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“The Collective opens two powerful solo exhibitions, curated by Stacey Allen, Saturday, June 7
"Momma Loves Jazz" by Carla Sue Lyles and "Welcome to the Mothership: We Gather in Their Name" by Jakayla Monay
These concurrent exhibitions share gallery space while offering distinct artistic perspectives, reflecting on both the future and the past
“Momma Loves Jazz” and “Welcome to the Mothership: We Gather in Their Name” opens June 7 at the Community Artists’ Collective as a paired exhibition featuring artists Carla Sue Lyles and Jakayla Monay, respectively.
About the Exhibitions
Monay, a visual artist who focuses on photography and film, explores Black life, highlighting moments that often go unnoticed.
“I’m interested in what comes after pain and sorrow,” she said, “the quiet recoveries and everyday joys that help us keep going. Through my images, I touch on memory, love and how we find our footing again.”
Lyles’ work explores the intersection of memory, matriarchal legacy and communal healing. Her exhibition, "Momma Loves Jazz," blends fabric, sound and archival imagery to honor the emotional tools, especially jazz, that helped her survive, regulate and ultimately break a generational tie.
Rooted in Black maternal memory, "Momma Loves Jazz" is a multimedia offering that combines stitched words, vinyl records and layered visuals. The work invites the viewer into an intimate yet collective healing space, where ancestral memory and softness become tools of resistance and repair.
As a self-taught artist and designer, Lyles crafts each piece as an offering to Black womanhood, resilience and the sacred act of remembering.
“This work is about reverence,” she explains. “Not just for my own lineage, but for all the Black women who’ve ever had to make peace in public, who’ve ever had to heal in motion. I want the work to feel like a soft place to land.”
Curatorial Statement
Artist Stacey Allen, who curated the exhibition, sees both of these works through the lens of non-linear time.
“As Black mother artists, we’re constantly negotiating what to hold on to and what to let go,” Allen explained.
“Jakayla’s imagined future and Carla’s reflections on the past speak to one another in ways that remind us that healing isn’t separate from dreaming. They are part of the same process,” Allen said.
“Monay builds a world full of possibility. I see Jakayla and her work as the future. Her artistic voice provides visual storytelling that imagines new paths forward, spaces shaped by healing, reflection, and the quiet resilience that follows sorrow. Her work feels both visionary and grounding, reminding us of the beauty of who we are, just as we are.
“Carla Sue’s work is deeply personal and grounded in healing. This work also serves as an archive of Southern Black culture and how expressive and material culture shapes our lives,” Allen continues.
Exhibition Details
Dates: June 7 to July 26
Opening Reception: June 7, 2 to 5 p.m.
Artist Talks/Public Programs: Lyles is offering a workshop at The Collective on Saturday, June 14, from 2 to 5 p.m., titled “Vinyl and Venerations.”
Location: Community Artists’ Collective, 4111 Fannin, Suite 100A, Houston 77004
Gallery Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 12 noon until 5 p.m. and by appointment
Admission: Free and open to the public
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