Cambridge-based artist Valerie Imparato explores the complexities of identity in her painting, collage, and embroidery practices, focusing particularly on Blackness and womanhood. Her embroidered canvases represent Black women without the identifying features of their hairstyles and skin color. By substituting a colorful patchwork and adding symbolic features, Imparato challenges how Black women are often defined by others. She also reflects on their roles within the family, and societal expectations placed upon them. Imparato’s changing relationship with her mother enables her to explore identity, strength of character, and loss, as well as how individual identity affects familial relationships.