Following Emancipation, a unique musical style began to take shape among African-American communities on cotton plantations in the Deep South. This genre, which fused elements of field hollers, church hymns, and popular genres among White communities like ragtime and folk, eventually became known as the blues. It emerged as a poignant means of expression for Black Americans enduring racial and economic struggles during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

An artist based in New York—Teri Gandy-Richardson—aims to honor the history of the blues by highlighting its connections to the legacy of slavery. Her sculptures “Squeeze” (2008), “Stir (Seven Years)” (2009-2020), and “My Grandmother’s Crown” (2018), are currently showcased at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) in Queens. Each piece incorporates recycled denim which was historically dyed with indigo and often produced by enslaved individuals.

Gandy-Richardson describes the blues as “the legacy and expression of struggle, solidarity, and spirit responsible for the soulful lineage that sings our truth and beauty and lives at the root of all American music (and culture).”

Open until September 13, the exhibition titled "An Afro-Latinx Mixtape" celebrates the rich heritage of New York City's African, Latine, and Caribbean communities. This event combines music history with various artistic expressions including painting, sculpture, video, drawing, and digital art. It marks the fourth showcase under JCAL's Visual Voices initiative, which aims to support emerging curators from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) backgrounds.

The exhibition features musical genres namely jazz, reggae, and bomba, illustrating the connections between global events and local experiences in New York. Notable works include Anthony Newton’s paintings that link ’90s hip hop to the Pan-African movement, Irene Fernández’s colorful interpretations of reggaeton lyrics influenced by her Puerto Rican roots, and Edgar Moza’s acrylic pieces that reflect on the impacts of the Salvadoran Civil War through cumbia.

Curator Adrian Bermeo, who identifies as “Ecuadorican” and hails from Jackson Heights, views the mixtape as a fitting metaphor for New York’s eclectic mix of sounds and cultures. Drawing from his childhood experiences of creating mixtapes, Bermeo also showcases his own artwork—a sketch titled “Walkin’ In Rhythm” (2024), paying homage to the influential rhythm and blues group The Blackbyrds.

In "An Afro-Latinx Mixtape," a drawing by Sasha Lynn Roberts is showcased alongside works honoring notable Latine and African artists. Among them is Nigerian musician Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì, whose art and activism inspired Charles Wright’s oil painting titled “The World Wide Web” (2024). The exhibition also pays tribute to celebrated Cuban singer and civil rights activist Celia Cruz, represented in a portrait by Ingrid Yuzly Mathurin. This piece, named “Queen of Salsa” (2024), employs a color palette that reflects Cruz’s Yoruba spiritual practices, a tradition that Mathurin shares with the legendary singer.

The song, Roberts expressed, represents “a sense of unapologetic belonging: feeling self-actualized and grounded, despite feeling like there are people, systems and narratives that seek to destroy your self-confidence.”

“I think a beautiful part of Black culture is the ability to see yourself reflected in the reality of so many others,” Roberts added. “It feels special and precious, but also a vessel for connection.”

Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com