In collaboration with A Beautiful Message, Art Center Waco is pleased to present the juried works of 14 Texas based African American artists who creatively explored various cultural and historical contexts of Black hairstyles—from afros to ‘cornrows’ to locs, braids, and more.

These expressive hairstyles are significant to the empowerment of formerly enslaved Texans and continue to trend in Black culture. According to popular African folklore, it is said that female slaves used their cornrows, braids and hairstyles to create maps to communicate specific escape routes for runaways. Braids were used to hide money and seeds which in the long run helped them survive after they escaped. These hair styles became the coded guide that helped enslaved people find their way to freedom.