Two women at an art gallery look at colorful paintings on the wall. One woman has dreadlocks and is wearing glasses and a pink hoodie; the other woman has long, light-colored dreadlocks and is wearing a white jacket and glasses.

THIS IS US

Roles: Producer, Operations & Artist Liaison

Presented By: League OTO at the Cousinz Festival

2024

Norfolk, VA

PROJECT OVERVIEW

This Is Us is a powerful art exhibition honoring the spirit, tradition, and cultural significance of the Black family cookout. More than a meal or a party, the cookout is a sacred gathering where generations meet, stories are passed down, and love is expressed through food, fashion, laughter, and shared history.

Presented by League OTO at the Cousinz Festival, the exhibition brought visual art into the center of a large-scale music festival, expanding how and where art is experienced. The project invited artists from across the DMV to reflect on what these gatherings mean to them, their families, and the broader Black experience.

Each work served as a personal interpretation of the people, places, objects, and conversations that make the cookout a cornerstone of Black family life. From card games and cookout plates to Easter Sunday photos and porch talk, the exhibition captured the rhythm, intimacy, and joy of simply being together.

Two women walking in an art gallery. One in black, the other in a denim dress. Behind them are colorful posters on the wall and a small display shelf.

FEATURED ARTISTS

The exhibition featured five artists working across painting, mixed media, textile, and digital collage.

Armani Lewis (Maryland)
Mixed media and textile-based portraiture blending abstraction, realism, and cultural symbolism to explore Black identity, family, and community.

Estaban Whiteside (Washington, DC)
Figurative painting capturing the quiet power and intimacy of everyday Black life through moments often overlooked.

Glenn Hardy Jr. (Maryland)
Bold acrylic works presenting scenes of Black joy, style, and togetherness, reclaiming space for celebration and cultural pride.

Poetry Jackson (Norfolk, VA)
Multimedia and digital collage works layering photography and paint to explore ancestral and personal memory.

Ray Johnson (Norfolk, VA)
Realist portraiture emphasizing emotional depth, authenticity, and the everyday beauty of Black family life.

Black and white painting of two young boys, one in a hoodie and the other in a tank top, with one sitting on a wheelchair, against a tan and white background.
A woman wearing a pink baseball cap and black clothing is inside an art gallery, looking at her phone. The background features colorful artwork including a large poster with the text 'THUG 25¢ Fruit Barrels' and various paintings on the wall.
Two people standing in front of colorful posters, one man wearing a yellow hat and sunglasses, and a woman with a checkered hat and sunglasses, both wearing black t-shirts with branding and images.

EXPERIENCE & SCALE

This project marked several important firsts in my professional journey. It was my first exhibition produced outside of Washington, DC, requiring me to navigate new regional dynamics while maintaining operational clarity and consistency.

The exhibition also represented a significant step forward in scale. In earlier projects, total sales reached just over $25,000. With This Is Us, the exhibition included works priced at up to $65,000 for a single piece. Operating within this range required a higher level of confidence, precision, and responsibility in how work was presented, discussed, and supported.

This experience sharpened my understanding of market positioning, artist value, and the realities of scaling cultural work. It affirmed Red Pen Consulting’s ability to operate beyond local boundaries and entry-level price points while continuing to center on integrity, storytelling, and care.

IMPACT AND REFLECTION

Working on This Is Us reinforced my belief that the most meaningful cultural work is collaborative. Nothing about this project was predicated on doing it alone. It was rooted in community, shared responsibility, and honoring stories larger than any single individual or brand.

The exhibition marked another turning point for Red Pen Consulting, demonstrating our capacity to support complex partnerships, operate at scale, and amplify voices across disciplines. This Is Us functioned as both an exhibition and a celebration of presence, pride, and love, reminding audiences that simply showing up for one another is where culture lives.

Two visitors, a woman with long brown hair and a man with short dark hair and glasses, are looking at colorful abstract portraits in an art gallery.
Artwork depicting a young boy with a serious expression, standing with arms crossed, shirtless and wearing loose pants, painted in a monochrome style on a yellow background.
Two women are looking at artwork displayed on a wall in an art gallery. The art includes colorful paintings and handcrafted wooden figures. One woman is wearing a yellow top and has large hoop earrings, holding a drink, and the other woman has braided hair and is wearing a light-colored jacket.
Two women with braided hair and casual clothing viewing artwork in a gallery, with one holding a phone and a bag, and other visitors visible in the background.

ROLE & CONTRIBUTIONS

This Is Us marked my second collaboration with League OTO and my first time supporting a visual art exhibition embedded within a major music festival. My role focused on adding operational capacity and ensuring seamless coordination across artists, curators, and festival leadership.

I managed all artist and exhibition assets and served as the primary point of communication between artists, curators, and festival leadership, supporting production planning and ensuring seamless integration within the Cousinz Festival environment.

This work required maintaining clear timelines, aligning exhibition requirements with festival standards, and supporting a cohesive presentation within a fast-paced, multi-layered production setting.

Wooden figures depicting two men working together, one with a green shirt and yellow cap, and the other in blue, with a red truck in the background filled with logs.
Wooden painted figures of two hunters, a dog, and a deer scene on a wooden shelf.

Key Skills Displayed

Exhibition Operations And Logistics

Artist And Stakeholder Liaison

Cross-Team Coordination

Festival-based Production Support

Market And Pricing Fluency

Cultural Storytelling And Community-Centered Programming

A man wearing camouflage shorts, a graphic t-shirt, a teal baseball cap, and sunglasses, is taking a photo of framed artwork and wooden animal toys on a gallery wall.
A man with dreadlocks and a camouflage vest giving a high five to a person wearing a white shirt, in a busy indoor setting.
People standing in front of colorful graffiti-style posters at an art gallery.
A street art poster with a red, white, and blue color scheme, featuring illustrations of two women. The woman on the left is singing into a tube, wearing earrings, necklaces, and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The woman on the right has her eyes closed and mouth open, wearing a Nike sports bra, with one arm bent and closed fist.
A poster featuring three black-and-white illustrations of women with braided hairstyles on a yellow background. The words 'Domino Sugar' are at the top, with a red star above the letter 'i' and a small black icon of a sugar cube at the bottom left.
A colorful poster advertising Little Thug Fruit Barrels at 25 cents each. The poster features a black and white illustration of two children, a girl with braided hair and a boy with curly hair, with a rainbow-colored background.
Seated young girl with long braided hair reading a book, standing next to another girl.
Two women smiling in front of colorful, contemporary artwork at an art gallery. One wears pink glasses and a cream jacket, the other wears dark glasses and a white Prada jacket with black and blue design.
Two men are observing artwork displayed on a wall in an art gallery. One man is wearing a blue jacket and sunglasses, and the other is wearing a black T-shirt with yellow writing and glasses.