About Helen E. Barnett

Helen E. Barnett holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Delaware (‘24). She previously received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art with a minor in Spanish from High Point University (‘21). Barnett’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including Valparaiso, Chile, and was licensed for use by the production of the American crime thriller, “Mayor of Kingstown” (2025). She received various awards and grants to support her practice, including support from the University of Delaware and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Barnett currently lives and works in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Through the combination of oil painting and linocut printmaking, Roots Beyond Record draws from Barnett’s experience researching the “1870 Brick Wall,” a genealogical term for the first post-emancipation census that recognized formerly enslaved people as individuals and not property, causing much of her family history to remain ambiguous. Utilizing portraiture to explore the intersection of family and identity, this series celebrates the value of passed-down oral histories over archival records.