Malene Djenaba Barnett is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, textile surface designer, and founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, a global platform for independent Black makers. Her work draws on her African Caribbean heritage, using mark-making and pattern to explore cultural identity. Malene’s art has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States and featured in major publications including The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Elle Decor. In 2024, she released her first book, “Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practice of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers,” highlighting the stories and creative processes of over 60 Caribbean artists. A Fulbright grantee, Malene is recognized for her advocacy of Caribbean makers and Black diasporic ceramic traditions, and she frequently lectures and participates in artist residencies. She is based in Brooklyn, New York, when not traveling to research Black diasporic aesthetics.