Women Of The Blooming Path: Alexandra Antoine

Written by Khaatia Vantiger Posted on 08 Jun. 2026

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Alexandra Antoine

This month, I’m honored to feature Alexandra Antoine, a Haitian-American visual creative whose work exists at the intersection of food, art, ancestry, storytelling, and community.

I first connected with Alexandra through Chicago Black Millennials, a community I co-founded in Chicago centered around connection, culture, and shared experiences. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to follow her journey from afar, watching her thoughtfully preserve and share culture through travel, education, food, and visual storytelling.

What has always stood out to me is the intentionality behind her work. Whether exploring ancestral foodways, documenting cultural traditions, or creating spaces for learning and connection, Alexandra reminds us that culture lives in the stories we tell, the food we share, the languages we speak, and the traditions we choose to preserve.

In honor of her Haitian heritage and commitment to cultural remembrance, this feature is presented in both English and Haitian Kreyòl, the language she shared that resonates most deeply with many in the Haitian community today.

1. Your work exists at the intersection of food, art, ancestry, and community. How did you begin discovering that these worlds were meant to coexist within your creative practice and what inspired you to start?

All of those themes, I believe, were already within me as a young child and the work I began creating as an adult, but as I kept living my life I began to see the connections that were there the entire time. Moving through my life while honoring my intuition was one of the major factors. I remember when I began solo traveling early on, I was learning art skills while simultaneously being drawn to the food in that particular country and any form of storytelling, whether it was sitting with griots, reading books about the culture or just sitting with friends I had made while there. Looking back, It may have been when I started to grow food in local community gardens consistently that I began to question 'why can't everything be displayed together since they all play into each other anyways?' That's when I began doing more installation based work where I had the freedom to create the space and intentionally curate a story for viewers of my work to experience.

2. A lot of your work feels rooted in preservation and remembrance. What responsibility do you believe artists have in protecting cultural memory?

This will sound funny but there is a quote from the movie The Sheep Detectives that I recently watched with my eldest brother and there was a line that one of the main sheep characters says that goes "it's our memories of the ones we love that keeps them alive." It made me smile so hard because it was yet another reminder that we are the stewards of our ancestors and ancestral practices, cultural traditions and stories.

It speaks to one of the main themes I express in my work and that's remembrance. This is something that was planted in me from a very young age. Growing up in a Haitian household in South Florida, I was constantly reminded of who I was and the lineage and ancestry I came from, whether it was the home cooked Haitian meals my mother made for us all the time, to the Haitian artwork she hung all over the walls in our home, to the Kompa music that would be blasting when my parents threw house parties, I was surrounded by my people, our language and the essence of what it meant to be proud of who we are. Many of the elders in my family wouldn't think of themselves as griots but they are! I remember hearing them tell stories of what it was like in Haiti when they were growing up, life as young people navigating everything or what it was like when they came to the United States and had to make a way for themselves; they were always telling stories and the way the stories were told was also an art form with all of the sound effects and drama included! This instilled in me the understanding that being able to remember and recite one's life is deeply important to how we live. What we don't remember gets lost and what we don't consciously preserve gets erased and in our present state of the world, it's vitally important that we continue to name our traditions and uphold our cultural practices, because if we don't, then who will?

3. You’ve traveled and connected with communities around the world through storytelling and food. What experience most transformed the way you see humanity and connection?

Hands down, it was the first and only Study Abroad trip I ever went on to Bamako, Mali right after completing Community College. Bamako is a city that really taught me about myself, what gifts I carry within me and the importance of truly being in community with people and seeing them. Bamako was where I learned how to really see art beyond solely an aesthetic way. It was here that I first heard the question "What is African Art?" and where I learned about and interacted with works of art that were created for their function and how they contributed to life within a communal setting, the beauty of them being secondary. I formed such deep bonds and connections with many of the people I met and whom I'm still in touch with today.

I talk all about my experience in Bamako on my podcast Honoring Our Ancestral Practices, it's the third episode entitled "Episode 3: The cultural study trip that started it all"

Everytime I think about my time there, I'm so filled with gratitude because that experience was truly divine destiny!

4. Your creative path has evolved through hospitality, education, gardening, design, and visual storytelling. Looking back, what moments do you now realize were shaping your purpose?

The hospitality aspect is the part of my creative process that many people don't see. I've been working in the food industry for the past six years and that began because I wanted to better understand all aspects of the food industry. After getting serious about gardening during 2020 I wanted to look at food and the crops I was growing in their fullness, from seed to plate and everything in between to build an in-depth relationship with them. So after the planting, weeding, harvesting and seed-saving I began working in kitchens around Chicago to see how different Chefs were speaking about their cultural cuisines through their menu and restaurant design, how they chose to prepare their dishes for new and familiar audiences and overall to see and experience how the food system worked in the industry. I've had the pleasure of working and getting to know some Chefs whom I greatly respect and admire. I got to see the visual storytelling when plating various dishes for guests, I saw the design when admiring the art on the restaurant walls or the little details that made these spaces stand out and the education from talking to Chefs during our prep time and getting the chance to ask them questions about their creative path. So I really see everything I do as interconnected because they really are, even when to others it looks like I may be all over the place doing so many things.

