Meet This Year's O Bracelet Designers

Rukiya Brown

Doll Maker and Mixed Media Artist

RukiyaGallery.com

As a little girl I loved dolls, but I didn't get that many. So I made my own. We lived across from Garfield Park in Chicago, and not having money, I used a lot of things from the park—the earth, tree branches, acorn seeds—to make my dolls. Today in my work I still use products of Mother Nature. I didn't realize that what I did for a hobby was art. It's a peaceful process for me, food for the soul.

The O Bracelet Project: I got to work with a group of great women whose mission is making life better for other women in need all over the world. It has been a wonderful journey meeting my African sistahs, hearing their stories of hardship, and sharing ours. Despite everything, we still find joy in living.