Today we’d like to introduce you to Lehna Huie
Hi Lehna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
STATEMENT
My name is Lehna Huie and I am a 3rd generation artist of Jamaican heritage- born and raised in New York City – now based between Baltimore and Brooklyn. I am an artist, mother, educator and cultural worker.
Drawing inspiration from Caribbean oral histories and dream landscapes, I transform material into visual meditations that evoke a sense of mysticism and wonder. My work is an ongoing exploration of memory, lineage, and the stories that shape us. Concentrated on tracing non-linear time and ritual, my compositions combine paint, textile scraps, paper, beads, shells, plant matter, and everyday objects to honor and personify the land and waters surrounding my roots.
I embed cultural symbols, folklore, family photographs, and treasured traditions varying in scale, medium, and surface – to shed light on the embodied remnants of the lived experiences of personal and collective histories within my lineage. I aim to inspire conversations about cultural identity, migration, decolonization, and the ways we achieve belonging amidst a shifting world. Gathering unlikely pairings of accumulated materials, I often integrate drawings, projections, and video into my pieces to create unique approaches to representational portraiture.
The textures and layers in my work mimic the complexities of cultural heritage and embody the beauty and weight of ancestral narratives. Using ceremonial materials found in nature, family heirlooms, and recycled components, I combine painterly, sculptural, and collage – based – elements to create works that delve into themes of resistance and imagination.
My installation environments serve as both living shrines and alternative historical documents of recovered moments in time – across generations. I commemorate those who came before, while also navigating my own identity as a bridge between past and future. I celebrate Caribbean masquerade and carnival culture within the Pan African and Caribbean Diasporas, by building and embellishing altars, from a personal lens.
At its core, my work is an act of archival retrieval—a way of preserving legacies that might otherwise be distorted or faded. These works are experienced across multiple
iterations and places ranging from traditional gallery walls to both indoor and outdoor site-specific locations. My hope is that viewers of my work feel a sense of recognition and connection, a reminder that we are all linked by the intricate threads of history and humanity.
BIO
Huie’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally at select institutions and galleries such as the National Gallery of Jamaica, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art in NY, Museum of Contemporary Art in Arlington, Weeksville Heritage Center in NY, Rush Arts in Philadelphia, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Quartair Contemporary Gallery in the Netherlands and The Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in NY. Additionally, she has been featured in exhibitions in Thailand, Italy, Jamaica and Germany.
Her commitment to community and storytelling continue to inspire her practice, weaving together memory, heritage, and the complexities of belonging in the African and Caribbean diasporas blending both visual and performative approaches.
Huie left NYC in 2019 to move to Baltimore to pursue her MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) 21’ where she studied in Mount Royal’s Interdisciplinary Arts Program and at the Hoffberger School of Painting. She has participated in numerous prestigious residencies including the Joan Mitchell Center, Stoneleaf Retreat, ACRE, Chautauqua School of Art, Elsewhere Studios, Flux Factory, and Snug Harbor. She was named an Artist Changemaker with Global Fund for Women in 22’ and has received multiple awards including the Space for Creative Black Imagination Makers & Research Fellowship and two Puffin Foundation grants.
Trained through the Joan Mitchell Foundation, her practice includes work as a Legacy Specialist preserving intergenerational artists archives and oral histories.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey thus far has been a road that is always forward moving – with many obstacles along the way. I am a person who believes in the gifts of manifestation and reflection. Although setbacks and hurdles can be challenging to navigate, those challenges are met with opportunities to reframe, realign and reimagine new approaches to solutions. These solutions move me closest to what is most important and useful to myself and the communities I am a part of.
The most painful experiences I have faced have truly grounded me in my vision. I might not have understood all of those perspectives had everything gone smoothly all of the time. Rough patches lead me to deeper understandings that are centered on moving with purpose and focus. I carry the utmost grace and respect for their effectiveness. I believe that with integrity, good character and determination, there are endless possibilities in positively shaping our lives and our world.
There are many branches in the work that I do within my personal artistic practice, community based work and parenting. At times they overlap, and other times they are far apart – quite often they are at odds with each other. I am learning that I can truly embrace all of the different aspects of a multidisciplinary practice, without punishing myself for not fitting into a box of what others believe an artist can be – being many things at once.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My studio is located at the historic Area 405 in Baltimore. I first moved to my studio in the midst of the early pandemic days. That space has been such an important incubator for me and my process while moving through unprecedented times. I often think of the precarious time we are in today, as a time of spiritual battle – that requires our alertness, vigilance and preparedness, so that we can best protect the wellness of ourselves and our loved ones without allowing fear based worries to consume us.
Having a studio space is a privilege – I have been able to lean on this space in ways that have fed my soul in ways I never dreamed of prior. It is truly medicine for my soul and I am thankful to be able to share that healing with others. My studio space is ever changing. It is where I have many different bodies of work coexisting and in rotation, and they are all constantly in flow. The space is a reflection of my work – I would describe it as a giant assemblage art piece – a mixture of sculptural installations that include paintings, fiber, collage, poetry, altars – where I am centering play and experimentation – yet also preparing for upcoming solo and group presentations.
