Exhibit Closing: Cast the First Stone, with The Ancestral House of Genius

A gallery closing & Pride Month celebration, brought to you by P&T Knitwear, The Ancestral House of Genius, & the Say Our Names Now Project!

P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome The Ancestral House of Genius to celebrate Pride month with their art exhibit, Cast the First Stone, featuring all Trans and Gender Non-Conforming artists of Color.

Doors open at 6:00pm, so grab a drink or snack from the P&T Cafe while you browse these incredible works of art. At 7:00pm, we'll begin with artist introductions and a special musical performances by Tubifare!! It's going to be a party!!

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
“Cast the First Stone” is an art exhibition which highlights the visual and performing arts of BIPOC Trans and GNC artists. This show invites you to reflect on the passage, “He that is without sin among you, cast the first stone at her” in conjunction with the monumental Pride movement started by Marsha P. Johnson with a brick. This exhibition is meant to challenge ones thoughts on morality as well as call back to the Black Trans pioneers of the pride movement.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS:
The Ancestral House of Genius is a media production house which provides vital community services like substance use harm reduction and produces an annual Black trans-led intergenerational retreat.

The Say Our Names Now Project is a trans-led grassroots organization dedicated to amplifying voices, stories, and creative expression from within and beyond our community. We exist to create space — not just for visibility, but for truth, joy, resistance, and liberation.Through events centered on trans gender artists and their art. From performance to visual art, our programming highlights the power of storytelling as a tool for healing, advocacy, and cultural change.Rooted in collective care and creative freedom, we prioritize platforms where trans voices lead and thrive, while fostering solidarity within our community. Our work is grounded in the belief that art is not only expression — it is a catalyst for liberation.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
A.R. Herbert is a Belizean-American mixed media artist whose work engages with identity, spirituality and the emotional self, expressed through conceptual portraiture. Living through various chronic illnesses/disorders has influenced the visual symbolism throughout their work; ranging from the scenery of deconstructed organs system to displays of grotesque bodily injury represented by Catholic motifs. Herbert uses the body as a vessel for trauma based narratives, the complexities of the queer identity, and the unconscious psyche. Their work uses a mix of color pencils, copic markers, and pens to adopt a softened visual language where the lines are guided by sensitivity.

AJ Daniel De La Cruz is a Dominican and Chinese trans mixed-media artist whose work serves as an extension of self-expression and storytelling. Through the creation of original characters, he continuously explores new ideas, identities, and emotions, ensuring that each piece evolves beyond the last. His artistic practice is rooted in transformation and individuality, with no two creations existing in the same world. A recurring element throughout his work is the color red — his signature color — used as a visual language to represent passion, intensity, strength, and raw emotion embedded within every piece.

Sheanni Sims' work highlights surrealism, queer black lifestyles, femininity and masculinity while also challenging western concepts with futurism and social constructs. Since she was a child, she'd spend most of her time working with her hands drawing and self expression. These expressions focused on friendship, teamwork, and community, which are themes that clearly continue to inspire the artist.

WILLI-RAYA the GENIUS is a Soulaani/Black-American woman of trans experience polymath, who works as a mixed-media artist, filmmaker, performer, producer, community resource advocate and is a long-time resident of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. Her 25-year career spans collaborations with notable institutions such as The People's Theatre, Hi-ARTS, Downtown Urban Arts Festival, and Playwright's Horizon. Her work explores themes of Spirituality, lineage, radical vulnerability, Black Trans Power, and restorative justice. Her mediums include TV/FILM, theatre, poetry, music, ceremony/ritual, divination, collage, and painting. WILLI-RAYA is currently working in the New York State Senate helping to pass legislation on behalf of the constituents of Brownsville, Bed-stuy, Clinton Hill, and Fort Green.

Housekeeping notes:

• General admission tickets are $5.
• Purchase your admission and donate an admission for $10.
• Proceeds go towards the artist themselves.
• Art will be available for purchase.
• Come and go as you please.