Interview with Alice Aida Ayers for her retrospective exhibition, "Ancestral Spirits: Weaving the Past to the Present."

Baum Gallery of Art. University of Central Arkansas Campus, Feb. 2nd – March 6th.

Alice Aida Ayers' Ancestral Spirits installed at the Baum Gallery on the UCA Campus, Conway, AR.

As I am in the infancy of this writing series, we all know it would be terribly uncouth of me to review an exhibition in gallery where I work. Instead, I would like to share an interview with one of our current artists-in-residence: Alice Aida Ayers. This early spring, Ayers has been an artist-in-residence at the Baum Gallery through our residency program, which is sponsored by the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. We also received special funding from Engage Management and Visit Conway.

 

During her residency, Ayers mounted a major retrospective exhibition in the Baum Gallery, gave an artist talk to the public, and was a guest teaching in a Foundations course. In a career that spans over four decades, Alice Aida Ayers has established herself as an accomplished artist, art educator, and advocate for cultural exchange. She holds a Master’s degree in Art Education and has exhibited her work throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa.

Alice Aida Ayers. Image provided by the Artist.

 

Her passion for teaching and creative practice has taken her across continents, where she has served as a resident artist, adjunct professor, and consultant. Ayers co-founded and directed Creative Solutions Zanzibar, a nonprofit learning facility dedicated to expanding educational and creative opportunities for underserved communities.

 

Since 1989, Ayers has worked as a teaching artist, conducting residencies in schools, colleges, community centers, and libraries throughout Arkansas, where she continues to inspire creativity, cultural awareness, and personal transformation.

 

The artwork in Ancestral Spirits, which spans nearly 40 years of practice, demonstrates the breadth of her process through the inclusion of sketches, prints, journals, and large-scale quilted, fiber-artworks. This exhibition is open from now until March 6th, Mondays through Fridays, 9 am to 4 pm.

Alice Aida Ayers' Ancestral Spirits installed at the Baum Gallery on the UCA Campus, Conway, AR.

 

Rachel Trusty (RT): In planning this retrospective exhibition, how did you decide which works to include?

Alice Aida Ayers (AAA): "I wanted to tell the story of my spiritual evolution, and in doing so, it was essential to include works that marked specific highlights in my career. It felt it was important to reveal who I was becoming—to show the spiritual transformation I underwent and how that transformation manifested in my art.

"In the 1980s, my work was rooted in the physical and emotional experiences I was living through at the time. My creative mindset was shaped by anger and injustice, and the work often emerged as dark, confrontational, and aggressive. I was grappling with life in a society that consistently disrespected and targeted African Americans, and creating this work was the only way I could process that reality emotionally and spiritually.

"It was not until my first journey to the African continent that I recognized a deeper truth within myself. There, I experienced a powerful awakening—an undeniable sense of spiritual recognition. That moment marked a profound turning point, not only in my work, but in my spirit. From that point forward, my art began to shift, reflecting a deeper connection to ancestry, identity, and spiritual wholeness."

Alice Aida Ayers, "20th Century Slave Ship," Woodblock Print, 1990.

RT: Your work is mixed-media fiber art, largely quilted 2D works that hang on the wall for display. Can you explain about your process on making a piece? Where do you get your inspiration? Do you create sketches?

 

AAA: "There is a recurring theme through the years in the representation of the female figure at the forefront of my story. Many of the images I portray are based on people that I know and often my daughter is my muse. Celebration and movement are central to my practice. Dance, rhythm, drumbeats, and color infuse my work.

 

"My process has become a sort of ritual, in that I meditate and recite a few mantras prior to beginning. I don’t do a lot of sketching, instead I draw directly on a piece of muslin. When I start choosing the fabrics to use, it is a very intuitive process. I usually lay out several different fabrics and play with collaging the cut pieces on the surface. After making those decisions I hand stitch the quilts, from beginning to the completed piece can take up to 500 hours."

Alice Aida Ayers, "Yemana." Mixed-Media, Hand-Stitched Fabric, 2025.

 

RT: How and where do you source the materials for your pieces? You use fabrics - what other objects or media do you like to incorporate?

AAA: "Most of the fabric I acquire when I travel either back to Tanzania or other countries. Last year I brought back fabric from Bali which has been a nice addition to the work. I mostly use African traditional fabrics and weavings. I have been fortunate to work with artists in Tanzania and Mali to learn traditional hand dyeing methods. I also collect objects of personal and spiritual significance to me. These include cowrie shells from Zanzibar, spearheads from Mali, old coins and glass beads from West Africa. Each object carries its own history and energy, becoming an integral part of the narrative within my work."

[Left] "Boy in Blue," Fabric, Hand-stitched, 2024. [Right] "Baby," Hand-dyed Fabric, Hand-stitched, 2024.

RT: Can you discuss briefly the role that your spirituality plays in your creativity and artistic practice?

 

AAA: "For me spirituality and creativity are interwoven. When I am in the process of creating, it is like a form of devotion. I believe that Spirit animates the material world, and therefore becomes an extension. It reaches outward, inviting connection, stirring the soul. In each piece, I am honoring the energy of the materials, the subject, the story being told, and what it becomes through transformation into a work of art."

 

RT: You have been an educator for the majority of your career. How does your teaching practice and/or your interaction with students influence the artwork that you make?

 

AAA: "I am always learning from my students, whether it is a practical application or a new perspective. I love the collaboration that takes place, there is so much value in sharing ideas with all ages and experience. The personal stories that come out of teaching sessions inspire me to research and learn more. Playing and experimenting alongside my students is joyful, and I believe that joy carries directly into my work."

Alice Aida Ayers' Ancestral Spirits installed at the Baum Gallery on the UCA Campus, Conway, AR.

 

RT: When people see this exhibition – or your work in general -  what are some key things you want them to experience or take away from their engagement?

 

AAA: "In this exhibit, I am showing samples from three decades of work, and examining how my experience changed what I created. This body of work explores perceptions of the spirit world through abstract forms and tangible objects.

 

"I would love for the viewer to walk away with the understanding that; we are not limited in what and how we create. Each of us has an important story to tell, however it is presented. We have a choice to focus on the darkness around us or to go within and find the light."

Alice Aida Ayers' Ancestral Spirits installed at the Baum Gallery on the UCA Campus, Conway, AR.

For more about Ayers’s artwork and teaching, visit her website at: https://aliceaida.com/