The Brockman Gallery Blueprint
A Juneteenth Reflection on Art, Autonomy, and Collective Care
By Josiah David Jones
June 19th, 2025
Opening night at Brockman Gallery in 1967.Credit...Brockman Gallery Archive/Los Angeles Public Library Special Collections, via parrasch heijnen
on Juneteenth eve, we gathered at Valence Projects for a screening of Artbound’s “Black Art: The Brockman Gallery Legacy” for the latest Black in Every Color: Seen programming.
“Black Art: The Brockman Gallery Legacy”, a powerful PBS documentary chronicling the impact of the Davis brothers and the community of Black artists who shaped Los Angeles through vision, action, and care. What we witness isn’t just history. It is a blueprint.
Founded in 1967, the Brockman Gallery was more than a gallery. It served as a center of gravity where underrepresented artists could gather, exhibit, and grow at a time when most institutions were blatantly exclusionary. Watching it unfold on screen, it was beautiful to see what happens when artists choose one another. The film reminded us that a committed creative community can build its own ecosystem of visibility, care, and power. It felt like a lesson not just for Los Angeles, but for the world. And one I strive to apply in our community building.
What stood out to me personally was how the story concluded..not with collapse or loss, but with growth and transition. The gallery’s closing wasn’t due to failure, but to a kind of peace. Dale Davis stepped away not in defeat, but with intention, finding his own practice and personal restoration. That felt good. And it reminded me that true community care isn’t always about permanence. Sometimes it’s about building something strong enough to support people as they grow into their next chapter. It was a moment met by the right people, drawn together by a shared calling. What they built lasted exactly as long as it needed to, and it reached those who needed it most.
In that sense, Brockman never truly ended. It lives on in the spirit of spaces like ours. It echoes in every gathering that centers Black art and every effort that brings artists, organizers, educators, collectors, and supporters into the same room. Its legacy continues through the decisions we make now. How we create, how we collaborate, how we build the future we want to see.
In times like these, it can feel like there's pressure to respond to every crisis, commemorate every celebration, take up every cause, and carry every weight. The impulse to show up for community is powerful and necessary but that pressure can sometimes overlook the individual. This film served as a reminder that it's not always about sacrificing every part of yourself for the collective. More so, recognizing what you can give, when you can give it, and trusting that your presence is enough. Whether you’re frontline of the battle or in a moment of joy..when you’re called, act. Rest if you need. Honor your pace. On a day like Juneteenth, it’s just as important to celebrate “us” as it is to celebrate you.
Valence Projects, “Something’s Off”. A Brandon Gastinell and Yashua Bloom Duo Show, 2023 - photo credit: Zay Monae
In our post-film discussion, we asked ourselves:
→ How can we move with shared direction, even as we bring different skills to the table? What direction is needed for Black Fine Art?
→ What does it look like to build not just support networks, but strategic, long-lasting collaborations?
→ How can we identify where and when we can show up for each other?
→ And how can we meet these moments with intention rather than reaction?
Juneteenth reminds me of what we’ve survived. But it also asks us to imagine where we’re going.
I see that imagination already visible in today’s Los Angeles.
We see it in the community reclaiming the coast at Ebony Beach Club, turning oceanfront joy into a statement of belonging.
We feel it in Leimert Park, where music, dance, and storytelling bring generations together for a Freedom Day celebration rooted in love and legacy.
These aren’t isolated events. They’re part of a lineage that stretches back to Brockman and beyond. They show us that freedom is something we make, together, again and again.
The blueprint exists. We've seen it before. And we're applying it now.
Please, watch the documentary available for free here and let me know what you you experience.
And I must add, one of the most powerful ways to support our community is by investing in the work of the artists shaping it. We invite you to explore the available works from our artists, all featured on our site. Your support sustains not just the art, but the ecosystem around it.
View a handful of artists we work with here.
In all, wishing you a powerful, joyful, and restorative Juneteenth. May today be a reminder of how far we’ve come, how much we’ve carried, and how deeply we deserve to rest, celebrate, and build forward, together.
Josiah David Jones
For those looking to go deeper, the Brockman Gallery Archive lives on at the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library. Housed in the Special Collections, it holds photographs, exhibition materials, correspondence, and records that offer a window into the gallery’s legacy. It’s a powerful reminder that our stories not only deserve space—they deserve preservation. The archive is open to the public by appointment, continuing to serve as a resource for artists, researchers, and future visionaries. Additionally, here’s an article from LA Archivists Collective.
