offering of recollection and inquiries of Art, Economics and Philosophy - distilled into cinematic poem …
BRAIDWOMAN™ series, serves insight into Joanne’s process
her visual songs incorporating sonic arrangements led by her north star of completed sculpture works -
a tethered experiencing of her new braided and baked-in series:
Braided Sanctuaries™ and BraidCora™ …
Ms. Petit-Frère,
softly yet boldly, stands out with an immersive, braided experience -
excited to shakeup the audience taste palette, with a bit of clove essence, lemon juice, and perhaps w/ just enough honey to bring out the song of thyme …
a breeze of fresh air to the craft & fine art world - braiding meaning and enhancement to the art of social media sharing -
Joanne plays with the landscape of oversharing but wth corseted restraint…
bridging sculpture, ritual, and moving-sounded image in highly considered experiential form;
served freshly from the week’s materials, sometimes with herstoric splash from the past -
with running forward fine attunements, of fresh pop-up in-person activations ideally set bi-monthly each progressive year …
of supporting faresh virtual activations, set weekly living as one-time portaled screenings..
opening for 33m
on Saturdays 3pm
…
a ritual system, built intentionally.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This work is presented in acknowledgement of the Kaurna people, Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide Plains - where the BRAIDWOMAN™ series launched at Mercury Cinema, in part Adelaide Fringe Fest 2026 in South Adelaide, Australia for Women’s History Month.
with pay of respect to Elders past and present while recognizing the enduring sovereignty of this land.
BRAIDWOMAN™ is rooted in diasporic memory, shaped by the cultural legacies of the Taíno and Arawak peoples, alongside the enduring traditions of West African lineages carried through Ayiti.
The work continues to evolve in acknowledgement of the First Nations lands of Oklahoma,
where her studio practice unfolds.
A production brought to you by JoGoesWest Studios™, with kind support from Arts Unlimited, Adelaide Fringe Foundation, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts …
traditional analog film capture of contemporary artist, Joanne Petit-Frere at MoMA PS1
by late legend, documentary photographer & co-founder of Black is Beautiful movement, Kwame Brathwaite Sr.
for exhibition ‘Hair Wars’ - curated by Taja Cheeks with David Humphries. Featured in March 2018 issue,The New Yorker Magazine.
NOTICE:
This film series may contain extended sequences of flashing imagery that may affect photosensitive viewers.
JoGoesWest Studios™ appreciates your RSVPs.