Avery Brown Renfro

In a 1982 article from Sam Houston State University, Leon Renfro described creating from memory instead of models, pulling from childhood, East Texas, African influences, and lived experience. The article highlighted his thesis exhibition featuring “seven summers of work” and noted that he often used materials connected to his upbringing, including burlap, wallpaper, earth colors, and texture. “I work from memory instead of models. I find that it helps. The imagination works like this [he...

FESTAC FRIDAY My grandfather, Professor Leon Renfro, was a participant in FESTAC ’77, and through Brown Renfro, we want to dig deeper into this incredible cultural moment that helped shape Black art, identity, creativity, and global connection. So… what exactly was FESTAC ’77? FESTAC ’77 was the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. It brought together thousands of artists, musicians, scholars, writers, dancers, and visionaries from across...

Hundreds will view and watch the story unfold. A few will engage. But we need more than one person to carry it on. Visibility is not the same as support. Don’t be shy. Let us and everyone else know you’re here. Your voice, your support, your engagement, and your presence are a part of history and herstory. We don’t just hang the art. We carry it on. www.BrownRenfro.com