Ritual & Adornment: Queering the Collection with Kookie
Saturday, June 6, 2026, 3–4 p.m.
Location: Graham Auditorium
Registration required.
Join in a discussion with Kookie, a local body modification artist, and anti-oppression activist, and Christine Sciacca, Walters Curator of European Art, 300-1400 CE, as they explore the cultural significance of ancient body modification and adornment in connection to the jewelry on display in Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture.
Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture is dedicated to jewelry artist Douriean Fletcher, whose work has shaped the cinematic worlds of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther films and Coming 2 America. The exhibition explores the self-taught metalsmith’s jewelry as a powerful narrative tool in art, Black identity, and visual storytelling and spotlights works from the Walters collection that inspired the artist. The exhibition is on view from April 18 to August 9 in our Temporary Exhibition Gallery on Level 1.
Queering the Collection is a program series that invites artists, scholars, and visitors to participate in conversations that connect queer-identifying perspectives with the Walters collection. Speakers will discuss works of art in the galleries, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
About the Speaker
Kookie (she/they) is a Black, queer body modification artist who centers ritual and reclamation in her work using trauma-informed practices. She is passionate about equity and maintaining the connection between the modern piercing industry and its sacred roots. She is the founder of Black Piercer Party and the Piercers of Color Scholarship, as well as a founding member of Ceremony Piercing, the first worker-owned co-operative piercing studio based in Baltimore.
Available resources: Assistive listening devices, seating, sensory kits
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