Artists For Humanity

“Nobody is free until everybody is free.” - Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Activist

As part of our celebration of Juneteenth, we’re highlighting AFH teen artist Nyelli Fonseca’s collage ‘White Washing History’ featuring a number of black icons including Nina Simone, Toni Morrison, Spike Lee, Keke Palmer, bell hooks, and more!

“When I was creating ‘White Washing History’, my goal was to highlight pieces of Black history and excellence that are often overlooked, such as Mansa Musa, who is featured in this piece,” Nyelli explains. “However, portraying Black history accurately means showing both the triumphs and the trials. That is why I also included imagery of slave ships and the systemic laws used to oppress Black people even after emancipation. Ultimately, I wanted to address how figures in power have attempted to erase, or wash away, the beauty of our culture and paint a negative narrative about us.”

We hope you have a fantastic Juneteenth and take time to celebrate Black joy and excellence!

Juneteenth celebrations happening across Boston:

✨🎈Friday (6/19) 🎈✨
💜SIDE Presents “Born in the Purple” at Isabella Stewart Gardner
🎉Block Party at Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket
🛍️We Create the World Arts Festival and Zine + Vendor Fair with Boston Ujima Project ICA/Boston and Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket
😋Freedom Cookout at Shirley-Eustis House with Non-Bostonians want to know …
🎈Block Party at Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket
🎨Open House and Jean Appolon Expressions performance at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
🧑🏾‍🎨Interactive Experiences at Boston Children's Museum
🎊Flag Raising, Parade, and Celebration with National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA)

⭐️🎉Saturday (6/20)🎉⭐️
☀️Summer Solstice and Juneteenth Workshops at with Wagner Foundation
🥳Juneteenth celebration concert with Boston Landmarks Orchestra
🏞️Freedom Day at Franklin Park with naacpboston The Partnership Inc., Urban League of Eastern MA , Greater Boston NPHC, Embrace Boston, and City of Boston | Equity and Inclusion Cabinet

Comment below if we missed an event!

This Tuesday, Artists for Humanity hosted a reading of ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July’ by Frederick Douglass. AFH teens, alumni, and staff were invited to read, listen, and discuss the text.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, discussing Frederick Douglass’ speech surrounded by pieces of art from our most recent exhibition ‘Portrait Project: Honoring 250 Years of Changemakers’ felt significant. Portraits of Angela Davis, Melnea Cass, Elma Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr. and more looked over our conversations about freedom, the impact of Christianity on enslaved people, the culture of resiliency and forgiveness in the Black Community, and celebration during difficult and dangerous times.

We asked the group: What would Frederick Douglass think of these portraits? A couple attendees asserted that he might feel moved or celebrate the exhibition for highlighting those that deserve to be respected and honored.

Aniyah, an AFH Photo Studio teen, felt that Frederick Douglass would be proud but would urge us to “Do more,” to “Put more black people on these white walls.”

And we will.

Artists for Humanity would like to give a special thank you to Mass Humanities and Mass Cultural Council for recognizing the work we do and helping us move forward with our mission with the Reading Frederick Douglass Together grant.

Follow Mass Humanities to learn more about the work they’re doing across the Commonwealth!

“I am very inspired by nature and realistic paintings during the Renaissance era so I use a lot of ideas taken from similar work when I paint,” Asia Gomes, AFH Teen Painter explains, “Recently I have gotten very comfortable with painting flowers and this started from my love for nature and how diverse flowers are.”

Asia grew up in Boston and comes from a Cape Verdean background, and says her culture has impacted many phases of her art experience. Growing up with her mother who painted and her father who was a graffiti artist, the passion for art came naturally.

As she began exploring other mediums, she started to study more about painting techniques, different aesthetics, and eventually heard about AFH through her older sister. She joined AFH in 2023 and immediately got hooked on painting!

Asia notes that her mentor, Jameel, and her love for art motivates her to keep evolving her artistic abilities. Looking at “Midnight Snack” (Image 3), Asia remarks on the amount of growth she has experienced since creating this painting, noting that she is surprised how comfortable she was adding multiple elements into the painting:

“I wanted to really try and get a glass effect and push myself to learn how to do that using paint. It was my first time trying something different like this.”

Asia continues to push herself to learn, grow, and blossom like the flowers she paints! We cannot wait to see what she does next.

Every month, we collaborate with Prudential Center Boston to feature a new AFH teen artist. View Asia’s work on the digital kiosks throughout Prudential Center all of June and make sure to follow us and turn your notifications on to be among the first to learn about our July collaboration with Prudential Center.

