The New Orleans African American museum presents the next feature in their online exhibition series, InSitu, titled SMILES and MOTIONS: TYPE 108 by artist Rayno Malone. Its name derived from the Latin phrase meaning “local,” InSitu situates images of black contemporary artists and  contextualizes their responses to current issues facing humanity.  The upcoming exhibition is both an impromptu proclamation and a therapeutic experience of a young person’s outlook on modern times. 

Malone, a New Orleans native, has always been motivated by his hometown and the people in it. Inspired by his tenets of protecting optimism and authenticity, Malone believes in the power of telling and passing down narratives to the people who come after us. To achieve this, Malone wants to be in the center of current affairs, and to be a part of retelling these stories in a positive way. Malone has seized the opportunity to analyze how his generation is handling the life-altering pandemic. By doing so he reminds us that “there is light at the end of the tunnel; that there is always somebody smiling about something.” For Malone, we are still human and we are allowed to be happy.  

SMILES and MOTIONS: TYPE 108 can be viewed online at the New Orleans African American Museum’s website .