Richmond artist paints live at Lewis Ginter for Juneteenth: 'All about just celebrating us'
Richmond artist Ron Stokes celebrated Juneteenth the way he knows best — with a paintbrush in hand and people all around.
Stokes painted live at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for their annual Juneteenth Community Day on Friday, working on a piece that features a young girl holding a heart-shaped balloon and standing on top of the world.
"For me, that piece really talks about how the world is," Stokes said. "She has the world in front of her; she could do anything, be anything, as long as she believes in herself and leads with love."
A California native, Stokes has spent the last decade in Richmond creating and curating spaces for underserved artists to shine. He says that mission grew out of a gap he saw in the city.
"There was a time where there were no Black galleries in the City of Richmond, and no one was looking to showcase our work, and that's what really led me to doing the things that I do," Stokes said.
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