“I wanted to embrace their eyes in a type of mask or color because, back in the day they would tell them to be quiet, don’t speak, don’t talk,” Santi, AFH Painting Teen, said about his piece ‘Power in the Eyes’ representing the Women’s Era Club, “And I wanted to reflect that they were women saying: ‘Don’t tell me to be quiet, because I have my eyes open, and I know what’s going on.’”

Did you miss the opening of our newest exhibition: Portrait Project: Honoring 250 Years of Changemakers? No need to worry, you can view the works from the show on our NEW online gallery! View the artwork from the exhibition, learn more about the works from statements written by our teen artists, and immerse yourself with images from the installed gallery space! It’s never been easier to view an AFH Exhibition!

In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, teen artists from Artists for Humanity (AFH) present a series of portraits honoring individuals who have shaped Boston and local Massachusetts communities, from the nation’s founding to the present day. Each artwork included in this exhibition was created by a teen participating in the Artists for Humanity program. Inquire to purchase your own piece of AFH history from this landmark exhibition or just browse our collection of thousands of artworks! With every purchase, AFH teen artists and designers earn a commission on top of their wage- it’s the purchase that keeps giving.

Did you know that the call of the Coqui Frog reaches 95 to 100 decibels? For reference, that’s about as loud as a motorcycle or a hand dryer!

Well, similar to the Coqui, AFH is loud and proud about pride ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💜

We encourage our teens to speak their mind, trust their heart, and celebrate their identity and heritage!

Shoutout to Stephany Netal-Vega who created this piece as a teen at AFH.

Come, all my friends, these lines behold, Think not I’ve done my best; But now what I have left behind, I’m leaving for the rest.”— Stanza II-18 of The Factory Song, Written by G. H. A. and C. U. 1838

After learning about the factory conditions and reading about ‘The Factory Song’, Kayleigh decided to paint the Lowell Factory Girls, transporting them from a factory in the 1800s to a lush, green vacation environment.

“I basically put them in an environment that they weren’t normally in, since they worked long hours,” Kayleigh explains, “I put them in these tropical leaves— It’s like, I’m giving them a vacation.”

Although underrecognized, the Lowell Mill Women created the first union of working women in the United States, and recognizing their hard work is a fantastic reminder of the foundation on which this country was built! They organized and striked for better wages and conditions, and today Kayleigh honors their efforts, hoping to provide them a little peace and relaxation.

‘Portrait Project: Honoring 250 Years of Changemakers’ is opening tomorrow! Come by Artists for Humanity to view Kayleigh’s painting of the Lowell Factory Girls and more! Our AFH teen artists have been hard at work bringing history to life for this upcoming exhibition.

Each teen artist selected a historical figure who inspires them and transformed that inspiration into original artwork featured in the show. We hope to see you there!

Artist Talk: Wednesday, June 10, 5pm–6pm
Opening Reception: Wednesday, June 10, 6pm–8pm
Exhibition Duration: June 10 – August 17, 2026

“This current season of my life I’m inspired by sharing,” Jonathan ‘Pineapple’ Tejeda, “AFH Graphic Design Mentor says, “Our current times are so hard and overstimulating, if I can share my peace, calm, happiness, experience, learning, etc. Why wouldn’t I?”

And we’re lucky that Pineapple shares his work with us! Pineapple is not only a designer but also a music producer and much of his work has been heard across AFH in the videos we produce or sometimes during All Staff meetings.

“By far my favorite thing about being a mentor is being a role model. Showing shy, quiet, even trouble-maker teens that the world is so much bigger than they can comprehend at their age,” Pineapple explains, “That you can be complex, creative and lovable. Show them that you can be a 6’5 man from a bad neighborhood that loves poems, sneakers, music and flowers. But most importantly show them that we all deserve to be in the room and that not one of our experiences is more important than someone else’s.”

Nikkia, an AFH Graphic Design Teen who is graduating this year with goals of becoming a private chef, has experienced this firsthand in her studio, noting that Pineapple is always there for her if she needs some advice or support.

“Every time I come to work upset or just not myself, Pineapple always makes sure I can at least crack a smile or even laugh until my lungs are out of air!” Nikkia says.

While we’re surrounded by an endless amount of information and distraction, AFH is lucky to have Pineapple to cut through the noise and provide his coworkers and his teens a sense of peace and belonging. Thank you, Pineapple! We’re very grateful to have you on our team!