The Abbey Fellowship and the time at the BSR was truly a life changing experience. I produced a lot of work during my time there. I visited every museum and church I could. I spent the days in Rome absorbing as much as possible and nights working in the studio. During the residency I created a group of “sails.” The theme of water was present from the beginning. I ended up wanting to create work about liberation. “Sailing” to a space where I could liberate the black bodies I saw in Rome as well as my own.

— Amber Doe