James McKissic is a Chattanooga-based fiber artist, weaver, and cultural leader whose work explores the intersections of Black history, ancestry, memory, identity, and place. Rooted in African American textile traditions and the Black experience in Appalachia and the American South, his practice uses weaving as a means of storytelling, cultural preservation, and reclaiming histories too often overlooked or erased. Through traditional techniques, contemporary interpretations, and an evolving exploration of materials, his work examines the ways textiles carry personal and collective memory across generations.
James has studied traditional and contemporary fiber arts at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Foxfire Museum & Heritage Center, and the Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild. In early 2026, he expanded his practice through a weaving residency with The Anou Collective in Fez, Morocco, deepening his engagement with global textile traditions and the connections between craft, culture, and community.
His work has been exhibited at Stove Works, Fisk University's Carl Van Vechten Gallery, Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville, East Tennessee State University, and other venues throughout the Southeast.