We knew Unboxed: Black Fathers Are Present was an important exhibition. We didn’t know just how much it would mean to families, mothers, fathers, children, sisters even!
Since opening, it has become the most successful exhibition in Gallery Particulier’s history. People have been coming steadily week after week. Families have made appointments to visit together.
Parents have brought their children. Fathers have proudly posed for photos with their kids in front of the artworks. One family even drove 45 minutes just to experience the exhibition, and spent another 45 minutes taking it all in.
Some of the most moving moments have been when mothers have come with their children, even when the father wasn’t there, and stood in front of the paintings saying, “Look.”
Those simple moments remind us why art matters. It opens conversations, celebrates stories that deserve to be seen, and helps children imagine positive, loving images of fatherhood.
We are deeply grateful to the artist Dáreece Walker and to everyone who has visited, shared the exhibition with others, and made Unboxed part of their family’s story. This exhibition belongs as much to the community as it does to the gallery, and seeing it embraced with such warmth has been an unforgettable experience.
