“Blessed by the Ancestors” isn’t just an exhibit — it’s a full‑body reminder of how deeply Black St. Louis carries its history, its humor, and its heart. Curated by hometown creative Brock Seals, the Black History Month pop‑up transforms a corner of the City Museum into a living archive of Black joy and memory. The exhibit is stitched together through color, texture, and the everyday moments that shape who we are. With the show closing March 1, visitors have one final chance to step inside this world.
Created in collaboration with local artists including 314RY and BriLynn Asia, the exhibit gathers visual stories that center Black experiences. Through acrylic portraits and snapshots of everyday life, Seals and his fellow artists offer representations of Black culture meant to inspire future generations while spreading awareness.
“Blessed by the Ancestors is a Black experience,” Seals said. “A lot of people don’t understand us or our culture, and this is a good way people can get to know it.”
From the moment visitors step inside Beatnik Bob’s Café — the cozy spot on the third floor of the City Museum across from the Insectarium — they are immersed in a trove of Blackness that highlights beauty, joy, and creativity rather than violence or victimhood.
One of the pieces that immediately resonates is “Taste Like Home” by BriLynn Asia. The acrylic painting depicts a plate of fried fish on a Dixie paper plate, paired with a heaping serving of spaghetti, plus pickles, onions, and bread. A Black woman’s hand, adorned with long black‑and‑white cheetah‑print nails, reaches in for a forkful. The painting captures more than a meal — it speaks to shared traditions and unspoken cultural shorthand.
“I feel like this piece really speaks to St. Louis Black culture,” Seals said. “The fish fry on Friday, going to Schnucks — you gotta have the bread, the onions, the pickles.” He laughed. “I like when art can relate to a niche audience. If you don’t know, you don’t know. And if you do, you love it because it’s what you’ve experienced and how you grew up.”
That sense of recognition carries throughout the exhibit. Seals’ own featured piece, “Tay Tay’s Beads,” is an acrylic portrait of a young girl wearing twists decorated with pink, yellow, and blue barrettes against a warm pink background. The portrait evokes childhood — being outside after Easter service, the soft clicking of beads marking every movement. Modeled after Seals’ cousin, the work reflects his own upbringing.
“Growing up, my mom would braid her hair and she always had those beads,” he said. “I want other girls at that age to see themselves in it, because growing up I saw art as European.”
For Seals, visibility matters. “I never saw a lot of Black art growing up,” he added. “So I want our people to know our life is art — and I want Black folks to see themselves throughout the artwork and feel proud and be inspired if you are an artist.”
That commitment to representation extends beyond individual pieces. Seals emphasizes the importance of having spaces where Black voices can be expressed authentically and fully. “It’s so important for us to have platforms to express our true voices,” he said. “It’s very important that we have our stories on display — future, past, and present — because our history is being erased to a certain extent.”
Another standout work is “XL 24” by 314RY. The piece features an old‑school Chevy sedan paused at a stoplight, wrapped in an Imo’s logo and sitting on large chrome rims. A man leans out the window wearing a ski mask and a black‑and‑white SLT snapback. The image feels cinematic and familiar — a scene many in St. Louis have witnessed.
“As a kid I would see dudes riding down Kingshighway with big cars, rims super high, music blasting, TV in the car,” Seals said. “Someone who has a car like that might think, ‘Oh, this isn’t art,’ but as a kid that was art to me. That was an inspiration.”
Together, these works reframe everyday Black experiences as worthy of admiration and preservation. As the pop‑up prepares to close, the exhibit leaves behind a powerful reminder that Black culture is worthy of celebration — not as a trend or stereotype, but as a lived reality layered with joy and creativity.
“Blessed by the Ancestors” is on display through Sunday, with all works available for purchase. Don’t miss the chance to uplift Black art and the artists who shape it.
“Blessed by the Ancestors,” curated by Brock Seals and featuring works by 314RY, BriLynn Asia, and others, is on view at Beatnik Bob’s Café inside the City Museum through March 1; artwork is available for purchase, regular museum admission applies, and more information is available at citymuseum.org or by calling 314‑231‑2489.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
