Sons & Daughters Community Art Show Recap

Sons & Daughters explores story, beginnings, and community. It considers what it means to be a son or daughter, to have sons and daughters, and to belong to the networks of people made up of sons and daughters.

The idea grew out of a birth worker training workshop where participants were asked to share the story of their own birth. Some were vivid and celebrated; others fragmented or missing entirely. Many people never have the chance to hear their own beginning or have it remembered. Infant mortality, loss of caregivers, life stress, or distance in family relationships often leave these early stories incomplete or untold, and sometimes they are never shared because no one asks or remembers to tell them. These early stories, whether remembered or lost, point to a larger truth: every person carries a beginning, and each life contributes to the fabric of our communities.

Recognizing someone as a son or daughter is to see their origin and belonging, no matter their age. That recognition can open empathy for the lives we encounter and the unseen beginnings they carry. The exhibition presents these lives and stories, honoring those that endure and those still unfolding. It invites attention and celebration of the experiences and connections that continue to grow beyond beginnings.

Artists were invited to interpret the theme through their own lived experience and creative lens. The works offer multiple perspectives, encouraging reflection, curiosity, and empathy—qualities essential to engaging with the diverse lives and stories that shape our communities.

When I travel to a new city, I usually feel like the visit is not complete until I have found three places. A coffee shop. A bookstore (even if the books are in a language I do not know)! And a museum. Ideally an art museum or a history museum, which I tend to think of as one and the same as art so often carries history, just through a different lens.

Visiting those places is how I start to understand a community and I love learning that way: by observing, listening, and letting myself be impressed by what I encounter.

When I started thinking about how I wanted to mark another year of life, I kept coming back to those same things. Books. Art. Culture. Community. Bringing people together around shared stories and different interpretations felt more meaningful than a traditional celebration.

Sons and Daughters was shaped by that desire. To invite artists and friends into a conversation about beginnings, belonging, and the networks of people we come from and grow within. The exhibition holds many perspectives, but it also reflects what I love about curating: bringing people together, honoring lived experience, and making room for stories that are layered, incomplete, and still unfolding.

Thank you for being here, for walking through this exhibit, and for being part of the community that makes projects like this possible.

xx 

Adenirae

Ryane Adeniran