Celebrating Juneteenth

Gary Baseman and his studio join the celebration of Juneteenth National Independence Day. On Thursday, June 17, 2021 President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday in the United States. Officially commemorated on June 19th,  Juneteenth memorializes Black emancipation in our country but it also represents an important moment in recognizing the country’s not-so-glorious past, and moving forward to a more equitable future.

In his sketchbook Baseman created two drawings (2020 and 2021) capturing the celebratory sentiment of this historic moment. In both pictures we observe some of his most beloved characters, including Toby, Blackie the Cat, ChouChou, Creamy and Ahwroo demonstrating that we rise by lifting each other up as a community.