Michele Lesko: Michel, what would you say were your artistic influences growing up?

Michel Delgado: It was my curiosity with the world surrounding me in Africa – craft, dance, farmers, musicians. All of this revealed questions to me about our purpose here. I didn’t start painting right away. At fourteen, I sewed, made bags and painted them. I painted fabric, burlap, cardboard. Unfortunately, things around me were very primitive.