Artist Statement: This Sing for Hope piano design reflects my vibrant depiction of New Orleans' musical culture...a culture that my mother taught my brother and I to embrace since childhood through our regular attendance at second lines, Super Sunday Black Mardi Gras Indian Street Exhibitions, and taking walks through the French Quarters where we would share a single order of beignets. "Listen to My Soul" (like many of my works) holds the inspiration of those love-filled experiences through the interpretation of images accompanied by the intense colors of my signature abstract design that is commonly woven into the foreground and background of my artwork and is swiftly recognized by those who are familiar with my work.
During the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Journey Allen transferred from Southern University at New Orleans to Texas Southern University where she went on to obtain a full scholarship and graduate magna cum laude with a BA in Fine Arts under the expertise of her professors Dr. Alvia Wardlaw, Dr. Sarah Trotty, Jesse SiFuentes, Leonard Brown and Leamon Green. It was an assignment from Mr. Leamon Green that led Journey to Project Row Houses, a non-profit organization in Third Ward, Houston, where her love for community and artistry would be cultivated. Through this organization not only did Journey cross paths with her mentors Hamdiya Ali, who guided Journey in the leadership role of implementing multidisciplinary arts programming in a community based setting, and Artist Charles Washington, who introduced Journey to professional art practices and various approaches to abstract painting, but she also met two young brothers, Gerrick and Dujuan, who she fell in love with, took under her wing and mothered them as her own. Although Journey's eight year residence in Houston began as an abrupt response to seeking refuge during a natural disaster, this chapter in her life shaped her into the visual artist, arts educator and community leader that lives a life dedicated to peace and excellence today.In 2016, Journey acquired a commercial space where she would open Artist Journey Allen Gallery-Studio to the public 2022. The New Orleans venue became known as the place where Journey created, sold and exhibited her artwork, hosted private and public sip and paint parties and most commonly offered her creativity and space as a service to the community. Creative outreach included youth arts programming that followed a curriculum written and implemented by the artist, monthly community dinners organized and hosted by local organizations and an annual Small Business Saturday Local Artists Marketplace that offered aspiring artists and entrepreneurs without brick and mortar locations the opportunity to display and sale their wares in an high volume shopping environment. While she currently creates from a private studio space nestled in the heart of one of her most favorite places in the world, The French Quarters, Journey's heart is still driven towards her overall vision that people will discover the best portion of themselves through their "expression of" and "interaction with" creativity. To this end, she continues her work with youth and community members beyond the four walls of "The Studio" that became the catalyst that purposed the artist towards the highest and truest version of her creative existence. "It's not the level or skill of creation that brings about change," believes Journey, "rather it's the willingness to share the colors and scribbles of one's imagination, and the engagement with the creativity of another, that ultimately brings about the awe inspiring change that we each long to witness within our lives and throughout our communities."
