Long before integration, Grant Street Beach in Cape May, New Jersey was the stretch of sand where Black families could actually breathe. It was ours. Generations gathered there, built community there, made memories there. This series of figurative artwork and oil paintings is artist Chanelle René's love letter to that history.
Born in West Cape May, Chanelle spent her childhood summers at her grandparents' home, soaking up the generational stories and family photographs that became the foundation for this body of work. Each piece, painted in layered oil, acrylic, spray paint and metal leaf, captures Black women, men and families in moments of rest, joy and belonging.
This isn't nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. It's proof that Black joy and Black rest have always had a place, even when the world tried to say otherwise.
Walk through the series. Find the story that feels like your own.
