The playful world of Martellus Bennett’s characters, Mr. TOMONOSHi! and Little Brown Girl, has come to life in a unique collaboration between the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Located on Bennett Road, this joint project is a reflection of Black labor, family, and the joys of play and community, occupying two of the row houses until February 28.
The Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy Visitor Center, which opened in 2024, is currently hosting Bennett Road as part of its free one-hour neighborhood tour. This initiative is designed to share and preserve the critical place of Freedmen’s Town in Texas history. Established in 1865 as a community for freed slaves, Freedmen’s Town is now recognized by UNESCO’s Slave Route Project as the home of multiple Sites of Memory.
The row houses themselves are currently the stage for Bennett Road, a joint project between the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The partnership, launched in 2022, aims to both amplify the history of and create opportunities for artists to craft works that respond directly to a Fourth Ward context and space.
Without Freedmen’s Town, there would be no Black culture in Houston, according to Charonda Johnson, engagement manager for the HFTC and CAMH partnership and a fifth-generation resident of the historic neighborhood. "They’re both humanitarians, they’re both activists, and those are the types of individuals that, of course, we need now more than ever to be focused on communities such as Freemen’s Town," says Mich Stevenson, projects manager of the HFTC and CAMH partnership. "And then I think you also look at the fact that both of them could be doing anything else, but right now, they’re both making art to engage community. There’s a labor of your body that you spent your life giving your body to a sport, and been successful at it, and that can come at the toll of the expense of your creativity and your mind."
The first home in the show features pieces designed by both brothers, including Michael and Martellus Bennett. As the founder of the design-oriented Studio Kër, Michael’s work explores Black history and heritage, including his own African Haitian background and childhood in the American South. Gumbo Stool, one of the first pieces encountered upon entering the building, exemplifies his themes. It pays homage to the necessity of oral tradition and storytelling in ensuring the survival of Black culture under systemic threats of suppression. Martellus’s ruminations on resilience are also present throughout the home, including illustrations of extreme weather events softened by the scattering of delicate yellow flower petals and vases, table, and chairs stained using a Japanese wood-burning technique known as shou sugi ban.
Next door, Martellus has filled the house with an installation that’s all about connecting and learning through play. Sneakers lay tossed on the floor, while a kitchen table overflows with crayon drawings—a relatable scene to many kids and parents. Keep exploring and meet up with illustrations of Mr. TOMONOSHi! and Little Brown Girl, two of the artist’s beloved original characters who appear throughout his work. The former is what Martellus refers to as "the fun friend, that person whose living in a dream," while Little Brown Girl is a lively template he uses to create more friends for her. They live together as a family on Bennett Road, where neighborhood kids come to visit, play, and form a community in Freedmen’s Town. There’s even a Rothko Chapel–esque quiet room, where visitors can shut the door and contemplate alongside calm portraits of Little Brown Girl. But even in a home full of books and video games and cartoons and art supplies, the overarching themes of Black labor are still front and center.
"It reminds you that your labor can be your labor of love," says Terrell Jackson-Owens, HFTC’s Visitor’s Center manager.
The handiwork of Jett, Martellus’s 11-year-old daughter, joins that of her father and uncle in Bennett Road. Open the refrigerator and come face-to-face with some truly accomplished clay sculptures of sushi rolls and cake. It’s a deeply personal touch to an already loving homage to family and friends, which the artist (and self-proclaimed "girl dad") believes needs to be shown more often when it comes to holistically conveying the Black experience.
"I think people don’t really understand how much Black joy costs, but they have a dollar amount for Black trauma, because they know how much trauma has cost," he says. "But in the show…my entire body of work, all I’m trying to do is impress my daughter… I draw more cute than I did previously."
Know Before You Go
Bennett Road is part of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy’s one-hour tour, and will be on display until February 28. Admission is free. Learn more at the website.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy?
A: The Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and culture of Freedmen’s Town, a historic neighborhood in Houston, Texas.
Q: What is the significance of Freedmen’s Town?
A: Freedmen’s Town is a community established in 1865 for freed slaves, and is now recognized by UNESCO’s Slave Route Project as the home of multiple Sites of Memory.
Q: What is the purpose of the Bennett Road exhibit?
A: The Bennett Road exhibit is a collaboration between the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and is designed to share and preserve the history of Freedmen’s Town, as well as create opportunities for artists to craft works that respond directly to a Fourth Ward context and space.
Q: How can I visit the Bennett Road exhibit?
A: The Bennett Road exhibit is part of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy’s one-hour tour, and is free to visit. Learn more at the website.
