WILMINGTON — As a part of Delaware’s Black History Month celebration, Wilmington’s Walnut Street YMCA was home to an open house art show on Saturday, showcasing local artists and their artwork to the local public.

The event, which was held in collaboration with the Walnut Street YMCA’s Black Achievers program, the Delaware Art Museum and the Delaware Children’s Museum, gave those in the community an opportunity to meet the artists, while recognizing and celebrating Black history.

The free event marked the return to an indoor celebration for Black History Month, as last year’s celebration was held both online and outdoors. The smaller art show-only format was implemented to contain COVID-19 as much as possible, and all COVID-19 safety protocols remained for the event.

This marks the seventh year that the New Castle County Division of Community Resources and the Walnut Street YMCA have collaborated in the state’s Black History Month celebration, and the Walnut Street YMCA has made it a priority to bring together the local Wilmington community to celebrate Black history.

“I believe we have to bring people from the community together,” Senior Executive Director of the Walnut Street YMCA Jesus De Las Salas said. “We can learn from each other and see different aspects of the community. It’s important that people see that Black and Brown people have diverse talents.”

While the event provides the local community an opportunity to celebrate Black history, the event also gives local artists an opportunity to showcase their work. Many artists, like Keith Obrien “K.O.” Simms, do not take the opportunity for granted.

“This event is so important, to celebrate Black history and meet some artists who have captured history through art, I love it. There’s so much to be told.” Mr. Simms said.

Mr. Simms, who resides in Wilmington but grew up in Greenwood, has been painting for almost 50 years, and his paintings often include prominent figures such as Harriet Tubman, Roberto Clemente, and Judy Johnson.

Mr. Johnson, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, grew up in Marshallton, and has both the field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, and a park named in his honor.

Inspired by Mr. Johnson’s local roots, Mr. Simms is preparing to lead an art project at Judy Johnson Park in Wilmington, with the initiative to raise awareness of Mr. Johnson’s history and his importance to the community.

“We want to highlight more awareness of Judy Johnson so that it’s not just the name of the park. We’re actually going to use some of my paintings. We’re going to paint on the nearby buildings and on the sidewalk. We just want to raise awareness and inspire the community.” Mr. Simms said.

Other artists at the Walnut Street YMCA shared the sentiment of inspiring the local community, especially Jarret “Posi” Harris. “Posi”, which is short for “positive,” is originally from Havre De Grace, Maryland, now resides in Newark and uses his art to share his message to the local community.

“I really started taking my message ‘The world needs you’ and putting it out there. Everyone is going through something; we all need a mental break. I want to make people feel mentally free and art is how I do that.

The art show provided both local artists and the local community to come together and celebrate Black history, while also providing artists the opportunity to gain exposure for their work. Both the artists and the Walnut Street YMCA continue to strive to better the local Wilmington community.

“When you see these murals, you feel the energy, and you can feel the energy that the artist put into it, which can give you a sense of trust,” Mr. Harris said. “Art breathes life, and art can breathe life into a community.”