MIAMI – The Historic Ward Rooming House in Overtown houses some of the most precious Black art from local artists like Marvin weeks to historic pieces that embody the Black culture.
Chris Norwood, the founder of Hampton Art Lovers has been curating the space at the Ward Rooming House for years. He spoke about the art and power of the Black experience.
“Visual art during our time of enslavement didn’t allow us the opportunity to create visual art. The only things we have that we know that continue that tradition are things like quilt making and architecture. We built so many things and did it in an artistic way,” he said.
On Friday, Hampton Art Lovers in conjunction with Miami MoCAAD hosted a mural unveiling on the side of the Thomas Building, named after Lawson Thomas, the first Black judge in the South post-reconstruction.
Anthony Mojo Reed created the mural. His work will be at the late Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, located at 1021 NW 2nd Ave. in Miami.
“Life has been a demonstration of art when it comes to Black folks so Juneteenth has been a celebration of freedom, a celebration of liberty,” Norwood said. “To us, it is just as important as July 4th.”
South Florida will play host to a number of events commemorating Juneteenth. Click here to learn more.
11 p.m. report