Ugandan ‘Bead King’ Sana Gatesia’s ‘Voices of Peace’ Paper‑Bead Tapestry Installed at Gracie Mansion — On View Through Sept. 30, 2026

African Heritage Day at Gracie Mansion featured a new installation, “Voices of Peace,” a large textile work of hand-rolled beads made from postconsumer paper by Ugandan artist Sana “the bead king” Gatesia (created 2023), on view at Gracie Mansion through Sept. 30, 2026; the piece was installed with Moata, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, and Karma Gallery during Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Sept. 9, 2026 reception. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

# What’s happening
– “Voices of Peace” installation goes on view at Gracie Mansion through Sept. 30, 2026.
– Installation by Ugandan artist Sana “the bead king” Gatesia; created in 2023.
– Display arranged by Moata, Gracie Mansion Conservancy, and Karma Gallery.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

# Why it matters
– New Yorkers, museum visitors, and African diaspora cultural communities can view the installation through Sept. 30.
– The work foregrounds environmental reuse and African diaspora themes in a public civic space.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

# Key details
– Event date: African Heritage reception held Sept. 9, 2026.
– Location: Gracie Mansion, 181 East End Avenue, New York, NY.
– Installation title: Voices of Peace.
– Artist: Sana “the bead king” Gatesia; work created in 2023.
– Materials: Countless hand-rolled beads made from postconsumer paper (paper fragments from printed materials).
– On view: Gracie Mansion exhibition runs through Sept. 30, 2026.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

The installation is a large textile tableau made of countless hand-rolled beads assembled into a tapestry. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

**Sana “the bead king” Gatesia**
– Role or jurisdiction: Ugandan artist (named at the Gracie Mansion event).
– Action taken or responsibility: Creator of the 2023 textile work Voices of Peace.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Work made in 2023; shown at Gracie Mansion through Sept. 30, 2026.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

Each bead is hand-rolled from postconsumer paper, the artist and speakers said; beads reveal fragments of posters, pamphlets, textbooks and printed text. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

**Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (Moata)**
– Role or jurisdiction: Brooklyn-based museum focused on contemporary African diasporan art (referred to as Moata at the event).
– Action taken or responsibility: Helped organize and bring the installation to Gracie Mansion.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Executive director and chief curator Amy Andreu spoke at the reception.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=92

**Gracie Mansion Conservancy**
– Role or jurisdiction: Organization that stewards Gracie Mansion and its public programming.
– Action taken or responsibility: Collaborated to host the Voices of Peace installation at Gracie Mansion.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Installation displayed during the Mayor’s African Heritage reception and remains on view through Sept. 30, 2026.
Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

Speakers at the Sept. 9 reception described Voices of Peace as an “ode to peace, environmental protections, and collective responsibility.” Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

The artist and presenters framed the work as a constellation of smaller “masterworks” within a larger tapestry, linking the 54 countries of Africa and the African diaspora to the piece’s structure. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

Voices of Peace was most recently exhibited at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Dance Africa Festival, representing Uganda, before its installation at Gracie Mansion. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187

The City showed the installation during an African Heritage reception hosted by Mayor Zohran Mamdani; the Mayor and event speakers positioned the display within Gracie Mansion’s role as a civic and cultural venue. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=1045

Visitors should note the display window: Voices of Peace is on view at Gracie Mansion through Sept. 30, 2026, per remarks at the Sept. 9 event. Source: https://youtu.be/-2m2ZqXVgz4&t=187