The opening of the David Hamilton Jackson and All Ahwe Student Exhibition is scheduled for Saturday at Cane Roots Art Gallery in Downtown Christiansted, St. Croix, the Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education announced.
Educators, students, families, and community organizations are invited to join in a powerful celebration of Jackson’s enduring impact on social justice and freedom of expression in the Virgin Islands. The opening ceremony will begin at noon, with the exhibition viewing following until 4 p.m., according to the press release.
The project began as a collaborative initiative between the Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Chief Territorial Curator Monica Marin worked closely with educators to bring art for activism methodologies into the classroom, creating a reflection of civic learning shaped by shared values, according to the press release.
This retrospective gathers student work, past and present, into a powerful blend of words and images that honor Jackson’s ideals of equity and justice. An inspiring collection of student work spanning multiple years is showcased, and it is a dynamic blend of words and images that both honor Jackson and reveal each student’s unique perspective and individuality. For some, Jackson’s ideals of justice and resilience are a call to see themselves as advocates, shaping responses to the issues facing society today. For others, the art becomes a space for vulnerability, expressed through self-portraits that reveal who they aspire to be or offer glimpses into the complexities they are still working through, the press release stated.
Jackson was born in 1884 on St. Croix. He was very instrumental in laborers’ struggles, co-founding the St. Croix Labor Union in 1913. In 1915, he started the first free press for people of color in the territory, The Herald, with the support of Virgin Islands laborers. Jackson’s work remains significant today, as it provides an important framework within which students can place historical struggles into perspective by relating them to current difficulties experienced within society, the release stated.
This project encompasses a variety of resources that assist educators in guiding students through reflective and imaginative responses to the contributions of Jackson, but the exhibition is more than a tribute to Jackson’s legacy—it is a celebration of young voices rising to meet his call. In these works, the heartbeat of a new generation can be felt, bold and unguarded, reaching back to Jackson’s vision while reaching forward to their own. Through lines of poetry, strokes of color, and images of self, they declare who they are, who they hope to be, and all that they carry with them, it said.
