INDIGO'S FRIENDS

SPRING/SUMMER 2026

May - July 2026. LET THE WIND CARRY ME. Solo Exhibition. Improvisational textile creations by Imani W. Russell. Sun & Moon Yoga Art Gallery. Arlington, VA

April - July 2026 MENDING: THE FEMALE NARRATIVE THROUGH FIBER. Group Exhibition. Museum of Eastern Shore Culture. Salisbury, MD

“Mending” celebrates the powerful voices of female fiber artists who use textiles as tools for storytelling. Through mediums that include quilting, embroidery, weaving, sewing, dollmaking, and mixed-media fiber art, these artists explore personal histories, cultural memory, and social issues. Each piece is a narrative stitched with intention – revealing untold stories of identity, resistance, migration, motherhood, and resilience.

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2025 - 26

Saturday, Sept. 27. 4-9pm Montpelier House Museum. Laurel, MD Remembrance Quilt Project. Participants will create a miniature art quilt in commemoration of an enslaved ancestor of the Snowden Plantation. Basic hand stitching skills are required for this free workshop. Imani W. Russell, Instructor

November - December 2025 Regional Textile Showcase: Contemporary & Traditional textile art exhibit. Montpelier House Museum. Laurel, MD

Saturday, December 13 (noon - 4) Winter Open Studios @Portico Gallery. Indigos’s Friends invites you to join us in studio 3 for a Sip & Sew (1 - 3p.)

December - February 2026 45th Annual Black Doll Exhibit. William Grant Still Art Center. Los Angeles, CA. Group exhibition. Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s, “Parable of the Sower.”

January - May 2026 HILL CENTER GALLERIES: Regional Juried Exhibition. Washington, DC

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SPRING/SUMMER 2025

April - June, 2025 “AS LONG AS I HAVE BREATH”. Group Exhibition. Sandy Springs Museum. Sandy Springs, MD

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WINTER 2025

December - February, 2025 “IN NEED OF GOOD FOLK. MAGIC FOLK LIKE US. Group Exhibition. William Grant Still Art Center. Los Angeles, CA

January - February, 2025 “PIECED TOGETHER WE ARE WHOLE”. Group Exhibition. McLean Project for the Arts. McLean, VA

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AUTUMN 2024

September 2024. DelRay Art Center. Alex. VA “Fascinating Fiber.” Group exhibition.

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AUTUMN/ WINTER 2023 - 24

OCTOBER - MARCH. CITY LORE GALLERY. East Village, NYC.

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SATURDAY DEC. 2 (10 - 4pm) SUNDAY DEC 3 (10 - 1:30pm) Talk/q&a 2 - 3pm

SCHWEINFURTH MEMORIAL ART CENTER. AUBURN, NY. https://schweinfurthartcenter.org/studio-schweinfurth/

STORY TELLING THROUGH THE ART OF CLOTH DOLL COMPOSITION

In this 2 day workshop participants will compose an art doll (s) with a minimal pattern design and various hand sewing techniques. During the construction process, participants will begin to imagine the story they want to convey through this work via the selection of fabric textures and colors, threads, and design. Participants will be encouraged to explore and develop ways to tell their story with appliqué, patching, and mark making. After the workshop on Sunday at 2pm Imani will be giving a lecture about her work that is open to the public.

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Summer 2023

SUNDAY, JULY 9. 1 - 6p.

FRANCINE HASKINS STUDIO - WASHINGTON, DC INVITATION ONLY. PLEASE CONTACT OUR STUDIO FOR MORE INFO. 202.437.0217.

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WINTER/SPRING 2023

FEBRUARY - MARCH 30, 2023

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2022

OCTOBER 29 - JANUARY 8, 2023

SCHWEINFURTH MEMORIAL ART CENTER. GROUP EXHIBITION: QUILTS=ART=QUILTS. AUBURN, NY

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 (11 - 4pm) BRENTWOOD ARTS EXCHANGE HOLIDAY ARTS FAIR. 3901 Rhode Island Avenue. Brentwood, Maryland 20722

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11 (12 - 6pm) FRANCINE HASKINS STUDIO HOLIDAY SHOW EVENT.

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SUMMER 2022

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14. (5 - 6:30pm)

INDIGO’S FRIENDS STUDIO host Tanya Montequt (Dollsbymontq) and THE TEXTILE COLLECTIVE for a private tour and conversation with Artist Imani W. Russell.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 12 -5 PM

AFRO-LATINO CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL AT THE SANDY SPRING SLAVE MUSEUM AND AFRICAN ART GALLERY. 18524 Brook Road. Sandy Spring, MD 20860 Featuring: The Doll and Textile Exhibit. Panel Discussion: “Focus on the historical relevance of our craft, our personal histories, our involvement within various communities, and transpersonal experiences that express our art.” C. Bryce-Laporte

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SPRING 2022

SATURDAY, MAY 14. (1 - 5pm)

ARTS, BEATS, & EATS HIGHLIGHTS THE ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, & CULINARY DELIGHTS OF THE GATEWAY ARTS DISTRICT IN PG COUNTY, MD. INDIGO’S FRIENDS STUDIO WILL HOST CLOTHING DESIGNER, BRENDA WINSTEAD OF DAMALI AFRIKAN WEAR, FRANCINE HASKINS - MIXED MEDIA ARTIST AND THE ARTWORKS OF IMANI W. RUSSELL, FIBER ARTIST, WILL BE ON EXHIBIT. PORTICO GALLERY WILL BE FILLED WITH 15+ ARTISANS. Location: PORTICO GALLERY & STUDIOS 3807 - 4100 Rhode Island Ave. Brentwood, MD 20722. (Street parking) Contact: 202.487.8458 or 202.437.0217

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WINTER/SPRING 2022

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2022. '“NEXT UP” Duet Exhibition. The Art Gallery @ Greenbelt Community Ctr. Greenbelt, MD

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2022 - FEATURED WINDOW ARTIST @ BRENTWOOD ARTS EXCHANGE 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood, MD 20722

FEBRUARY - MAY 2020

STITCHED ALCHEMY: Intersecting Blackness and Material Resilience

SOLO EXHIBITION BY IMANI W. RUSSELL

“This body of work demonstrates my adventure with cloth and thread. Reclaimed fabrics, sourced and gifted, have been transformed into compositions that tell stories through the imaginings of my fictional muse, Indigo.” (excerpt by Imani W. Russell)

Portico Gallery, 3807 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, Maryland 20722 Portico3807.com Portico3807@gmail.com 202. 487. 8458 Gallery hours: Saturday 12-3 pm Appointments are welcome

Due to COVID 19 PORTICO GALLERY will host a series of mini receptions during the months of this exhibition. Saturdays (6 - 8p) April 17. May 8. May 22. Please reserve your ticket by contacting the gallery.

***Covid 19 Protocol - Mask Required in this gallery

John Paradiso, Curator

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SPRING 2020

ALL EVENTS CANCELLED THANKS TO THE PANDEMIC

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WINTER 2020

February 18

“African American Doll Making & Puppetry”- Renegotiating Identity, Restoring Community Group Exhibition and Lecture Series Thomas Jefferson Bldg. Library of Congress, Wash. DC

January - March 2020
”Chronicles of the African American Journey Through Fiber Arts” Group Exhibition. Montpelier Arts Center. Laurel, MD