 Through Our Eyes is an annual exhibit featuring new works by African American artists who all address a common theme and create work that is on display for the public to view. This year's theme is Through Our Eyes 2018 celebrating 25 years struggle and resistance. This year Through Our Eyes has 27 artists and they are in different fields. Not only do we have visual artists, but we have creative artists. It's something that community needs. It's uplifting and inspiring and I think it's a cultural destination at the moment. The exhibit was born at WJCT and it was created as part of a celebration of African American history month. It gives people the opportunity to view art and art by people who look like them. And it's always a blessing to go somewhere where people are there that looks like you and even the art on the wall looks like you. You see a lot of positive image of the African American people in a positive light. The collaboration, the partnership and the longevity of the exhibit really has a lot to do with WJCT's early commitment, but it has its own momentum now. In addition to this 25th year, the fact that this exhibit is actually going international. About a year and a half ago, I received a request from the government of Nelson Mandela Bay municipality to send them an exhibit. I thought this would be the perfect exhibit. I think this is the perfect way to represent America, Jacksonville and these artists who are in this exhibit this year. I love art, but I guess art loves me because it's been with me since I was a child and the joy it brought to bring the guys in my community together to draw from the comic books and to read comics and to draw from the newspapers. It just felt like it was something that was leading us in a good path to keep you away from the bad things that was developing in my neighborhood. For the 25 years that Through Our Eyes has been in existence, we have probably shown the work of over 100 artists, local artists here in the Jacksonville community. Through Our Eyes is more than just an exhibit. It is a cultural experience and to make sure that this exhibit, this opportunity is available to the community for years to come, we hope that our community will continue to appreciate it. It comes back year after year. It's grown from a handful of artists the first year to this year's show. I think we have the most we've ever had. It's 27 artists represented. There are over 100 pieces because each artist pretty much did at least three and some did more and we're covering over 4,000 square feet of space and we have fabric artists, we have collage, we have sculpture, we have artists who built things for display. We've allowed them to paint on the wall as part of their display. So these artists were very excited to be a part of this and so they used every avenue, they've used almost every art form to express this theme and to really help celebrate this 25 years. What's really important about me showcasing in this exhibit is being able to inspire another child. Being black in America, let alone Haitian American, there's a lot of difficulties that I face and there's a lot of obstacles that I'm overcoming and it is a struggle going on right now. And being a part of this show means a lot because I can actually give another child hope to want to create and find a new way of actually expressing themselves. We bring art to a community that normally does not always have it available. Being able to go to a museum and seeing work from someone who looks like me, I think that's really important and it's important for kids to have diversity in what they see. You know we live in a diverse community but it doesn't really showcase within the art world. I hope the biggest takeaway for the community is a sense of pride in work that is created by African Americans, a sense of understanding that art is something that you need to nourish your soul. It's not just for entertainment purposes, it's not just to see pretty pictures. I do believe that there is a higher calling for the art exhibition itself is that the people have to want to come. And there's been a disconnect with the art and the community and so the art will heal the community and that's the thing for the exhibition is to add healing. It's just not an instantaneous healing because it has been 400 years of mental distress that has to be cleansed. I know the art does that and will do that but it still takes time. Over the 25 years that this exhibit has been here through our eyes has changed the community in a way that it is allowed for this type of venue to be available. I mean just the cultural experience itself to be able to come in and see work in one location that's been created by artists from the area specifically for the exhibit itself is a cultural asset to Jacksonville. And in the surrounding communities.