About the Project

Reclaiming the Gaze (The Keepers) is an interdisciplinary visual arts and cultural literacy initiative that challenges students and community members to explore identity, representation, and visibility through the lens of the African diaspora.

Developed through collaboration among:

  • Milton Madison

  • Sharon Samples

  • Christopher D. Thomas

Supported by the MAP360 Collaboration Grant — 2Gether We Take Flight.

The Keepers

In many African and African diasporic traditions, keepers preserve photographs, stories, heirlooms, rituals, and oral histories.

This project asks:

Who are the keepers in your family?

How can art become a tool for preserving memory and reclaiming narrative?

Download the brochure.

Colorful origami crane paper sculpture on a white surface, with handwritten notes underneath and office supplies in the background.

Watch the
Documentary

In this film by Akeyah Henderson, creators Milton Madison and Sharon Samples discuss the inspiration behind their project.

Meet the Creators

A woman with short curly hair wearing glasses, a gray shirt with decorative buttons, and badges that say "Artist" and "Peace Love Art." She has a slight shadow of facial freckles and is smiling softly against a plain light-colored background.

Sharon Samples

Visual artist, educator, and community storyteller whose work explores Southern memory, identity, and heritage through figurative art.

@sharon82 | @heyartgyrl | @leafrivergenealogy

artgyrl.com

Man in a maroon sweatshirt and camouflage pants standing in front of a colorful mural depicting a woman's face with an orange face mask that has the words "ARE YOU LISTENING?" written on it. The mural is behind yellow police tape marked "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS." The man is holding a water bottle and standing near a parking meter.

Milton Madison

Milton is an interdisciplinary artist exploring ancestry, masculinity, spirituality, and cultural preservation through visual storytelling.

@madcre8tiv

Smiling man with a beard and bald head wearing a plaid blazer and white shirt, standing in a classroom with colorful rules chart and computer screens in the background.

Christopher D. Thomas

As a Legacy Architect,Christopher works with leaders and institutions when momentum starts outpacing the structure holding it together. Not marketing. Not campaigns. The underlying architecture behind how the business is understood and operates.

@itscthomas | inmm.group