Jaden King, the LSC-Tomball art gallery work-study student, who thoughtfully framed and displayed the Juneteenth art contributions on the gallery walls, said he felt a personal connection to the photo of Dr. Johnnie Mae Carter, an Houston ISD long-tenured employee with 65 years of service (1959-2024) surrounded by children.
“When I saw the picture of Dr. Johnnie Mae Carter, I thought of my grandmother. She was a teacher, and she experienced racism,” said King. “I hung the Martin Luther King artwork and I thought of King’s struggle for civil rights, my grandmother's experiences, and how now, I have never experienced racism.”
Jorge Sanchez, an LSC-Tomball student, attended the art gallery opening as part of an assignment from his Speech class at the college. Sanchez was drawn to the Juneteenth painting submitted by Shiloh Dragojevic. In the painting, a faceless woman raises a clenched fist and holds the hand of a small faceless child with the scales of justice depicted in place of the child's heart.
“It’s an impactful piece,” said Sanchez. “The painting’s place of prominence in the gallery, the gallery spotlights directed at the bold colors, the visual message of the painting is striking.”
LSC-Tomball Dual credit student, Inaya Mehmoud and LSC-Tomball student Kyera Phillips were invited to attend the exhibit opening by Phillips’ psychology classmate. The artwork that deeply resonated with Mehmoud and Phillips was Harmony Across Time, submitted by Charity Montgomery, Ava Grudziecke, and Landon Hargrove. The photo featured a powerful image where a black hand and a white hand form a heart shape using their pinkie fingers.
“We are living in the future that Martin Luther King fought for,” said Phillips. “The Harmony Across Time picture represents this evolution, the progress we’ve made, and that the fight for equality is not one-sided. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The Juneteenth Art exhibit will be open to the public through February 28. For a complete lineup of BHM events please visit: https://www.lonestar.edu/BlackHistory