Story by Faith Callens

BIRMINGHAM – On June 13, Studio 2500 hosted an exhibition in honor of the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth, a national holiday to celebrate the history and the heritage of African Americans.

The theme for the exhibition was called “Kindred Spirit”.

“Kindred Spirit is more like, like-minded people doing and believing , holding the same values, and that’s kind of what the whole kindred spirit idea is, said Willie Williams Sr.

Willie Williams Jr. is the owner of Studio 2500 and he is also an art curator and professional artist that thought of the theme “Kindred Spirit”as he partnered with Y.H. Gallery which is in New York City.

“This exhibit is basically highlighting the cultural kinship in exchange from black people and other Diaspora and all over the world,”said Willie Williams Jr.

The “Kindred Spirit” exhibition displays four to five pieces of art from eight different artists from Alabama, Ghana and Nigeria along with Studio 2500’s owner Willie Williams Jr.

Reverend Pamela Canzater became an artist over 50 years ago and was intrigued by the exhibition’s name once she heard about the event through a friend and she wanted to be a apart of it.

“I have four or five pieces of art that I’m displaying at Studio 2500, said Canzater. Especially the artwork with the shackles , that people can put on to feel what our people went through being shackled and I have a hymnal that I have carved out with pieces of note paper in it , I want folks to, once they have tried on the shackles that I made, I want them to write down what it feels like to be shackled and I will use those impressions in other collages that I put together.”

The Kindred Spirit Exhibition goes from June 13 through July 11.

Studio 2500 is also hosting a “Juneteenth in the Garden” event June 19 and the Kindred Spirit Closing Reception is July 11.