“Momma Loves Jazz” and “Welcome to the Mothership: We Gather in Their Name” opens June 7 at the Community Artists’ Collective, 4111 Fannin, Suite 100A, as a paired exhibition featuring artists Carla Sue Lyles and Jakayla Monay, respectively.
Artist Stacey Allen, director of artistic programs for the Anderson Center for the Arts, who curated the exhibition, sees both of these works through the lens of non-linear time.
“As Black mother artists, we’re constantly negotiating what to hold on to and what to let go,” Allen explained.
“Jakayla’s imagined future and Carla’s reflections on the past speak to one another in ways that remind us that healing isn’t separate from dreaming. They are part of the same process,” Allen said.
“Monay builds a world full of possibility. I see Jakayla and her work as the future. Her artistic voice provides visual storytelling that creates a realm with Afro futuristic leanings, but with comfort and familiarity, reminding us of the beauty of who we are, as is.
“Carla Sue’s work is deeply personal and grounded in healing. This work also serves as an archive of Southern Black culture and how expressive and material culture shapes our lives,” Allen continues.
Monay, a visual artist who focuses on photography and film, explores Black life, highlighting moments that often go unnoticed.
“I’m interested in what comes after pain and sorrow,” she said, “the quiet recoveries and everyday joys that help us keep going. Through my images, I touch on memory, love and how we find our footing again.”
Lyles describes her work as exploring the intersection of healing, memory and matriarchal legacy through layered storytelling. As a self-taught artist and designer, she leans into fabric, sound and archival materials to create pieces that honor Black womanhood, resilience and the sacred act of remembering.
“Whether through stitched words, vinyl records or collaged photographs, each work is a form of reverence—toward my lineage, toward softness and toward the radical of healing in public,” she explained.
“I believe that art should feel like an embrace—personal yet collective, grounded yet expansive.”
Lyles is offering a workshop at The Collective on Saturday, June 14, from 2 to 5 p.m., titled “Vinyl and Venerations.”
The Collective is cross-promoting this exhibition with the Anderson Center for the Arts (ACA), a BIPOC-founded and led nonprofit organization located in East Harris County. The cultural center serves as the premier destination for residents, artists and tourists to experience rich arts and culture in the area. ACA works to expand arts access in underserved communities, amplify Black voices and level the playing field for Black creatives through training and development and residencies that include free studio space and financial support.
The exhibition, free and open to the public, runs from June 7 through July 26.
The Collective is open Thursday through Saturday from 12 noon until 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information about the exhibit contact The Collective at 713-523-1616 or visit www.thecollective.org.
