In honor of Black History Month, Gloria Locke created illustrations of Black leaders in the Santa Clarita Valley. She assembled them into a book to help people learn about the accomplishments of these individuals.

On February 21, the Santa Clarita Arts Association Gallery hosted a reception of the First and Famous Black Trailblazers of Santa Clarita for the art exhibit and book release. Attendees were treated to free coffee and snacks as they perused the exhibit.

Artist Gloria Locke was responsible for the culmination of portraits depicting the black innovators in the Santa Clarita community, such as Louis Brathwaite, the founder of Santa Clarita, and KHTS’ very own Janice Murray, who worked as a radio host.

Photo by Ally Ines

The featured innovators or their relatives came to sign a few of the copies of the book during the reception, including Brathwaite’s daughter.

Photo by Ally Ines

Gloria Locke spoke about her favorite part of the exhibit. “My favorite part about the exhibit is that I get to do it with my daughters. They’re artists in their own right. We love creating and sharing art and bringing the community together,” Locke stated.

The event also features original art by Gloria and her daughters, Stacie Locke, Bobbie Locke, known as the Locke Ladies Collective. Their stunning works span the spectrum from abstract to hyper-realism in graphite, watercolor, acrylic, oil, and more, which were also on sale.

Photo by Ally Ines

The purpose of this art exhibit, according to Locke, was to educate Santa Clarita residents about the history of the city as well as celebrate each trailblazer’s accomplishments.

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