If you were in the lobby of City Springs last Thursday you’d have seen something remarkable:

A visitor points their phone at a striking painting of a young man looking out over a city. Through the screen, the image begins to move. The lines shift, the background animates and a new layer of story unfolds, creating a living conversation between the past, present and future.

Welcome to the Sandy Springs Juneteenth Art Exhibit. The innovative collaboration between visionary artist and mentor PeQue Brown and the City of Sandy Springs features a cohort of exceptionally talented local youth artists. The exhibit is a profound exploration of a single, powerful question: "Knowing the history of Juneteenth, how can we build a peaceful future?"

To understand the answers these students have provided, one must first understand the journey of the day itself—and the mentor who guided them.

The Heart of Freedom: A Mentor's Journey to Understanding Juneteenth

For millions, Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, bringing word that the more than 250,000 enslaved people in the state were finally free—a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. For mentor PeQue Brown, his connection to the holiday wasn't always one of celebration.

"I was so like, why are we celebrating the day we were tricked?" Brown admits, recalling his initial feelings about the delay.

His perspective shifted profoundly after a conversation with Ms. Opal Lee, the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient affectionately known as the "grandmother of Juneteenth." For decades, Ms. Lee campaigned to make Juneteenth a national holiday, famously leading symbolic 2.5-mile walks to represent the delay in freedom's arrival.

Through his talk with her, Brown had a revelation that now forms the core of his teaching. "And then I got it," he says with clarity. "What this day really represents is the freedom, is the true freedom of all Americans... this June 19, 1865, is the day that all Americans became free."

The Guide: A Visionary with a Purpose

That deep, personal understanding fuels PeQue Brown’s mission. A Navy veteran who found his calling as an Illustrator/Draftsman for the military, Brown’s path was not a straight line. His community involvement began locally, where a Sandy Springs councilwoman noticed his work mentoring young artists at a Lutheran church. From there, a partnership with the city was born.

"I started working for nonprofit organizations specifically because I wanted to be able to help children not have the same path that I had, get sidetracked, but to help them find their purpose," he explains.

His method is to empower. Through a series of virtual workshops, he guides the students not as a lecturer, but as a collaborator. "I called them workshops because I'm not just standing up in front of the students saying, 'Okay, you guys need to do this'... we're working as a team," he says. This environment has proven successful, with past students going on to earn scholarships to SCAD and receive federal art commissions. This year, he guided a new group of middle and high school students to channel their voices into art, and the results are breathtaking.

The Technology: Where Art Meets Augmented Reality

What makes this exhibit truly unique is the technology that brings it to life. Each piece is embedded with an Augmented Reality (AR) experience. By downloading the free Artivive app, visitors can scan the artwork and watch as the students’ digital animations appear, adding layers of meaning, motion and sound.

For PeQue Brown, this technology is a powerful storytelling tool. "It's an artist's dream," he reflects. "I can tell you in creating pieces, I've always thought, 'Man, I wish I could really tell people what I was really thinking about when I was creating this piece.'"

How to View the Art in Augmented Reality

To experience the digital layer of the artwork, you will need a smartphone or tablet with the Artivive app. Simply download the free app, open it and point your device's camera at any of the pieces in the exhibit. The app will recognize the artwork and bring the students' animations to life on your screen.

Download for iPhone/iPad on the Apple App Store.
Download for Android on the Google Play Store.

Note: The app needs to see the full artwork to function, so make sure that you are pointing your phone directly at the full frame photo of each artwork. You can find a gallery of the artworks at the bottom of this post.

The Future: A New Generation Speaks

Here are some of the young artists and the powerful perspectives they shared at the 2025 Juneteenth exhibit:

Jaydyn Kilpatrick, 17, North Springs High School

Artwork Title: "Education is a Right"

"As someone who is privileged, I feel it's my duty to use that privilege to help those who don't have the same access."

Madison Ozane, 18, Douglas County High School Graduate

Artwork Title: "Back in Time"

"My piece... reflects how understanding our past can help prevent us from repeating the same mistakes. It's about breaking generational cycles and using knowledge to move forward."

Jagger Austin, 17, North Springs High School

Artwork Title: "Rhythms in Bloom"

"I chose to focus on music because it's very influential across different decades. I used color to show how music brings life and emotion into the world."

Dyson Clayton, 15, Riverwood High School

Artwork Title: "Thoughts of Prosperity"

"The theme made me think about how far people—especially as a community—have come... from a time of oppression to now, where we can express ourselves and be seen."

Adelina Rustamovna, 14, Sandy Springs Charter Middle School

Artwork Title: "Pages of History"

"When I think of history, I often picture a book... the book symbolizes how history is constantly being written and shaped."

Maria Hernandez, 14, Sandy Springs Charter Middle School

Artwork Title: "Hope"

"In my artwork, I used the colors of the characters' clothing to reflect deeper meanings. Green represents new beginnings and new challenges, while purple symbolizes hope."

Building a Peaceful Future, One Brushstroke at a Time

The Sandy Springs Juneteenth Exhibit is a testament to the power of art to bridge divides, honor history and inspire hope. It is a living conversation between generations, powered by the wisdom of a dedicated mentor and the courageous vision of young artists.

In asking how we can build a peaceful future, these students have done more than just ponder the question—they have started to create the answer, one brushstroke, one color and one animated story at a time.

A special thank you to PeQue Brown, the City of Sandy Springs and especially our brilliant student artists for sharing their voices with our community.