---
title: Seeing Juneteenth
date: 2022-06-15T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/seeing-juneteenth"
section: Articles
---
# Seeing Juneteenth

*June 15, 2022* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> How Black Artists Bring the Celebration of Freedom to Visual Life

*Holton Bredfor Pleasure 2013 11 025 1920x1080 — Curlee Holton’s “Bred for Pleasure” is one of the pieces housed in UMD’s David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora that underscore the meaning of Juneteenth.*

The yearly community celebrations around Juneteenth, which commemorates the June 19, 1865 liberation of the last enslaved Texans, lay out a vibrant feast for the senses—red food and drink, the resounding beat of music and the clothing with rich patterns and colors inspired by those worn in African lands.

But visual art also plays an important part in the collective memory that surrounds the holiday. Many pieces by African American artists focus explicitly on the events of Juneteenth, while others explore the theme of Black liberation.

Below, take a look at some of the pieces housed in UMD’s David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora that underscore the meaning of the day.


*Mel Edwards, “Untitled,” etching/relief on paper, 2015*



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*Michael Booker, “HSG Bust II,” oil on canvas, 2017*



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*Lorenzo Pace, “The Story of the Lock,” ink on paper, 1993*



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*John E. Dowell, “The Long Road,” digital print, 2017*



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*Curlee Holton, “Bred for Pleasure,” etching/aquatint, 1995-97*




**Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture)


**Tags:** [Visual Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/visual-arts)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)