Ashley "Ash" Esposito

The erasure of Indigenous people from Turtle Island and Africa is challenging for many people trying to connect with their culture today. I have been on a journey to research my family's stories and culture as Afro-Indigenous people in present-day Oconee County, South Carolina. Like many families with ancestry intertwined with this country's traumatic history, much of the past on both sides has either been lost or intentionally erased. Whether it’s taking our names, the census takers making guesses of a person's race, the Indian Removal Act, removal/exclusion from tribal roles, and forced assimilation. Natives not only lost their land, but they are also the only people who are purity-tested and monitored through blood-quantum today. Black people have a culture we've created because we're resilient, but some of us are curious roots before chattel slavery. Paper Erasure shows my journey of shuffling through documents, books, maps, and DNA results to find my roots. My husband made me laugh because one night, I was up late because I found something I had been looking for! He said, "You have a scent?". That night I was able to find the Treaty of DeWitt's Corner. The painting Paper Erasure is me putting the pieces together at our dining room table with the help of my 3-year-old son. My son is why I wanted to do this work. I want to reclaim and preserve our culture for him and future generations. I have gotten to a place where I do not care how many generations back it is; no one else should either. Our society does not ask Italians, Irish, or other groups "how much" they are. It is our birthright to claim it; no policy or "norms" set by others should stand in the way. With the help of my stubbornness and investigative skills, I was able to confirm the culture we've always known we had but never understood how. We are from the Mende tribe in Sierra Leone. We are also Tsalagi (Cherokee), Indigenous to Turtle Island.

The Spirit of Oconee is bringing stories I know in my family about our Afro-Indigenous history in South Carolina. Sometimes I dream about what my ancestors looked like and how they lived. Did their hair look like mine? What did they do for fun? What did the land look like? I imagine present-day Oconee County through my ancestors' eyes, navigating through the woods relying on trail trees and memory. Trail trees are old trees intentionally bent at an angle to mark a vital trail or site. They are distinct; some projects document these trees, and some still exist. One of these tree projects was part of my matching up our oral history with the actual history of the land. I come from a long line of talented, strong, crafty, and resilient people. On the journey to document my family's heritage, I found connections through Tsalagi (Cherokee) and Mende (Sierra Leone) people through their love of basket weaving, agriculture, and even their superstitions around owls. I have always gravitated to the great horned owl because I've had some interesting sightings that terrified and excited me! The painting is special to me because it's my dream of my ancestor seeing an owl on a trail in Oconee. One of the documents I found showed we also had a knack for healing and medicine, so I wanted to include some of my favorite healing plants (sweet grass, indigo, and sage). I also included a rice plant that has significance to my Mende heritage. The Mende were skilled rice farmers, which, unfortunately is why they ended up in South Carolina.

I do these eye paintings about mental health. I am currently working on a series of 40 paintings. Twenty are mental health conditions and twenty are healing practices. SOLD

The Cicada Parade-a is a group collaboration on a grand art project involving the Brood X Cicada's return in 2021. I was able to snag one of these limited edition cicada sculptures and wanted to do an Egyptian-inspired futuristic version. I had some gold leaf and some really cool acrylic paints. I am so PROUD to say that my fabulous cicada #485 went to a new home at Backyard Basecamp in Baltimore City.

In January 2019, a teen with a MAGA hat heckled Native elder Nathan Phillips. I was really bothered by what I saw that I decided to paint a tribute painting in his honor. That weekend there was also a super blood wolf moon so I added it to the painting. SOLD

I did this painting during a time when I was very stressed out. Once I finished the painting I felt so much better. When I published it to social media it really resonated with someone and they ended up buying it. They said they now use it to have discussions with their family about mental health and self care.