Tasanee Durrett's 'Sacred Vessels' Explores Healing and Memory in the Black Diaspora at Hannibal Square Heritage Center

Key facts

• Tasanee Durrett's solo exhibition 'Sacred Vessels: Healing and Memory in the Black Diaspora' is on view at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Florida until 13 December 2026.
• Durrett uses acrylic, raffia, salt, and silkworm cocoons in her work to explore transformation, inheritance, and repair.
• She views the head as the true vessel and often paints from the neck up, with the neck carrying the mind and psyche.
• Her architectural training influences her painting, leading to continuous lines and a structural approach to the body.
• Raffia carries West African textile and hair traditions; salt is a reminder of 'salt people'; silkworm cocoons represent transformation.
• Durrett connects her personal healing from an eight-year abusive relationship to diasporic history, seeing repair as a method.
• Her Black Maritime Collection includes stories of Black sailors, whalers, ship captains, and fishing communities, such as Captain William T. Shorey, a Black whaling captain on the Pacific coast in the 1800s.
• She builds paintings layer by layer, comparing the process to constructing commercial buildings, and invites viewers to bring their own experiences to the work.