ArtNews "Feature In His Beaded Portraits of Black Luminaries, Felandus Thames Wants to Spark Curiosity

BY SHANTAY ROBINSON

July 17, 2026

A shrine to Black cultural scripts stands in West Haven, Connecticut, a short ride from Union Station. It isn’t an official monument of any kind, but the studio of Felandus Thames, who has been based in the Constitution State since 2008.  

During a visit in March, the two-room space served as the temporary home to Thames’s latest beaded curtain portraits of notable Black luminaries, which lay on tables awaiting completion. One of his earlier works, a green beaded curtain with the word “pleasure” spelled out in orange like a Newport cigarette ad, hung on a stand, a portent of the magic to appear in the impending works. (READ MORE)