Mariah Cochran: Weaving Care and Connection through Braiding Circles

Multidisciplinary artist Mariah Cochran's residency, titled Weaving Care and Connection through Braiding Circles, intertwines braiding with nature, and encourages moments of reflection on how we tend to ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

During the Summer of 2025, Mariah had her opening exhibition at Alkebulan Cultural Center. It included both an interactive workshop and a viewing of Mariah’s own mixed media pieces. The Care Canopy was an ongoing art installation that celebrated the joy, connection, and cultural legacy of braiding in Black and Indigenous communities. Throughout the residency, Mariah held free braiding workshops in Pasadena and Altadena. Participants showcased their braiding skills or learned how to form a three-strand braid using repurposed fabric strips. These were then added to the Care Canopy.  

Mariah’s residency aims to engage participants in a reflective relationship with our environment, our bodies, and how we can care for them through the practice of braiding. The project celebrates braiding as a sacred practice, a somatic experience, and an art form that is inherently rooted in community and connection.

This project is funded by the Pasadena Community Foundation.

Bio 

Mariah Cochran (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist residing in Pasadena, California. Her art practice combines fiber, textile, and mixed media collage to form visual narratives that center nature, Black cultural identity, self-representation, and community care.

Follow Mariah on Instagram: @Mariahdropjewels

In 2024, Mariah Cochran was invited to “develop projects and/or programs that create ongoing connections and are mutually beneficial with our surrounding community while considering TIC principles. ,” based on Side Street Projects Artist Residency theme “Possibility Prances: A place for matters to rest”.