Maria-Theresa Fernandes found inspiration in the story of Anne Maria Weems, objects and newspaper archives from the Beall Dawson House collection, and the Confederate soldier statue currently boxed in plywood while it waits to be moved from the grounds of the old Rockville courthouse. Fernandes brilliantly embodies these historic facts in her textiles. In Transit refers to the back of Weems who was born into slavery and eventually escaped to Canada disguised as a male traveling.

Place, travel and environment play an important part in the fiber artist Maria-Theresa Fernandes’s internationally acclaimed work. Throughout her career, travel has given her the opportunity to reflect and create works relating to the surroundings of the countries she experienced. History and poetry are brilliantly woven into the fabric of Fernandes’s works, which translate her physical and emotional attachment to the lands she visited. Born in Kenya, Fernandes studied in London and Manchester, England. She received her B.A. (Hons) degree in Textiles with a specialty in Embroidery. The United Kingdom is the only country to confer this degree. A graduate from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit with a M.F.A. in Fiber Art, Maria-Theresa Fernandes has participated in over 25 solo exhibitions and several international exhibitions. This global artist is the recipient of prestigious international grants and awards and such as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant, the Ruth Cheven Foundation award, and the UNESCO –Arts International award.