5. When people encounter your work, what do you hope blooms within them afterward — emotionally, spiritually, and/or culturally?

My desire is to have that small seed that lives within us all to feel watered and nurtured, even if just a little, when people experience my work. I want that deep desire to see your cultural traditions and practices as valuable and worthy of being shared in ways that feel aligned for you.The main thing is that I want people to see the interconnectedness of all of us, whether it's through what we eat, the languages we speak or the ways we preserve and share our traditions. It sounds cliché to remind folks that we are all connected and it's also important to note that choosing to be more connected helps you to better recognize when things are disconnected.

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1. Travay ou chita nan kwaze manje, atizay, zansèt, ak kominote. Kijan ou te kòmanse dekouvri ke tout eleman sa yo te fèt pou egziste ansanm nan pratik kreyatif ou, epi kisa ki te enspire w kòmanse chemen sa a?

Mwen kwè tout tèm sa yo te deja anndan m lè m te timoun epi nan travay mwen te kòmanse kreye lè m te granmoun, men pandan m t ap kontinye viv lavi m, mwen te kòmanse wè koneksyon ki te la tout tan an. Deplase nan lavi m pandan m t ap onore entwisyon m te youn nan faktè prensipal yo. Mwen sonje lè m te kòmanse vwayaje poukont mwen byen bonè, mwen t ap aprann ladrès atistik pandan m t ap santi m atire pa manje nan peyi patikilye sa a ak nenpòt fòm rakonte istwa, kit se te chita ak griyo, li liv sou kilti a oswa jis chita ak zanmi mwen te fè pandan m te la. Lè m gade dèyè, se petèt lè m te kòmanse kiltive manje nan jaden kominotè lokal yo regilyèman ke mwen te kòmanse mande tèt mwen 'poukisa tout bagay pa ka ekspoze ansanm piske yo tout jwe youn ak lòt kanmenm?' Se lè sa a mwen te kòmanse fè plis travay ki baze sou enstalasyon kote mwen te gen libète pou kreye espas la epi òganize yon istwa entansyonèlman pou moun k ap gade travay mwen an ka fè eksperyans.

2. Anpil nan travay ou sanble byen anrasinen nan prezèvasyon ak souvni. Ki responsablite ou kwè atis yo genyen nan pwoteje memwa kiltirèl?

Sa ka parèt komik men gen yon sitasyon nan fim The Sheep Detectives ke mwen te gade dènyèman ak gran frè mwen an epi te gen yon fraz youn nan pèsonaj prensipal mouton yo di ki di "se souvni nou genyen ak moun nou renmen yo ki kenbe yo vivan." Li te fè m souri anpil paske se te yon lòt rapèl ke nou se jeran zansèt nou yo ak pratik zansèt nou yo, tradisyon kiltirèl ak istwa yo.

Li pale de youn nan tèm prensipal mwen eksprime nan travay mwen an, ki se souvni. Sa a se yon bagay ki te plante nan mwen depi m te tou piti. Lè m t ap grandi nan yon kay Ayisyen nan Sid Florid, yo te toujou ap raple m kiyès mwen te ye ak liyaj ak zansèt mwen soti, kit se te manje Ayisyen lakay manman m te konn fè pou nou tout tan, travay atistik Ayisyen li te konn pann sou tout mi yo nan kay nou an, mizik Konpa ki te konn jwe byen fò lè paran m yo t ap fè fèt lakay, mwen te antoure pa pèp mwen an, lang nou an ak sans sa sa vle di pou nou fyè de kiyès nou ye. Anpil nan granmoun nan fanmi mwen pa ta konsidere tèt yo kòm griyo men yo ye! Mwen sonje m te tande yo rakonte istwa sou jan sa te ye an Ayiti lè yo t ap grandi, lavi antanke jèn moun k ap navige tout bagay oubyen jan sa te ye lè yo te vin Ozetazini epi yo te oblije fè yon chemen pou tèt yo; yo te toujou ap rakonte istwa e fason yo te rakonte istwa yo te yon fòm atistik tou ak tout efè son ak dram yo! Sa te fè m konprann ke kapasite pou sonje epi resite lavi yon moun enpòtan anpil pou fason nou viv. Sa nou pa sonje pèdi e sa nou pa prezève konsyaman efase e nan eta mond lan kounye a, li enpòtan anpil pou nou kontinye bay tradisyon nou yo non epi respekte pratik kiltirèl nou yo, paske si nou pa fè sa, kiyès ki pral fè sa?

