“I was able to show up for my daughter because I would see in her things I needed.”
When Tyler Small’s third annual rendition of Father Figures Heartfelt Legacies Exhibition opened on May 31, it took on a very personal meaning because it paid tribute to an exceptional man in his life – his grandfather.
“This year’s Father Figures event is dedicated to my grandfather, who transitioned in December 2023,” Small said. “My grandfather helped me build more understanding with my feelings due to his ease with his own deep emotions.”
The exhibit at The Monaco in the Cherokee neighborhood is displayed in partnership with The Village Path, a non-profit organization that promotes awareness, access, and acceptance of mental wellness in the Black community. Small sells his portraits to help raise funds to support the mission of The Village Path. The exhibit will be at the gallery until June 16. There is no cost to attend the event, but donations are encouraged and the artwork is for sale.
This year, Small partnered with The Monaco, where he had his first exhibit displaying his works, taking photos of community members who are father figures in their loved ones’ lives.
The Village Path organization envisions a world where Black self-identified men are holistically well. Founded by Jemar Perry and Bryant Antoine, The Village PATH offers free mental health counseling to Black men in the St. Louis area, the Healing and Writing Circle, and The Village ROPE (Rites of Passage Enrichment Program).
Small has been using his gift as an artist for the past three years to highlight the importance that fatherhood has had in his life.
“Black fathers do exist,” said Bryant Antoine, Director of Operations and Co-founder of The Village Path. “His exhibit demonstrates there is a lot that goes into fatherhood. Self-care and mental wellness is a part of fatherhood.”
Antoine describes the artist’s pieces as combining images of Black fatherhood and having an open dialogue about the importance of Black fathers having a support system.
There is beauty in Black parenthood and popular culture doesn’t highlight it, Antoine said.
Growing up Small didn’t have his dad around. This, he said, caused him to try too hard to prove to others he was enough because he wanted to be accepted. He began to create his idea of fatherhood and manhood based on the examples he saw growing up. Those examples, however, don’t align with his current ideology of fatherhood and manhood. When he became a dad in 2020, he decided to focus on his mental health so that he could set a better example for his daughter.
“This allowed me to step up for her, to honor those parts of myself,” Small said. “I was able to show up for my daughter because I would see in her things I needed.”
The Village Path helped Small heal from his past traumas and he was able to heal with other Black men.
“For a long time, I aligned myself with the stoicism, like most men, and taking that pain and doing whatever I can with it,” Small said. But being a part of The Village Path allowed him to find father figures to fill that space.
Small said, “One of the elders of The Village Path, Baba Victor, said things to me I wanted to hear my whole life. And I’ve been able to hold space for other men as well.”
Ricky Hughes, one of the dads that Small used as a subject for his exhibit said being a dad to his two daughters is one of the best gifts God has ever given him. “ Being a dad allows me to give love and receive love,” he said. Hughes opened up about having a hard time loving himself. “Being a dad has truly changed my life,” he added.
When Hughes was seeking a Black therapist, his first instinct was to reach out to Small for direction on getting help. “ We have to be whole, we have to be our best selves in order to show up for our kids,” said Hughes. “Mental health and fatherhood go hand-in-hand.”
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
