Chakaia Booker American, b. 1953

Chakaia Booker was born and raised in New Jersey and learned to sew from an early age. She received her BA in sociology from Rutgers University (1976) and her MFA from the City College of New York (1993). Booker is largely known for repurposing construction materials - primarily tires - into outdoor sculptures. Through her tire sculptures, prints, and other works, Booker explores textile designs, African scarification, human aging, industrialization, and cultural diversity. 

Booker gained international recognition at the 2000 Whitney Biennial, was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Grant in 2002, and received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005. Since 2009, Booker has made over 100 prints with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop.