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The Franklin-based Lambda Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. recently toured the art exhibition of hometown artist Theresa A. Brown. Her artwork was displayed at the Offsite Gallery located in the MacArthur Center in Norfolk.

A Lambda Psi Omega Chapter press release continued by noting that Brown, a native of Southampton County, was raised on a farm in Boykins and is the daughter of the late Herbert and Gladys Adkins.

Brown’s painting series titled “Racial Inequality: Crossing the Line from Hope to Despair” was completed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The release stated that she was inspired by the struggles of her ancestors and the strength they possessed to overcome racial inequality. She used her footprint on each art piece to symbolize the perseverance of those who came before.

Brown received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in commercial art and design at Virginia State University in Petersburg, and she worked as an artist in the advertising department of The Virginian-Pilot for more than a decade.

Her work has also been displayed at Stockley Garden Art Festival in Norfolk, the Museum of Contemporary Art Boardwalk Art Show in Virginia Beach, The Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center in Hampton, and the Williams Contemporary Arts Center in Williamsburg. 

This tour is one of the sorority’s initiatives known as “The Arts!” The initiative is designed to give exposure to arts enrichment and culture as a salute to the Harlem Renaissance to celebrate contributions of African American artists. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is committed to celebrating and sharing the contributions of African American artists, both past and present, through its target program, “The Arts!” 

Through the art exhibition tour, the members of Lambda Psi Omega Chapter experienced, celebrated and supported the artistry of Brown. Chapter members left with an original pink-and-green piece of artwork created by Brown in appreciation of the efforts of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and its arts initiative. 

The release noted that the Franklin chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will continue to create future opportunities to spotlight artists and “The Arts!”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African American, college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is comprised of more than 300,000 members of 986 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada and South Africa. Led by International President Glenda Glover, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is often hailed as “America’s premier organization for African American women.”