Thursday, October 1, 2026
The South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Freeport hosted the latest Long Island Black Artist Association art exhibit. The showcase, entitled “Our Journey,” featured contributions from over a dozen local artists that depicted the journeys of those in their communities and of themselves through various mediums.
The “Our Journey” exhibit was first opened in the lobby of the South Nassau church on August 28, and welcomed church members and other interested guests to attend its Sept. 13 reception for the exhibit. Some of the featured artists that were present spoke to attendees about their artwork, what motivated its creation and had the opportunity to sell some pieces.
The Long Island Black Artist Association is a group based in Westbury that was originally founded in 1968 with the goal of helping African American artists find ways to exhibit their work.
One of the 18 artists present was photographer Galvin Bisserup, who said that the Long Island Black Artist Association had previously partnered with this church nearly a decade ago and were willing to rekindle that partnership this year. He further explained the meaning behind the theme for this Long Island Black Artist Association exhibit.
“Each and every one of the members has a different background,” Bisserup said. “Some are born and raised with the United States, some are born and raised outside of the United States. So each of our journeys is unique to us as individuals, but collectively, we have a thread that goes back to Africa.”
With that commonality of African and Black heritage, each piece of art reflected its maker and their history in some form.
While not every piece was for sale, the majority was available to all those interested in contacting the artist via email to purchase privately. Prices for individual pieces were as low as $75 and as high as $2,500.
Laffitte Woods, an acrylic painter, did not have his pair of paintings that were on display available for sale, opting to focus on conveying the message behind his art to exhibit attendees. His paintings, a two-parter titled “I’m Here Can You See Me,” depict sad and lonely children, which he says mirrors the suffering of poor children that are often overlooked by other people.
“I’d like them [viewers] to understand that there’s a lot of poor people, and a lot of people don’t see the kids,” Woods explained.
Dorothy Green-Francis, another acrylic painter who did not have her paintings available for purchase, said she likes being able to share her talents, which she said were God-given, with others.
“What moves my art is just submitting myself to God and receiving the gift in which he has given me, because I have been painting ever since I was five,” she told the Herald. “After I retired from the [New York City] Education Department, I came back to my art.”
The art exhibit will be available to view until Sept. 26 at the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The church is open on Sunday mornings beginning at 10 a.m., and can be contacted for more information about when the display will be available to peruse. The artist contact information is available for those interested in making a purchase.
