Staten Island Academy Hosts He-Rose, Untold Stories Of African-Americans Making History
He-Rose: Unfolding the Stories of Unsung Heroes, my new educational art exhibition opening at Staten Island Academy on Monday, September 28 at 7:00 PM.
Editor’s note: This October, at Empire Outlets, a new exhibit honoring the African Americans whose graves were paved over on Livermore Avenue on Staten Island opens. While this forgotten cemetery is the subject of an upcoming documentary, the people whose stories have been forgotten are being shared again. These are the stories of slaves and freed Black persons who came together to build a church, but due to legal shenanigans, their graves were not acknowledged as graves, and the real estate family that wanted to build their shopping center there were granted leave to do so by a judge. Decades later, the people of Staten Island show that they will not forget these injustices.
He-Rose (pronounced “heroes”) uses large-scale portraiture, African Ankara fabric, and storytelling to introduce students to Black and Brown historical figures from around the world whose stories are often overlooked. The exhibition includes figures such as Marcus Garvey, Robert Smalls, Gaspar Yanga, Dutty Boukman, Ignatius Sancho, Patrice Lumumba, and others.
This is my first solo exhibition and first cohesive body of work, and it was created with young people at the center of its mission: to use art as a doorway into history and inspire students to become curious enough to continue discovering these stories for themselves.
Opening Reception
Monday, September 28 | 7:00 PM
Haugen Hall, Staten Island Academy
715 Todt Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10304
Staten Island Academy to Host Opening Reception for He-Rose: Unfolding the Stories of Unsung Heroes
Artist Yinka Ogunlowo uses portraiture, African fabric, and storytelling to introduce students and the community to overlooked figures from Black and Brown history
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island Academy will host the opening reception for He-Rose: Unfolding the Stories of Unsung Heroes, an educational art exhibition by visual artist and educator Yinka Ogunlowo, on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in Haugen Hall.
He-Rose — pronounced “heroes” — is Ogunlowo’s first solo exhibition and first cohesive body of work. The exhibition combines visual art, history, and education to uncover the stories of Black and Brown men from around the world whose contributions have often received limited attention in traditional history classrooms.
The exhibition features a collection of large-scale portraits painted with a palette knife directly over vibrant African Ankara fabric. Rather than functioning simply as a background, the fabric becomes part of each portrait and its storytelling, connecting the historical figures to a broader visual language of culture, identity, and heritage.
Among the historical figures explored in He-Rose are Marcus Garvey, Robert Smalls, Gaspar Yanga, Dutty Boukman, Ignatius Sancho, Alexander Augusta, Patrice Lumumba, Fela Kuti, Jaime Hurtado González, and Huey P. Newton. Their stories span different countries, centuries, professions, and movements, introducing viewers to freedom fighters, physicians, political leaders, artists, intellectuals, activists, and innovators.
At the center of the project is a question: How many extraordinary historical figures remain unknown simply because no one introduced us to their stories?
Ogunlowo created He-Rose with young people especially in mind. The exhibition is designed not only to present historical information, but to spark curiosity and encourage students to continue researching beyond the figures represented on the canvases.
“The goal of He-Rose isn’t for these paintings to represent the end of the learning experience,” said Ogunlowo. “I want them to be the beginning. If a student walks away curious about one person they had never heard of before, and that curiosity leads them to discover ten more stories, then the exhibit has accomplished what I hoped it would.”
The Staten Island Academy presentation marks an opportunity for students, families, educators, members of the community, and local media to experience the exhibition and meet the artist.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Opening Reception — He-Rose: Unfolding the Stories of Unsung Heroes
Artist: Yinka Ogunlowo
When: Monday, September 28, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Haugen Hall, Staten Island Academy
Address: 715 Todt Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10304
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Yinka Ogunlowo is a visual artist, educator, youth mentor, and basketball coach whose work uses portraiture and storytelling to explore history, identity, perseverance, and the experiences of people of African descent. Working primarily with palette knives and textured painting techniques, Ogunlowo often incorporates African Ankara fabric directly into his work, allowing pattern and paint to interact as part of the narrative.
Through He-Rose, Ogunlowo seeks to use art as an entry point into history — particularly for young people — and to encourage audiences to become active seekers of stories that may exist beyond traditional historical narratives.
Yinka Ogunlowo
Yinka Ogunlowo is a visual artist, educator, youth mentor, and basketball coach whose work uses portraiture and storytelling to explore history, identity, perseverance, and the experiences of people of African descent. Working primarily with palette knives and textured painting techniques, Ogunlowo often incorporates African Ankara fabric directly into his work, allowing pattern and paint to interact as part of the narrative.
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