I remember the first time I saw Delita Martin‘s work in 2017. It was an exhibit called “Between Sisters and Spirits” at the Nicole Longnecker Gallery and I was blown away. I am pretty sure Jaison suggested I go see her work, as he always guides me to some life changing event. I wanted to buy everything on the wall but couldn’t afford it and I had no room for one piece because everything was wall size large. I put my name on the wait list for a smaller piece. I was collector #2 on the waiting list.

In 2018, I was emailed when a smaller work came out. I was out of town and couldn’t see it in person. I was not as drawn to it as I was for the larger pieces and I had nerve to say I would pass on this one and wait on the next one. Well, those are words I will always regret because despite me knowing in my spirit that Delita was a star, the logic of my mind and the $ in my bank account distracted me. Fast forward to Art Basel Miami 2019, and I saw Delita’s masterpieces valued at 4X what I saw 2 years prior. Despite having the feelings of rocks in my stomach, I didn’t give up. I had confirmation that my novice collecting was turning into having a special gift to pick emerging artists, as long as I trusted my intuition.

I started going into defensive mode and decided that I should buy prints since original pieces escaped my affordability. Everything Delita makes has some tie to black women and spirituality. I always see a reflection when I experience her work. My disappointment grew into anger that I didn’t eat beans and rice for a year so I could buy a piece but I finally forgave myself because there would be future opportunities for me to collect.

I was very excited to finally meet Delita in person for her exhibit “In the Shadows” with a talkback at Community Artist Collective. Listening to that talk I realized why I felt so drawn to the work. Delita not only looks like my first cousin, her aura makes you feel like she is family. Despite being in my art collecting infancy, I felt welcomed to the table because the art was made for me. My connection to the art moved from wanting to collect the works of art to wanting to support Delita’s success as an artist.

After becoming the unofficial president of the Delita Martin fan club, I saw a call for models on instagram. We were in the beginning of the pandemic and I figured, why not try out. Delita selected me as one of her models and I pretty much was undone. It was absolutely an honor to be chosen by Delita to be a medium for her work. I was completely fine if the world never saw the final piece. Then she announced the exhibit Conjure would feature the piece “Red Bird” and I pretty much lost my mind.

On Good Friday, I was able to take a road trip to Beaumont to visit the American Museum of Southeast Texas. Beaumont has always been the place my family stops for gas on the way to Louisiana. This was my first time actually stopping into Beaumont and exploring. There was a lot of traffic and construction from Houston. Since I am usually not on the outside during the pandemic, this felt like a bonafide road trip. I was so happy to get to the museum though I had a small window to get back before rush hour Friday traffic.

The exhibit was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the intimacy of the building and it brought me back to the first time I saw Delita’s work in 2017. I felt welcomed and had the entire exhibit to myself. Every single piece was special to me, yet it was amazing to see the piece I modeled up close. I made sure not to see any spoiler alerts on social media before going which allowed me to just be with the work. When I came home, I read some of the excerpts from the show book and reflected on the objects from the women in my family and their meanings. There were definitely lots of collections and rules growing up at my grandmother’s house. Yet, the way Delita eloquently captures her family history and our history is what make her so special. I could have never imagined being so aligned to a movement that started in 2017 when I just thought I was observing an emerging artist.

What I learned is that I was welcomed to an opportunity to go deeper in myself through art. The irony is the exhibit’s theme conjure (that the ancestors come only when they are called) reminds me that we must give space for the spiritual world to connect with our daily lives. I acknowledge that we all have the ability to be conduits if we just allow ourselves. Conjure is a must see to begin the journey to connecting to you.

Conjure is at the American Museum of Southeast Texas from March 13th to May 23rd 2021. Items for the show can be purchased at Delita Martin’s site.