The Adius Arts Initiative was born from a tension many artists know too well: the pull between purpose and permission. Named after my father, Adius Pierre, this initiative carries both his name and the complexity of his love.

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As a child, I was drawn to drawing. I sketched on anything with a flat surface, driven by a need to create that I couldn’t explain. But in school, my passion was seen as a distraction. Teachers sent notes home about my behavior. At home, my father, firm and deeply practical, didn’t see art as a path worth following. He didn’t discourage my creativity out of cruelty. He was afraid. Afraid that art would lead me nowhere. Afraid that I would struggle like so many Black artists before me who had talent but no support, vision but no structure.

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So I learned to hide my gift. I would stop drawing when I heard him coming. I would stash my work behind notebooks. Like so many others, I internalized the idea that art was just a hobby, not a future.

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Years later, my father explained himself. He never hated art. He feared it wouldn’t protect me. That conversation changed everything. It reminded me that the story isn’t just mine. It’s ours. Across generations and households, Black creativity has often been boxed in, doubted, or dismissed. Not because of a lack of talent, but because of the absence of systems that value and sustain it.

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THE ADIUS ARTS INITIATIVE EXISTS TO CHANGE THAT​

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We believe art is not just expression. It is evidence.
We turn everyday objects, shared traditions, and public programs into living records of memory, meaning, and cultural legacy. Through exhibitions, storytelling, and creative collaboration, we preserve the creative contributions of Black communities and reframe how culture is archived and honored.