Modesto Poet Laureate Angela Drew is bringing community voices to the forefront with Writing Ourselves In, a multimedia art installation celebrating the stories and lived experiences of African American elders and residents of Stanislaus County.

“This exhibit is not a me thing, it’s a we thing,” Drew said.

The exhibit is a celebration of Black History Month, the installation centers on storytelling and collective memory. Drew described the project as rooted in community connection.

“Our family was born from listening, from sitting with our elders, from sitting with our community, from honoring the stories that have lived in kitchens, churches, fields, front porches,” she said. “Tonight, we opened a space where those voices are not just remembered, but held, where history is not distant or fixed, but it’s living and breathing among us.”

At the heart of the exhibit stands a baobab tree installation featuring video displays within its trunk. The baobab tree is native to Africa and known as the “Tree of Life”.

The baobab tree symbolizes resilience and community, storing water in its massive trunk and providing food and shelter in arid regions.

Drew shared, “An African proverb says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ And that’s exactly what we’ve done here.”

Writing Ourselves In will be on display through March 15 at the McHenry Museum, 1402 I St. in Modesto. The museum is open Fridays through Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free.