About the Exhibit

What can people expect to see?

Visitors can expect to experience a collection of works that celebrate the African American experience as seen through my eyes. The paintings hold rhythm and blues, joy and sorrow, faith and memory, and all points in between. The exhibition invites viewers into moments that feel both personal and collective. People can expect to leave changed, affirmed, and inspired to reflect on and tell their own stories.

What was your inspiration for the exhibition?

The inspiration behind When All God’s Children Get Together comes from the understanding that my paintings and the figures within them are representations of my family, my friends, my neighbors, and the communities that have shaped me. Each subject is a reflection of God’s children. When we come together, when our spirits are in communion with one another, it becomes an act of celebration, healing, and shared humanity.

What mediums were used?

The works are created primarily using acrylic paint, with select pieces incorporating mixed media elements such as paper and fabric pieces from loved ones who have passed on to add texture, memory, and layered meaning.

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‍About the Artist

Brandon V. Lewis

Brandon V. Lewis is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana–based visual artist whose work explores memory, faith, family, and the lived experiences of Black communities in the South. Working primarily in acrylic with elements of mixed media, Lewis creates figurative compositions that are rich with color, rhythm, and emotional resonance. His paintings often draw from personal narratives while speaking to broader themes of resilience, spirituality, and collective joy.

Deeply influenced by Southern culture, gospel traditions, and the visual language of everyday life, Lewis approaches painting as both storytelling and testimony. His work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and recognize themselves within the scenes he presents. Through his practice, Lewis seeks to honor the beauty, complexity, and sacredness found in ordinary moments and shared histories.

‍Artist Statement

My work is rooted in storytelling. I paint what I know, what I have lived, and what I have witnessed within my family, my community, and my faith. When All God’s Children Get Together is an extension of that practice. It is a visual gathering of souls, memories, and shared experiences that reflect both who we are and who we continue to become.

The figures in my paintings represent God’s children in the truest sense. They are my people, my neighbors, my ancestors, and myself. Through color, gesture, and texture, I aim to capture the rhythm of our lives, the blues that carry our sorrow, and the joy that rises even in the midst of struggle. The use of fabric and paper allows me to layer history and memory into each piece, much like the way our stories are passed down, stitched together, and carried forward.

Many of the titles in this exhibition are drawn from familiar sayings I grew up hearing in my community. These phrases are a language of care, humor, wisdom, and survival. They ground the work in place and voice, serving as entry points that feel intimate and recognizable. By pairing these sayings with the imagery, I invite viewers into a shared understanding, one that feels like home, conversation, and remembrance.

This exhibition is a celebration of communion. When we come together, whether in worship, fellowship, or shared remembrance, something powerful happens. My hope is that viewers see themselves in these works and leave feeling seen, affirmed, and inspired to honor their own stories as sacred. As the song reminds us,

When all God’s children get together,
What a time, what a time