Atabey mug design by Ivy K. Nightingale || Oniabo Ibakari = Water is life || Atabey = Drink Her || Ivy K. Nightingale was having a glass of water with her proto-type mug at the hotel lobby the morning before she went to visit the art museum.

Ivy K. Nightingale is an independent artist with a unique set of skills and knowledge as both an visual artist and a horticulturist. This journal entry explains a bit about her origins and her passions as she re-establishes her online presence through meaningful content.

We Are Still Here and We Remember; by Ivy K. Nightingale previously known as Ibaya Art | Created November 27th 2022;

The project was organized by the Natural History Division of the IOJ, in collaboration with the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) and the Liberal Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies of New York University (NYU), New York in the United States.

In this painting, Nanny steps into a river. Surrounding her are stylized Taino carvings of the Cemi’no (ancestral spirits). There are birds and plants unique to Xaymaca (Jamaica) that hold profound symbolism and intrinsic values. This piece was created with the intention of telling multiple stories at once, with the flexibility to change and alter focuses within the same painting. The combination of imagery within the painting portrays an in-depth lore that would be near impossible to cover in one essay.

Within indigenous ways of knowing Nanny’s foot touching the water serves as a link between birth, life and death. It also symbolizes purification, taking a step towards healing. Her foot is right behind a stylized statue of Atabey. Atabey is the Taino female creator ancestral spirit that represents primordial waters, fresh rivers and pools. In Taino spirituality they see all bodies of water as entities. Water is sacred. Without water, there is no life. Numerous sacred animals, herbs and trees surround her, and she protects them. Caves are also sacred, and caves are the openings to Atabey’s womb. The golden umbilical cord rooting straight into the earth and water signifies a permanent and unbreakable tie to the earth. The seed in Nanny’s hand is bright gold, surrounded by a fertility symbol. Burying the umbilical cord under a tree remains an important Afro-Indigenous traditional practice in Jamaica and signifies ancestral ties and connection with the land.