Image Credit: Kentucky Foundation for Women
Erica Chambers - Dirt Pearls
Dirt Pearls
Erica Chambers is being recognized for her portrait and storytelling series, Dirt Pearls, that features the diversity of female farmers in Appalachia and beyond. At the beginning of this project, it quickly became clear that portraits alone would not capture the depth necessary to honor the stories of these women. Erica began recording informal, intimate interviews that captured the intertwined history, dedication, raw emotion, and skill involved in stewarding their land. These interviews, partnered with compelling portraits, provide a window into the lives of women who work hard to earn their dirt pearls.
Learn more about Erica Chambers' work and how you can support her.
Black Fiber and Textile Network -Woven From Nature
Woven From Nature is a meditation on sovereignty in action, rooted in the practices of Black fiber and textile artists reclaiming traditional knowledge, land based skills, and cultural memory. The film uplifts bftn members who regenerate land, steward natural dye gardens, raise fiber animals, and cultivate slow, sustainable textile practices. These labor intensive acts are forms of resistance and self determination.
Through fiber and dye, the film invites viewers into liberated spaces where care, creativity, and ancestral wisdom guide relationships to land and community. More than a story about textiles, Woven From Nature affirms regenerative economies grounded in reciprocity and honors the sustainability of Black life and the Earth.