What a truly wonderful evening Doug and I had at the Vacaville Museum, celebrating Black History through the powerful and moving work of artist 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐨𝐧. I carried a smile with me the entire night. From engaging conversations with guests to lingering over the exceptional artwork on display, everything about the evening felt thoughtful, vibrant, and deeply affirming. The 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 exhibit added another layer of richness, beautifully curated and resonant in its presentation.

The Q&A was especially informative and heartfelt. Hearing Carla speak about her creative process, artistic goals, and the immense amount of time, care, and labor required to bring an exhibition of this scope to life gave me a far deeper appreciation for the work. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒐—𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒐. *See Video Below

The event itself was wonderfully organized—gracious hosts, attentive volunteers, and a welcoming executive staff who made the evening flow effortlessly. Great food, drinks, and lively conversation rounded out an already memorable night. I met so many inspiring people—artists, supporters, volunteers, and museum staff—and left feeling energized and grateful. I couldn’t resist bringing home a few beautiful prints, which I’m very much looking forward to displaying.

Carla herself was absolutely glowing with pride—well deserved—and it was a lovely surprise to learn she and Doug go back many years to Oakland. I’m delighted that she’ll be joining us at 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 gathering on February 22. It was also a pleasure to see Danette Mitchell from The Reporter enjoying the evening, along with many local artists who came out in generous support of the event.

As I moved through the Center Stage exhibit, I was especially moved to encounter poems by poet laureates 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞, 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐄𝐲𝐯𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧 on display—an unexpected and deeply meaningful convergence of visual art and poetry.

I’m very much looking forward to returning in April for the open mic and the other festivities planned. An evening like this reminds me just how powerful art, community, and shared presence can be.