Malene Barnett
American
Malene Barnett is an artist and authority on the cultural traditions, practices, and the black experience of art in the African diaspora. Through her investigation of traditional African art forms in the finest wools, silks, and clay, her work continues to uncover a deeper language of heritage and the preservation of her legacy and cultural identity. She is a passionate connector and expert ambassador for underrepresented creators, with a mission to open doors to inclusivity for the next generation of black artists.
Born in the Bronx and raised on the Connecticut coastline, Barnett had a cultural awakening to her pan-African and Caribbean heritage as a teenager. She explored West African art, textiles, and architecture through reading books, visiting museums, and traveling to various countries on the continent. Through continuous research, Barnett found her niche early in life- bold patterns and colors gave her reverence for repetition and became a bespoke signature of her work. She loves multi-use and multi-purpose materials that come from daily life on the diaspora. She is an artist, anthropologist, and activist who bridges the function of African art with a new purpose; extending the narrative of the African people of the diaspora and exploring what it means to be black in America today.
From the sacred Kente cloth of the Ashantis’ to the hand-painted, cotton mud cloth of the Bambaras to hand-built vessels inspired by mud house designs in such places as Ghana, Barnett has found her home in an ancestral line of female protagonists. She identifies with black women like herself, who pursued dedication, mastery, impulse, and potency. For her, it’s not just about the process itself, but the people behind it who give it so much authenticity, meaning, and purpose.
Over the past two decades, her work has been featured in Interior Design, New York Magazine, HGTV Magazine, Luxe + Design Magazine, and House Beautiful. She was featured in the NY Times bestselling book “In the Company of Women” and has appeared as a guest speaker on Morning Joe, MSNBC Your Business, and TEDx. Malene’s client list includes leading brands such as Marriott Hotel, Viacom, Saks, WeWork, Avalon Communities, and the MetLife Building. In 2019, she was awarded designer of the year by interiors + sources Magazine.
Barnett is the founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, a global platform representing a curated collective of independent black artists, makers, and designers across various art and design disciplines who are at the top of their respective fields. By providing opportunities and visibility for guild members, Barnett seeks new ways to define the black narrative and experience for a new generation while bringing awareness to inequality.
She is always looking for new ways to partner with artists and brands and is available for public speaking and business leadership projects. At present, she plans to build a studio in West Africa to create an environment that celebrates black excellence in art and design, with a focus on ceramics and textiles. She’s also on the board for Cerf+, an organization that provides emergency loans to artisans and craftspeople during natural disasters.
Malene Barnett is a certified MWBE studio in Brooklyn, New York.
Born in the Bronx and raised on the Connecticut coastline, Barnett had a cultural awakening to her pan-African and Caribbean heritage as a teenager. She explored West African art, textiles, and architecture through reading books, visiting museums, and traveling to various countries on the continent. Through continuous research, Barnett found her niche early in life- bold patterns and colors gave her reverence for repetition and became a bespoke signature of her work. She loves multi-use and multi-purpose materials that come from daily life on the diaspora. She is an artist, anthropologist, and activist who bridges the function of African art with a new purpose; extending the narrative of the African people of the diaspora and exploring what it means to be black in America today.
From the sacred Kente cloth of the Ashantis’ to the hand-painted, cotton mud cloth of the Bambaras to hand-built vessels inspired by mud house designs in such places as Ghana, Barnett has found her home in an ancestral line of female protagonists. She identifies with black women like herself, who pursued dedication, mastery, impulse, and potency. For her, it’s not just about the process itself, but the people behind it who give it so much authenticity, meaning, and purpose.
Over the past two decades, her work has been featured in Interior Design, New York Magazine, HGTV Magazine, Luxe + Design Magazine, and House Beautiful. She was featured in the NY Times bestselling book “In the Company of Women” and has appeared as a guest speaker on Morning Joe, MSNBC Your Business, and TEDx. Malene’s client list includes leading brands such as Marriott Hotel, Viacom, Saks, WeWork, Avalon Communities, and the MetLife Building. In 2019, she was awarded designer of the year by interiors + sources Magazine.
Barnett is the founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, a global platform representing a curated collective of independent black artists, makers, and designers across various art and design disciplines who are at the top of their respective fields. By providing opportunities and visibility for guild members, Barnett seeks new ways to define the black narrative and experience for a new generation while bringing awareness to inequality.
She is always looking for new ways to partner with artists and brands and is available for public speaking and business leadership projects. At present, she plans to build a studio in West Africa to create an environment that celebrates black excellence in art and design, with a focus on ceramics and textiles. She’s also on the board for Cerf+, an organization that provides emergency loans to artisans and craftspeople during natural disasters.
Malene Barnett is a certified MWBE studio in Brooklyn, New York.
