“In Contemplation of Freedom: Juneteenth and Beyond” is produced by GrowHouse NYC and curated by a team of emerging and established artists. Since creativity thrives within boundaries, this show will be a visual, textual, and sculptural testament to collective creative ability. Together, attendees navigate the societal and spiritual constraints of Blackness.

Is freedom something that is gifted or taken? Does freedom truly exist in this material world and if so where do we find it? Or is it a feeling and experience we discover? Through multiple mediums, the show will tell the stories of the various obstacles that are ever present in the unique experiences of Black artists.

This event is a free, ongoing exhibit activated every month starting on Juneteenth. There will be two periods during which the art being shown will be refreshed and changed. In curating with a team of emerging artists of color, working collaboratively, and supporting one another in an exploration of the intersection of art and activism, this exhibition underscores the belief that freedom as an ideal must not be built on the unfreedom or stifling of others.

GrowHouse NYC’s approach centers on and illustrates the connectivity of art, challenging the notion that art (and freedom) is an individual, solely abstract pursuit. The exhibit will feature emerging artists over 21 years old, many of whom are nontraditional students coming to art with the life and work experience explored in the work. The aim is to make collaborative art within Crown Heights, for Crown Heights.