Kinfolk Projects

Kinfolk House is a collaborative project space that inhabits a 100-year-old historic home, where community and art converge in the predominantly Black and Latina/e/o neighborhood of Polytechnic in Fort Worth, Texas.

Each year we host three projects, or exhibitions, onsite at Kinfolk House. Each project brings together three artists: one local, one Texas-based artist working outside of North Texas, and one artist working outside of the state. Occasionally we have the opportunity to partner with another organization to host a satellite exhibition. Learn more about our upcoming, current, and past projects below.

Kinfolk House projects are supported in part by a grant from The Arts Fund at North Texas Community Foundation.

A Language of Lineage

November 16 - January 18, 2025

In 2002, the art world was captivated by The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, celebrating four generations of quilt makers from a small Alabama community. The New York Times called the quilts “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” These quilts, which predate many celebrated works by modern masters, carry a complexity all their own — reflecting layered thought, skill, and a mastery of material unique to the quilting process.

Different from the Gee’s Bend quilts, this project looks at the quilting traditions of our local communities and celebrates the unsung heroes behind the quilts. In this project, we have made a call to the local community to show us your quilts. From this group, we selected a range of quilts that show us the depth, artistry, language, heritage, and creativity that exist as family heirlooms today. These quilts serve as more than practical objects; they are artifacts that reflect the fashions, attitudes, and ideas of the past while offering insight into the lives of their makers.

The current project not only includes heirloom objects, it also includes creative makers who were influenced by the quilting culture. Jamal Cyrus, a leading Houston-based artist, and Professor Sonya Berg from Austin, both allow the language of quilting to inform their works. They are able to borrow from the humble art of the quilt and represent it in the area of fine art. In essence, they are light bearers that drive the conversations embedded in the quilts forward toward new possibilities.

A Language of Lineage invites viewers to witness how generations of makers come together, creating a synthesis of beauty, intelligence, and truth — united by the common thread of quilting.

Jamal Cyrus

Houston-based artist Jamal Cyrus explores African American cultural history through his work. With a BFA from the University of Houston and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, Cyrus has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. His work honors quilting’s symbolic language and history, offering fresh perspectives on this enduring art form.

Early Learning

featuring work by Angel Cabrales, Charles Gray, & Kristin Boyer

September 23 thru December 2, 2023