this is not a small voice
Richmond, VA
FALL 2025
A new public artwork by Nastassja Swift honoring the power of young voices.
Inspired by the poem by Sonia Sanchez, this work is an affirmation of our joy, presence, and voice. Honoring the power of young people, it reminds our youth that their stories are not only worthy of being told, but that they are essential to shaping the future. These are not small voices. They are builders—constructing space, claiming ground, and demanding to be heard.
Designed to mirror the childhood activity of playing with building blocks, this public installation physically holds reproduced keepsakes in wool from youth of the Hillside Court community.
Every object tells their story, and transforms the sculpture into a treasure chest—an archive.
Photo courtesy of Nastassja Swift
Upcoming Programming
Join Nastassja Swift in a hands-on workshop guiding participants through the fiber art of felting—using wool to transform memories into powerful visual stories.
Workshop Dates:
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 1:00-2:30pm
Monday, June 9, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm
Please bring a personal item—something you love, that holds value or has a special meaning to you.
1500 Harwood Street
Richmond, VA 23224
Free for all ages, no registration required.
About Nastassja Swift
c/o Marlon Turner
Nastassja E. Swift is a multi-disciplinary artist redefining her use of portraiture through wool to create work that speaks to history, ancestry, ritual practices and community. She is a Virginia Commonwealth University alum, holding a BFA in Painting and Printmaking, and Craft and Material Studies. Most recently, Nastassja was selected as the 2024 Textile Society of America Brandford/Elliott Awardee. She is a 2023 recipient of the Center for Craft: Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship, a VMFA Fellowship, a Dr. Doris Derby Award, an Art Matters Fellowship Award, the inaugural Black Box Press Foundation Art as Activism Grant, a Virginia Commission of the Arts Fellowship, and was nominated for the 2024 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship.
Nastassja has exhibited and presented her work in institutions nationally and internationally including VCUQatar, Carl Freedman Gallery in the UK, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Virginia MoCA, Boston University Art Galleries, University of Michigan, University of Florida, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum of Art, Ball State University and a number of galleries across the East Coast. Her work has been acquired into several collections, including, most recently, the Tweed Museum of Art of the University of Minnesota. She has had the opportunity to participate in residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Wassaic Project in NY, SPACES in Ohio, MASS MoCA and has been invited as a Distinguished Fellow at the Penland School of Craft. Her work was recently published in a collaborative Legacy Zine in celebration of the Harlem Renaissance with the New York Times and U.S. Bank, and has been published in the Berlin publication - SomeMagazine, RVA Magazine, Colossal, and Arts and Culture Texas.
