Photo Book Project

What is This Photo Book Project About? 

As a portrait painter and storyteller, I offer an intimate perspective on ritualized celebrations throughout the Black diaspora in this photobook project. Through the Portrait Reveal I created a community art and legacy preservation project. A custom painted portrait is commissioned of you — or someone whose legacy you want to honor — and unveiled during a celebration you host for your guests. The moment of the reveal is intimate and powerful: your portrait, kept under wraps until that moment, is uncovered in front of the people who love you.

This project is for you if:

  - You are someone who appreciates fine art and wants to start or add, a portrait made in your honor, to your collection

  - You are a dedicated and invested in preserving legacy and building cultural infrastructure for Black communities

  - You believe that art collecting is a wealth-building tool and want to be part of normalizing that practice

  - You are a historian, archivist, educator, artist, investor, and or patron who understands the power of a community-built visual archive

  - You simply want to be witnessed, honored, and remembered — while you are here to receive it

Each reveal is photographed and documented as part of a growing photobook and archive celebrating Black legacy, storytelling, and community. Your event becomes part of a permanent record — and the beginning of a new tradition.

What we're building:

  - A living ritual of veneration, inspired by west African traditions, adapted for the present

  - A practice of incorporating artist in important aspect of community affairs 

  - A photobook series that serves as both community celebration and historical record

  - A network of Black art collectors connected by a shared legacy practice

Questions & Answers

1. What is a photobook? The photo book will be a hardcover coffee table book that is collection images, short essays, and scanning content.

2. What is a portrait reveal? The portrait reveal is the process of painting a portrait of a person of interest without them seeing the portrait until the day of a scheduled event. The portrait subject, friends, family, and associates all see the final portrait together, sharing a very intimate moment with the celebrated person. Symbolically giving them flowers. 

3. What is a live painting? A live painting is a painting create during a event. All that is needed a power, and clear area of about 10 feet for setup. 

4. Does it cost to participate? Participation in a portrait reveal or live painting event may incur costs for materials, photography, and potentially travel and lodging, depending on the location. The artist will cover these expenses for certain events. Please note, the artist receives no payment for the portrait or time spent painting. All photographs, videos, and interviews from these events are intended for inclusion in the photobook. The final portrait is given to you to keep as a symbol of receiving your flowers.

5. What's my goal with this? The artist receives no payment for the portrait or time spent painting. All photographs, videos, and interviews from these events are intended for inclusion in the photobook.

6. Why am I being asked to participate? This photobook celebrates the preservation of legacies, ensuring they endure through oral histories and digital records for future generations. We invite your participation specifically because you have dedicated your efforts to upholding tradition, culture, and heritage. By archiving and sharing your collective stories, this project offers a beautiful tribute—giving "flowers" to those actively preserving culture and illuminating their profound, lasting impact across the diaspora. 

7. What is expected of me as a participant? Portrait subjects are responsible for securing their venue, coordinating their guest list, and covering the cost of event photography. I will provide the promotional materials that explains the purpose of the event and why its important.

Can I give you your flowers?