When Simone Elizabeth Saunders embarks on a tapestry, she begins by collaging images, by hand or digitally, from the “beautiful milieu of hairstyles, gestures, gazes and poses” she finds in magazines or online. To render them in the vivid colours and intricate details that have earned the Calgarian a solo exhibition at Toronto’s Textile Museum of Canada “u.n.i.t.y,” on until January 29), Saunders employs a punch needle and tufting gun.

Predominantly used for domestic items like rugs and pillows, these tools are as much a statement as the artworks themselves — powerful odes to the Afro diaspora, Black sisterhood and her own personal history that include Four Queens, a quartet of goddesses that riff on Alphonse Mucha’s art nouveau maidens.

“The fibre arts are woven deep into our histories, which is precisely why I chose this medium,” Saunders says. “Black women, we have been the most underserved population and we have an extensive history of being makers and caregivers of the home. I am using this medium to create vibrant narratives that uplift Black womanhood and show our joys and resilience.” That’s precisely why her tapestries are made to adorn walls: “They are meant to be seen.”