3. Ou te vwayaje epi konekte ak kominote atravè mond lan atravè rakonte istwa ak manje. Ki eksperyans ki te transfòme fason ou wè limanite ak koneksyon pi plis?

San dout, se te premye e sèl vwayaj etid aletranje mwen te janm fè nan Bamako, Mali touswit apre mwen te fin fè etid nan Community College. Bamako se yon vil ki te vrèman anseye m sou tèt mwen, ki don mwen pote anndan m ak enpòtans pou m vrèman an kominote ak moun epi wè yo. Bamako se la mwen te aprann kijan pou m vrèman wè atizay pi lwen pase yon fason estetik sèlman. Se la mwen te tande kesyon an pou premye fwa "Ki sa ki Atizay Afriken?" epi se la mwen te aprann epi mwen te kominike avèk zèv atistik ki te kreye pou fonksyon yo ak kijan yo te kontribye nan lavi nan yon anviwònman kominotè, bote yo te segondè. Mwen te fòme lyen ak koneksyon pwofon ak anpil nan moun mwen te rankontre yo e ke mwen toujou an kontak avèk yo jodi a.

Mwen pale tout sou eksperyans mwen nan Bamako nan podcast mwen an Honoring Our Ancestral Practices, se twazyèm epizòd la ki rele "Episode 3: Vwayaj etid kiltirèl ki te kòmanse tout bagay la"

Chak fwa mwen panse ak tan mwen te pase la, mwen santi m ranpli ak rekonesans paske eksperyans sa a te vrèman yon destine diven!

4. Chemen kreyatif ou te evolye atravè ospitalite, edikasyon, jadinaj, konsepsyon, ak rakonte istwa vizyèl. Lè ou gade dèyè, ki moman ou reyalize kounye a ki t ap fòme sans misyon ak objektif ou?

Aspè Ospitalite a se yon pati nan pwosesis kreyatif mwen ke anpil moun pa wè. Mwen gen sis dènye ane depi m ap travay nan endistri alimantè a e sa te kòmanse paske mwen te vle pi byen konprann tout aspè endistri alimantè a. Apre mwen te fin pran jadinaj oserye pandan ane 2020 a, mwen te vle gade manje ak rekòt mwen t ap plante yo nan tout plenitid yo, soti nan grenn rive nan asyèt ak tout sa ki nan mitan pou m bati yon relasyon pwofon avèk yo. Donk, apre plante, retire move zèb, rekòlte ak konsève grenn, mwen te kòmanse travay nan kwizin nan tout Chicago pou m wè kijan diferan Chef t ap pale de cuisine kiltirèl yo atravè meni ak konsepsyon restoran yo, kijan yo te chwazi pou prepare plat yo pou nouvo odyans familye e an jeneral pou m wè ak fè eksperyans kijan sistèm alimantè a te fonksyone nan endistri a. Mwen te gen plezi pou m travay epi pou m konnen kèk Chef ke mwen respekte ak admire anpil. Mwen te wè narasyon vizyèl la lè m t ap mete divès plat pou envite yo, mwen te wè konsepsyon an lè m t ap admire atizay sou mi restoran an oubyen ti detay ki te fè espas sa yo remakab, epi edikasyon mwen te jwenn lè m t ap pale ak chèf yo pandan tan preparasyon nou an epi lè m te jwenn chans pou m poze yo kesyon sou chemen kreyatif yo. Donk, mwen vrèman wè tout sa m fè kòm lye youn ak lòt paske yo vrèman lye youn ak lòt, menm lè pou lòt moun li sanble mwen ka toupatou ap fè anpil bagay.

5. Lè moun rankontre travay ou, kisa ou espere ki fleri anndan yo apre sa — emosyonèlman, espirityèlman, ak/oswa kiltirèlman?

Dezi mwen se pou ti grenn sa a ki rete anndan nou tout santi l wouze ak nouri, menmsi se yon ti kras sèlman, lè moun fè eksperyans travay mwen. Mwen vle gwo dezi sa a pou wè tradisyon ak pratik kiltirèl ou yo kòm valab epi merite pou yo pataje nan fason ki santi yo aliyen pou ou. Bagay prensipal la se ke mwen vle moun yo wè koneksyon nou tout, kit se atravè sa nou manje, lang nou pale oswa fason nou prezève ak pataje tradisyon nou yo. Li sonnen klişe pou raple moun ke nou tout konekte epi li enpòtan tou pou note ke chwazi pou w plis konekte ede w pi byen rekonèt lè bagay yo dekonekte.