The first mask that came forth was so powerful, a Portlander called Byrd had to set it down when she felt its force and energy. Although she does not consider herself an artist, about 30 masks made their presence known to Byrd while she battled the legal system over Black families’ loss of generational wealth — she calls them Gentrification Masks.
For ten years, Byrd implemented her skills as a librarian to research the history of displacement in Portland’s Albina neighborhood. This led to a lawsuit in 2022 and settlement in 2025 for 26 descendants of Black Portlanders forced from their homes in the 1950s and beyond.
It was during the toughest times of the litigation when Byrd felt a force outside her, guiding her to create. She said she was just the vehicle used for those masks to manifest, and does not take credit for their existence.
“I would call myself obedient,” Byrd said. “I would call myself a student of my spirit. Sometimes you’re called to do something or you’re moved to do something. Something stirs your spirit and leads you to do things and when that happens everything you need is provided for, so all the materials for the masks, they would just show up.”
Byrd often found herself at a vintage or thrift store looking around, drawn to buy certain items. The masks contain all kinds of materials, such as glass, fabric, yarn and metal.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do with these things, but when I sat down, I made those masks,” Byrd said. “I will tell you a force outside of me took over. It felt so safe. It felt like protection. It felt like it was really a state of utopia, because litigation for the lawsuit was so intense and strenuous. It always happened right in the highest moments of intensity of tremendous work. During the times when it was hard to continue. I mean, it took a lot of hard work 24/7 to get that lawsuit filed.”
Byrd felt a calling, and during this time the masks came to protect her. Sometimes she felt like the masks were nagging her and she would rush through her day, looking forward to whatever was going to reveal itself. They carried Byrd through and communicated things the lawsuit couldn’t capture. When plaintiffs would meet, there were lots of tears, and people didn’t have words for everything they felt and experienced. There are limits to verbal storytelling.
“Words can only express so much,” Byrd said. “Masks represent what takes over. They make thoughts and emotions tangible. Words are limited by words. Masks make feelings visible. Experiences, ideas and thoughts are now visible so we can talk about them.”
Byrd believes the masks are a spiritual manifestation.
“I won’t say that any masks really stand out, but I will say this: There are masks that provided a certain clarity,” Byrd said. “I don’t know what all those masks mean but this is what I do know. If a person looks at a mask and they connect to it on whatever level — if it feels creepy, if it feels wonderful, if you connect to that mask on whatever level, it’s because whatever that mask is communicating is within you. The energy in the spirit that mask represents is an energy in a spirit that you have inside of you.”
Byrd has a few thoughts on the role of ancient masks from Africa — and several questions. She warns that traditional African masks are not art to hang on the wall. They are creative communication — part of ceremonies and initiations. She wonders why Africa in particular has so many masks, and what happened to the mask makers when Africans were stolen and brought to this country.
“Where were the African mask makers on this soil?” Byrd asks. “Why am I doing this? Am I connected to that energy? Is this a continuation of what was started on the continent and brought over through the transatlantic, and are the spirits not dead?”
Another idea to ponder is what ancient civilizations knew that we don’t. The Gentrification Masks guided her, and she felt grateful for their presence.
“I was beaten down and the masks became my strength and carried me to the next level,” Byrd said. “They are protectors. I do believe in ancestral knowledge; they are 100% connected to ancestors. The masks are more than emotions. They are responses, reactions, ideas, experiences, longings and desires.”
Many of the Gentrification Masks have revealed a concept that applies to them rather than a name. For example, one has a bubble pipe in its mouth and carries the words to have fun and not take life too seriously. A shiny mask made of black glass is referred to as MOTHER. A chaotic combination of bright colors bears a warning, a caution, and a reminder to remain watchful. Some have not yet revealed themselves.
Byrd has a deep respect for the masks, where they came from and their communication with her.
“I will tell you this,” Byrd said, “I’m better off for it and I have a better understanding of life.”
While she would love for the masks to be shown in certain galleries in the United States, Byrd sees the Gentrification Masks going across the big pond for an even wider conversation specifically about gentrification in this country, and the history of that gentrification. For now they are in storage, and Byrd remains open to the possibility of more masks.
In addition to the masks, Byrd’s Gentrification Jackets came about during the legal process.
This story was originally published by Oregon Arts Watch.
This article appears in July 15, 2026.