Through Brown Eyes Art Show Celebrates Creativity and Wellness
Photo courtesy of Morgan Kersey.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced as part of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University’s South Jersey Information Equity Project fellowship and supported with funding from the Independence Public Media Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
BY MONIQUE HOWARD | AC JosepH Media
WOODBURY – On April 19, the Through Brown Eyes Art Show presented the personally inspired artwork of Morgan J. Kersey inside the airy and vibrant BrickNKulture Event Space in Woodbury.
On an afternoon filled with infectious optimism and upbeat music, guests were surrounded by imagery depicting everyday life moments of Black women. In addition to the gallery showcasing themes of self-care, expert panelists offered life tips on how to enhance one’s mental, physical, and financial health.
The panelists in attendance were Sadiyyah Maamoon-Means (Remax realtor and owner of The Cultural Collective Cafe and BrickNKulture Event Space), Norreal Robinson (founder and operator of Bean’s Buttas) Dejenaba Gordan (Mindfulness Lifestyle coach and founder of BeYoga Wellness Network) and Dian Johnson-Bard (TD Bank Store Supervisor).
Each panelist lent their expertise in correlation with their profession during a candid Q & A discussion panel which Kersey moderated.
Maamon-Means spoke during the panel segment on career-life balance.
“Prioritize yourself first because without taking care of yourself, it will be very difficult for you to run a business and make sure everyone else is okay,” Maamoon-Means advised. “So I would say for me, the main thing is to balance my self-care.”
Johnson-Bard shed light on methods to boost financial health.
“A few tips I have on financial health is to make sure that you spend less than you earn,” Johnson-Bard stated. “Create multiple streams of income and make sure that you plan what you want to do with your money, whether that’s saving or investing.”
Robinson discussed the benefits of using all-natural skin care products.
“You’re mindful that you are putting on something that will go into your bloodstream,” Robinson said. “So, all of my products are 100% natural and chemical free.”
Gordon informed guests on the importance of maintaining good physical health.
“For me, stress elimination starts with being able to be stable, being able to go for a walk, and being able to eat nourishing food,” Gordon said. “And it’s so important that we remember self-care is our ability to slow down enough to observe our habits and then adopt things that contribute to our overall well-being.”
Awareness for mental health and self-care for women, particularly in the Black community is Kersey’s vision for her platform.
Kersey’s journey as an artist was influenced by her family values and the need to emphasize her cultural roots as a Black American woman. When growing up, mental health and self-care were topics not often discussed within Kersey’s family. This inspired her to create artwork that highlights these topics and host an art show.
Kersey believes a great deal of pressure can come from striving to live up to the image of what it means to be a strong black woman. She feels this rings true in black culture and the media.
“I feel like there could be more art around us getting to be fragile and strong in our vulnerabilities,” she said in an interview with Front Runner New Jersey. “In terms of oh, I can’t hold the whole community on my back. I need to speak up for myself and take care of myself. That is something that I would have liked to see from the women in my family.”
She continues by adding,” It’s okay to say you need help and it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel the anxieties of life.”
Kersey graduated from the University of the Arts in 2022 with the hope of starting an art business. However, being diagnosed with hip dysplasia temporarily put her dreams on hold. A few years after hip joint surgery and physical therapy she was able to launch her business, Jireh Kay Art Shop.
“I wanted to create something that had to do with art and stories,” Kersey explained. “Everybody is connected through stories, and I wanted to try this starting online in the digital age.”
In addition to starting a business, Kersey wrote and illustrated a children’s book entitled “Little Moments” which was published in 2021.
“Little Moments” is about a little black girl learning life lessons,” she stated. “It’s about me and my dad and the characters were based on us. I would like to remake that children’s book and make more books for it in a series.”
Kersey’s talent for art expands into the field of animation with her project entitled “Why Can’t I Touch The Moon?” Like “Little Moments,” inspiration for this upcoming animated short film was drawn from life experiences and family relationships.
“Why Can’t I Touch The Moon?” is about a little Black girl who never had the chance to meet her grandmother,” she said. “It’s the very emotional experience of a Black father seeing the two most important people in his life in front of his eyes and what that’s like.”
Although the animated short film was delayed due to Kersey’s hip joint surgery, she is looking forward to continuing the project this year.
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