In addition to my current studio works, I am in the process of working on an archival project that uplifts the legacy of my grandfather, painter and printmaker Albert Huie’s artwork. He is known as The Father of Jamaican Painting. He spent his last years living in Baltimore. I watched him paint as a child and was thankful for his encouragement over the years. His teachings and art works extend beyond his years on earth – they firmly rooted me in the richness of the creativity, labor, and liberatory history of t Jamaican people.
My ancestors must be dancing, knowing that my work is currently on display at the Green x Gold exhibition alongside the art work of family members including my grandfather Albert Huie and my cousin Jova Lynne – among incredible artists at the National Gallery of Jamaica for the Kingston Biennial. The Green x Gold – Kingston Biennial exhibition was curated by Ashley James, Ph.D., Associate Curator, Guggenheim New York and O’Neil Lawrence, Chief Curator, National Gallery of Jamaica. It commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the National Gallery – and will be on view through June 29th, 2025.
My installation, titled, Wood and Water : Return to the Land, is an iteration of an installation-based portrait of the matriarchs in my family depicted as protective spirits of nature. My art making process is a means of tracing lesser-known histories within my familial and cultural environment – to document stories that lead to legacy building and intergenerational healing. This work is a figurative portrait of my mother and aunt as celestial bodies utilizing palm leaves, shells, fabric, ceremonial objects and more.
I am thankful to one of my dearest friends, yogi and artist Michele Blu aka Blu Treasures for assisting me with my installation by traveling with me to Jamaica all the way from Baltimore – which was an incredible bonding experience for us. Check out her Baltimore Kemetic yoga studio on North Howard!
I am thrilled about the ways people can engage with my work. Please stay tuned and learn more by contacting me directly at my instagram @lehnahuie or my email address at Lehna.Huie@gmail.com.
In terms of business outside of my immediate studio practice, I am passionate about supporting artists in realizing their visions, of moving towards creating a sustainable living through creative practice. In my role as Assistant Director, Career Counselor at
the MICA, I work directly with students and alumni to develop the skills and motivation to strengthen their visions. Through utilizing tools of visualization, relationship building, and strategic planning I assist folks to grow in their career paths in ways that are tailored to their unique personal and community based needs through conducting studio visits and 1:1 appointments and more.
I assist students and alumni to learn to speak about their work with confidence while helping to improve the materials they submit for professional opportunities. I love to support artists in clarifying their goals and building enriching connections at significant milestones in their lives. I aim to demystify fears around skill building for artists and creatives. I encourage those I connect with to learn to navigate challenges and embrace their career path as a transformative life journey – a winding road with many twists, turns and beautiful surprises along the way.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I look forward to the bodies of work that will be born out of all of the groundwork I have laid down in the last few years – as it all takes years to develop. I look forward to the knowledge deepening within the study, materiality and process of creating over time.
I am excited for all of the spaces my work will travel to and am grateful to build with people from all walks of life. It is wondeful to know that as I grow in this life as a woman, mother and friend, my creative practice will follow. There is so much to learn from the world around us, the beautiful and the harsh realities that impact us. It is a gift to be able to process the world through art making.
I look forward to continuing to organize for a better world for marginalized people – by utilizing the arts to uplift our cultural identities with the purpose of building across borders. I am especially excited to continue to center the perspectives of those unheard – advocating for intergenerational Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples within the most vulnerable communities – on the topics of resource sharing and intergenerational healing.
Whether it’s through everyday encounters at the grocery store, gathering with neighbors, family and friends is such an important aspect of what is meaningful to me. Experiences like at sacred ceremonies, exhibitions, art residencies, events and fellowships are also great ways to connect and build with others – leaning on cultural awareness and community as our tools of elevation and resistance.
Pricing:
- inquire within
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lehnahuie.com
- Instagram: @Lehnahuie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyLehnaHuie
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lehna-huie/
Image Credits
1. Portrait of Lehna Huie with her piece River Water
2. Letter from the I Have Never Felt Sorow Without Reason series by Lehna Huie
3. Portrait of Frances Perez – Rodriguez from the Divine Intervention : Stories of Love and Solidarity installation by Lehna Huie 4. Hope by Lehna Huie from the I Have Never Felt Sorow Without Reason series by Lehna Huie
5. Wood and Water installation detail at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington by Lehna Huie
6. Studio images from the I Have Never Felt Sorow Without Reason series by Lehna Huie
7. Studio images from the I Have Never Felt Sorow Without Reason series by Lehna Huie
8. Wood and Water : Return to the Land installation at the National Gallery of Jamaica by Lehna Huie 9. Wood and Water : Return to the Land installation detail by Lehna Huie image of Lehna Huie and Michele Blu’s hands installation progress at the National Gallery of Jamaica
10. Wood and Water : Return to the Land installation detail of the artist working on installation at the National Gallery of Jamaica by Lehna Huie
11. Behind the scenes of framing artworks from the I Have Never Felt Sorow Without Reason series by Lehna Huie – winner of the 2024 Baltimore New Standard Frames Project Framing Grant
12. Wood and Water portrait of the artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington by Lehna Huie 13. Portrait of Lehna Huie at her Baltimore studio at Area 405
14. Black Unicorn by Lehna Huie at her Baltimore studio at Area 405
15. Installation detail of Moment in Time ink series by Lehna Huie
