By Francesca Durham

Curating the HBHAS Emancipation Art Exhibition these past 5 years with Judy Daley and her team has been most rewarding. There is such value in knowing and sharing our rich history and culture. It builds a sense of pride not just individually but on a larger scale, we have our stories, knowledge, and wisdom to share in community and to future generations that our presence is important.

And bringing this awareness to Halton’s community supports our motto, “to appreciate our individual and collective ‘Community, Roots and Culture’.”

It’s a privilege to work with the artists’ intentions for their creations. My hope has always been to create an environment for visitors that makes them feel better viewing our exhibits, better than they when they arrived.

I’m always amazed how each piece of art finds its proper place and simply takes on a life of its own, which is the best part, it’s magical. You want each piece to stand out as well as be part of a bigger whole. So striking a balance is important.

I know for certain that every exhibition has left an impact. From the invitation to return year after year by the mayor and having a member of Parliament, Arif Virani, in attendance our second year, local visitors, and visitors from as far away as Scarborough, the HBHAS has done exactly what our mission had hoped to achieve and that’s learning, uncovering and promoting Canadian Black history towards a progressive inclusive future through annual events like the Emancipation Art Exhibition. And every year we start the festivities in July with the Halton Freedom Celebration: Jazz & Blues Festival at Spencer Smith Park (July 30, 2022).

So be sure to join us this year for the Emancipation Art Exhibit, Town of Halton Hills, opening on July 27, 2022, runs until September 11, 2022. See you there!

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Francesca Durham is a holistic creative arts therapy facilitator and mentor. Her life experiences have taught her to embrace each new day with hope and inspiration. “The arts have always been important to me. They bridge the cultural diversity of my mother’s Northern Italian heritage and my father’s Trinidadian roots. My parents were patrons of the arts for many years and supported the importance of culture in community life. This certainly had a great impact and influence on my desire to continue supporting art and culture in my community.”

francescadurham.com