A self-taught artist, Mulenga Brown
began experimenting with punch needle embroidery during early motherhood,
eventually expanding her practice to include sewing, rug hooking, and
mixed-media abstraction. Rooted in African creative traditions, her work explores
the expressive possibilities of materials through the interplay of texture,
color, and form resulting in compositions that invite both visual and emotional
engagement.
Her Kuvuka (Arise) collection
marks a particularly introspective chapter in her artistic practice. Taking its
name from a word meaning "to arise," the series explores resilience
and the deliberate cultivation of optimism in times of uncertainty. "Making
these pieces has become a way of practicing hope until it feels like
mine," Mulenga Brown explains. Rather than depicting hope as an inherent
state, she considers it something that can be nurtured through persistence and
creative expression. Here, the idea of home extends beyond geography, becoming
an internal space shaped by the possibility of renewal.
Mulenga Brown's work has been
shown at A Little Art Boutique and carried by the Canadian Museum for Human
Rights Boutique in Winnipeg. In 2025, she led a thread painting workshop with
Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA), sharing her approach to textile-based
expression.
