Gallery Exhibit Celebrates Black Women

The Northfield Mount Hermon visual arts department kicked off the 2026 spring semester with an exhibit by textile artist Kasandra Pantoja P’16. “Pieces of HerStory: A Fabric Collage Celebration of Black Women” will be on display in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center through Jan. 31. An opening reception will be held Friday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 pm in The Gallery.

“Pieces of HerStory” features 32 portraits of influential women of color from throughout history,  from Maya Angelou, bell hooks, and Ida B. Wells to Kamala Harris, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Shirley Chisholm. 

The group includes 11 NMH alumnae and one parent, among them:

• Belle da Costa Greene '00, personal secretary to J.P. Morgan and first curator of the Morgan Library
• Valerie Jarrett '74, senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama
• Onawumi Jean Moss P'76, '78, author and former dean of students at Amherst College
• June Jordan '53, poet and essayist
• Ashanda Saint Jean '90, an associate professor at New York Medical College and former chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Health Alliance Hospitals.
• Aurelia Brazeal '61, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Micronesia
• Mary Annette Anderson '95, a professor and the first African American woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
• Bisa Williams '72, a diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Niger
• Benita Pierce '56, an institutional fixed income bond trader
• Barbara Bowman '46, P'74, an early childhood education expert and co-founder of the Erikson Institute
• Karla Slocum '81, the senior associate dean for faculty and staff development and a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The exhibit and reception coincide with NMH’s annual MLK Week celebrations.

Pantoja, a sociologist and educator by trade, is a relative newcomer to the professional art world. “I was always interested in being crafty,” said the New Jersey-based artist, “but I never imagined art as being a long-term part of myself, other than just a hobby.”

That perspective changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced to work remotely, Pantoja stumbled across an online class on the art of fabric portraits. “I took the class and it was incredible. I didn't know that I could play with fabric this way.” Pantoja began submitting her art to galleries and exhibits, quickly building a name for herself. 

Her portraits are a dazzling array of patterns, colors, and textures. Personal references and symbolism from her subjects’ lives abound in what she refers to as a sort of “visual biography.”

“It's almost like when we were kids and you'd have to find the picture within the picture,” Pantoja said. “It can be anything: people, objects, a name of a song, a particular color. It’s not like pieces in a puzzle, where there’s only one space it can fit. It's messy, and I like that, because that’s also kind of how life works: It might not be nice and neat, but it doesn't mean that they’re not valuable and still part of the bigger picture.”

Using fabric as a medium makes sense for her on multiple levels, she said. The opportunity to use recycled and salvaged materials reflects her passion for sustainability and embraces her interest in imperfection. “If it's frayed, let it be frayed. I'm not going to fix it,” said Pantoja, drawing an analogy to life. “We will find ourselves in spaces where there are holes and things are torn. But that doesn't mean that we're absent of beauty.”

Though often taken for granted, Pantoja noted that fabric plays a central role in how society constructs identity, safety, and standards of beauty. “The minute that a baby's born, we wrap it in a cloth. We are dependent on it for protection, expression, and so much more.”

The NMH exhibit — Pantoja’s first solo show — emerged from her interest in the legacy and lives of the school’s Black alumnae. Working with NMH Dean of Equity and Social Justice James Greenwood, archivist Peter Weis, and Director of Alumni Engagement Stacie Hagenbaugh, Pantoja identified the women she wanted to portray and contacted living alumnae to learn more about their lives.

“It's been such a joy,” she said. “I feel like I have a bunch of new best friends.”

Exhibiting Pantoja’s work during MLK Week adds to the conversation about the legacy of the Civil Rights movement and early trailblazers, Greenwood said. “I always want to tap different departments as a vehicle by which students can find an entry place into these topics,” he said. “Having that visual connection, in addition to the stories, the written word, is another way to pull people into the conversation.

Adebimpe Omotosho ’27 said she admires the way Pantoja constructs portraits that tell stories about both the subject and the artist. “I think what she captures is them at their most powerful moments,” Omotosho said. “You can see a variety of expressions. Some of them are content; some convey a more serious tone. As I look at her work, I can’t help wondering, ‘What story is [she] portraying? How does her prior [experience as] a sociologist enhance her artwork? And what can I learn, not even just as an artist, but as a storyteller?’”

The opportunity to connect with working artists and to learn about their process adds an invaluable element to the student experience at NMH, Omotosho said. “I'm really big into the STEM disciplines, but over the years, I've learned that art allows you to think in a more creative manner, which allows you to explore your ideas further and push yourself,” she said. 

Pantoja hopes her depictions of NMH alumnae will inspire current students to see themselves and the opportunities before them as a continuation of the lives and legacies of those who came before.

“These are 10 Black women who have contributed, gained, participated, and were valued at NMH in some capacity,” she said. “They have walked these halls, sat in these classrooms, and gone on to have these amazing careers. To have students see the success of these women, both at Northfield and Northfield Mount Hermon, is super important to me.”

“Pieces of HerStory” is on display in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center through January 31. An opening reception with the artist will be held Friday, Jan. 23, from 6:30 to 8 pm. Off-campus visitors can email mseno@nmhschool.org to arrange a visit.

Photos and images courtesy of Kasandra Pantoja.

— Max Hunt