Emancipation Day 2026: Meet The Artists Behind a Pop-up One-Day Exhibit

By Tianna Edwards

Published: July 30, 2026

Through photography, collage, and immersive storytelling, artists Alyssa Vernon and King-David Olajuwon invite visitors into a reimagined Black living room that explores Black mental health, vulnerability, healing, and community.

This Saturday August 1 is Emancipation Day. This day marks the enactment of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 across the British Empire. It is important to acknowledge this history that still echoes in our society today. A great way to mark the occasion is to celebrate and amplify local Black artists! That’s why I am so excited to share about a pop-up exhibit that will be happening at the Confederation Basin on August 1. Check out the Emancipation Day Community Art Walk Pop Up exhibition, ANITA - Cranes in the Sky, by Alyssa Vernon and King David Olajuwon. Read more to learn about the artists and what to expect.

Project Director and curator, Alyssa Vernon, is a local Jamaican-Guyanese collage artist, educator, and arts worker, currently completing her Master's in Gender Studies at Queen’s University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender Studies and a Bachelor of Education with a Social Justice concentration from Queen’s University. Her schooling has led to her continual integration of anti-oppressive pedagogy within arts-based activism. Vernon is also the founder of the Queer Collage Collective (QCC), where she facilitates anti-oppressive, healing-centered collage programs across community organizations, schools and galleries, centering the histories and experiences of Black, racialized, and queer communities. Vernon’s collage practice explores Black girlhood, (un)belonging, queer liberation, and community care, drawing from Black histories to imagine liberatory futures

King-David Olajuwon is a “photographer and filmmaker whose work celebrates Black life in its fullness, complexity, and unapologetic beauty. Blending documentary and conceptual approaches, he creates images and stories that honour his roots, challenge erasure, and nurture community. His projects often move fluidly between portraiture, fashion.”

What to Expect

Together, Vernon and Olajowun will be presenting ANITA - Cranes in the Sky, an exhibit that centers the importance of conversation surrounding Black mental health and vulnerability. I had the pleasure of seeing a version of this stunning exhibit last fall at Cultivate Art Commons (formerly Modern Fuel) and I am so excited for its comeback. This time, the exhibit will be transformed for this special outdoor event that compliments the Emancipation Day activities hosted by the City of Kingston starting at noon on August 1 at Confederation Basin.

Vernon shares what visitors can expect from this iteration of ANITA: “This time, we’re transforming the space into a Black living room, filled with objects from our own families: plants, photographs, fabrics and decorations that carry our histories and cultures. We wanted to create a space that feels familiar and caring, especially while inviting people to engage with difficult emotions through the themes of the ANITA - Cranes in the Sky exhibit. Living rooms are often where we gather, celebrate, grieve, and spend time with family and friends. They’re places of comfort, but they can also be places where emotions are overlooked or left unspoken. Through this pop-up exhibit, we’re reclaiming that space as one where emotional honesty is welcomed and where Black folks (and the general public) can reflect on their own feelings while being held in the presence of community. We hope visitors feel like they’ve stepped into someone’s home: that the warmth, intimacy and care of the space makes it easier to sit with vulnerability. By bringing the inside outside, we’re inviting people into our Black living room not just as a physical space, but as a place of memory, resilience and community.”

More Than an Exhibit

Vernon and Olajuwon met in 2024 at the Queen’s Black Welcome and stayed connected. Through discussions, they came up with this idea and Vernon tapped into her relationships with local galleries to secure a space to exhibit. Vernon reflects on their collaboration, “The art (photoshoot, collages and film) all reflect on King-David and I’s Blackness and experiences with anxiety, among other things; and overall speaks to the experiences of many Black folks through the use and reflection of Solange’s song “Cranes in the Sky.”

Vernon shares what it means to display this exhibit specifically on a day that recognizes the history of enslavement in Canada and its connection to this moment in history. She says, “Emancipation Day is not only about celebrating and remembering the freedom of over 800,000 enslaved Africans in the British Empire; it is also about recognizing the continued effects of the legacy of slavery in Canada and the United States, and how we must all commit to remembering our history whilst working to maintain our freedom in the present and future. For me, Black folks’ mental health is an integral part of this conversation. To be able to exhibit ANITA - Cranes in the Sky on Emancipation Day means that we are not forgetting about the healing work that is still yet to be done within all of us. The more we reflect on and speak about our traumas and experiences as Black folks, especially as a community, the closer we are to true freedom.”

Vernon adds, “To exhibit ANITA - Cranes in the Sky on Emancipation Day is to bring Black folks’ mental health to the forefront and hopefully show them (and others) that there is beauty in sharing and reflecting on our experiences and feelings with each other; whether they be shameful, angry, depressing, or hopeful.

Black Artisan Spotlight at Sydenham Commons

While you’re downtown on Aug 1 for the Emancipation Day Community Art Walk, stop by the Sydenham St. Commons for a spotlight on more local Black artisans including: Jarena Lee, Kizziera Johnson, Martha Williams, Bomi Beauty, Shanique Peart, Blossom African Fine Foods, Cher Mere Spa, Chelle Boo Sha, Afiya Beauty.

Learn More

Tianna Edwards

keepupwithkingston.com

Tianna is a wife and mom of two young kids with a day job as an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Coordinator at Queen's. She takes pride in living in Kingston and loves celebrating all things local (mostly food related!) through her blog, Keep up with Kingston. Follow Tianna's blog for more local food, culture and shop inspo. Get the latest from her over on Instagram.