Artist Bri Jackson painted an acrylic on canvas of a Black mother and her child that represents an excellent example of Black art standing for “Truth,” the curator of “noir 6: The Truth” art exhibition said.
“noir 6: The Truth” is an exhibition of Black art, depicting Blacks’ lives, that will be part of activities observing Juneteenth in Springfield.
The exhibition’s curator, Austin Wells, finds that Jackson’s selected 48-by-36-inch painting titled “After the Storm” deserves to be viewed for more than the less than 15 seconds viewers of art typically invest.
“Her piece is so powerful and strong. It’s a still from the movie Sinners,” says Wells. “(It’s a) really powerful scene with a Black woman breastfeeding, so this concept of nurturing …We’re just really feeling that this one is a very strong representation of ‘Truth,’ or the theme of the show this year.”
The 2026 Illinois State Museum’s Juneteenth art exhibition “noir 6: The Truth” will open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 12, at the Old State Capitol, Sixth and Adams streets in Springfield.
An awards ceremony will take place at approximately 6:15 p.m. Artwork from 26 artists will be shown. “noir 6” will be displayed until Saturday, Sept. 12.
Also, the museum’s Juneteenth Family Day – an event of art, history and community – will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 12, at the Old State Capitol.
Present, past ‘Truth’ meet
Wells and co-curator Jaliyah Ross selected pieces of artwork representing the theme “The Truth.”
The Illinois State Museum, Juneteenth Inc., and the State Historic Sites at Springfield partnered to bring the newest installment in the Noir series.
The work “noir” (pronounced nwär) is French for “black” or “dark.”
Juneteenth (a word combining “June” and “nineteenth”), observed each year on June 19, is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It observes the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing the end of slavery over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order declaring the freedom of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the secessionist Confederate states during the Civil War.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday and state holiday in Illinois in 2021.
The first local exhibit known as “Noir” debuted in May 2021, Illinois State Museum director Jenn Edginton says.
“Juneteenth Inc. and ISM have partnered for six years on Noir,” Edginton wrote to Illinois Times. “This idea was born out of a conversation between Juneteenth Inc. and the previous director of the ISM. … Each year ISM and Juneteenth Inc. work together to bring in artists and community members to curate the show.
‘Truth’ prevailed
“noir 6: The Truth” will invite visitors to thoughtfully engage with the histories and perspectives shaping shared cultural truths.
“Each year Noir’s theme is generated by our guest curators,” WM Stoerger, associate director of exhibits for the Illinois State Museum, wrote. “‘The Truth’ means… ‘The artwork in this year’s exhibit connects past struggles with present realities while envisioning more equitable futures.’”
“noir 6’s” co-curator Ross plans to exhibit her photography piece “Reaching for God’s Promises,” photographed about two months ago at Comer Cox Park in Springfield.
“I went up there to take pictures of the young men playing basketball,” says Ross, who has a movement called “Black Men Deserve Flowers.” “I captured a moment where they were looking up, reaching for the ball, but the way it cuts off, you don’t know what they’re reaching for or looking up to.”
The artwork in “noir 6” represents “Truth” through “uncomfortability of the Truth,” Ross says.
“A lot of times, the truth doesn’t feel good,” Ross says. “Seeing the art ‘speak’ and being OK with it, even when it’s uncomfortable, and just knowing that if it’s the truth, then it must be spoken.”
Artist Jackson’s “After the Storm” painting of a Black mother and her child speaks truth, Wells says.
“The concept in this piece, like in the movie (Sinners), it’s Michael B. Jordan’s character, and this woman’s character and they had a child together, but the child doesn’t survive, so it’s that concept,” Wells says.
“Her in the movie and also as a painting is really deep to me … When I’m looking at it, she is not your stereotypical protagonist. She’s actually the positive character in the movie, and she’s not your stereotypical light-skinned, long, more of your pin-style hair. She comes off as a nontraditional. They described her as being ‘not petite,’ and I love that Bri chose to paint that.”
Wells hopes “After the Storm” provokes thought.
“As artists, we hope that viewers spend some time looking at artwork,” Wells says. “They say that most viewers spend less than 15 seconds looking at a piece of artwork in a museum, so we’re probably asking for people to spend time thinking and diving deeper into the theme.”
Tamara “Tammie” Browning is a freelance writer and reporter from Petersburg. She has a weekly newsletter, “Mother Road Moves,” on Substack that chronicles the people, places, things and happenings on Route 66 – from Illinois to California.
This article appears in June 11-17, 2026.
