My name is Avery Brown Renfro. I am 24 years old and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where I studied African American Studies with a concentration in literary and historical perspectives. I value study and research, though I do not speak like a scholar. I am curious, creative, and still learning, and I believe art should feel personal and make you feel alive.

 

Before I was born, a moment happened that would later shape this exhibition.

 

In 1998, while my parents were engaged and planning their wedding, my mom introduced my dad to my uncle, Bruce Brown. My uncle was a well known artist in Houston, Texas, whose work has been collected by athletes, public figures, and people who deeply love art. When my mom introduced my dad as Leron Renfro, my uncle paused and shared that he once had an art professor at Texas Southern University named Leon Renfro, a professor he deeply admired.

 

My dad smiled and said, “That’s my dad.”

 

That professor was my grandfather.

 

Leon Renfro was an artist and an educator whose impact reached far beyond the classroom. He taught at Texas Southern University, worked with NASA, and left a lasting mark on the art world. He passed away in 1993, years before I was born and before my parents met. I never had the chance to meet him, but his presence has always been part of my life.

 

I grew up surrounded by art. My parents raised me going to museums and learning to appreciate creativity, history, and storytelling. Art has always been one of our favorite ways to connect. Although I never met my grandfather, I grew up with his work in our home. One piece is especially meaningful to me, a painting my grandfather created of my father at his sixth birthday party. My grandfather used to call my dad “Poppa,” and that painting feels like a living memory.

 

After graduating college, and even before finishing, I began looking more closely at my grandfather’s work. As I searched, read, and explored, I realized that much of his story felt incomplete. There were parts of his legacy that deserved more context, care, and visibility.

 

That curiosity turned into intention.

 

I began asking my dad more questions and started collecting my grandfather’s work. I realized I wanted to create an exhibition not only for those who already know his name, but also for those meeting him for the first time.

 

As my family talked more, one truth became clear. My grandfather taught my uncle Bruce Brown. My last name is Brown Renfro. Those names carry two artists, one lineage, and a shared history.

 

This exhibition brings them together as what they truly are.

The Professor.

The Student.

And me, the Curator, carrying their names forward.

 

Although my grandfather and my uncle are no longer here, art lives on. This exhibition is my way of honoring where I come from and inviting others into that story.

 

This is Brown Renfro.

The exhibit.