Community members and students’ loved ones filled Our House Culture Center at the May 30 art show. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

Back for another one, students of Henry H. Houston Elementary brightened the little corner on the border of Germantown with their culminating art show on Friday, May 30, 2026.

Students, grades four through eight, loaded the walls and tables of Our House Culture Center with their arts and crafts. Pieces ranged from mixed media creations to handcrafted items. Auction sheets allowed attendees to bid and take home their works.

Community members and loved ones alike came through to both marvel at and bid on pieces, at prices set by students, giving Houston’s youth a real gallery vendor experience.

Houston art teacher Shaunia Bronson once again organized the show with support from the parents of students and the community. In its third year, Bronson finds this work to be a staple of importance, giving students a taste of what the rest of their lives could look like. 

“The best thing I could possibly do is to give them a situation where they can make some money, and they can work a room and be independent… allow them to be a little grown,” she said.

Her students felt the magnitude of the year’s process, including the culminating event.

Fourteen-year-old eighth grader Sanaa Bint Parker is a second-year art show participant — her final one before heading to the High School for Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA) next year.

Last year, Bint Parker displayed depictions of the alleged real-life Betty Boop, Esther Jones. The eighth grader says she learned about the historical figure on TikTok and wanted to bring her to the forefront.

This year, she returned with depictions of Marilyn Monroe and the character Cindy McPhearson from the hit Black anime series The Boondocks.

The art show has been an invaluable opportunity for Bint Parker, who sees a long-term career as an art teacher and art maker.

“It means a lot for me to start up a career like this,” she told GIH at the show.

She said the experience has helped her develop both practical skills, like selling art and talking to adults/customers, and the confidence she’ll have for her career path.

Fourth graders Kaya Autin (10) and Zora Horowitz (9) sewed tote bags and quilts for the art show, an idea they said evolved originally from gifting them to special teachers.

As first-time sellers, both say their confidence and pride in their work grew over the course of the class.

“It feels really good, and I’ve never really had anything showcased, so it feels good,” Autin said.

Horowitz followed: “I agree that it feels really good. So we can share our art with the world… so we can find what we want to do in life and make money doing it.”

Fellow fourth grader Jayden Chhan (10) is also a first-time participant in the show.

He produced small figurines and sculptures inspired by the things he enjoys: characters from games and the movie Five Nights at Freddy’s, food, and the places he’s been. The fourth grader says all his creations were more spontaneous than pre-planned.

Overall, Chhan said the year gave him more confidence, validation as an artist, and understanding that his creativity matters to others.

“It feels quite nice,” he said. “It feels much better than just making it and then just having it displayed in my room.”

Looking to the future, Bronson hopes to keep making the art show bigger, seeking more community partnerships, and maybe opening it at a street level. While some have asked for a twice-a-year program, she said, right now, she’s focused on maintaining quality and student readiness.

Re-expressing the criticality of this work, she said, “Anything for these kids, man. That’s my mantra. Anything to make sure that [they] are promoted and celebrated.”

Rasheed Z. Ajamu is a Germantown-born and raised Black journalist, reporting from a place-based lens to see how things affect life in Germantown. They strive to preserve the stories of Black natives in an ever-changing Philadelphia and Germantown social landscape.