James Brown Jr.
No Justice, No Peace
February 3 – February 25, 2024

No Justice, No Peace is an exhibition that bears witness to the realities of life for African people in America. This is Brown’s 85th year as an African man living in the United States. James Brown Jr. presents a body of work that encompasses the breadth and scope of his experiences, including the history of racism and segregation and the passing of civil rights legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin. In this exhibition, Brown reflects on the vicissitudes of these dynamic developments (including the assassination of Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X and the imprisonment and assassination of members of the Black Panther Party). Brown’s experience and observation saw the Panthers as social workers who protected and addressed the various needs of the black community. They initiated a new nutritional program for moms and their babies called “The Free Breakfast for School Children Program,” which the government later adopted as the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program.

About the Artist:

James Brown, Jr. is a mixed media artist who creates his art on organic fabrics. He is African-born in Harlem, NY. He is the great-grandson of an escaped enslaved African who had been shot in the head in about 1865. Both parents were from Florida. His work includes felting and paintings on silk, but he also includes watercolor paintings and drawings. Brown received his BFA at the University of South Florida in 1984 and his MFA at Howard University College of Fine Arts in 1987. Brown studied at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art as a docent where he led tours of the collection.