COMMUNE
Hue Gallery
Hartford
Oct. 9, 2026
The Hue Gallery hosted a grand opening Friday for its latest exhibit, COMMUNE. As with everything else at the Hue, there was an impeccable sense of style for the event, as well-dressed artists and their supporters walked the red carpet to enter the gallery space.
Hue Gallery co-owner Amber Lewis described the gallery’s previous opening exhibit a few months ago as bright and bold. This exhibition, she said, feels warm. There are elements of home, she explained, which flows naturally from the exhibit’s theme of community.
“We’re celebrating what it looks like when different people come together in a shared artistic space,” she said.
As important as it was to honor the coming together of the artists and their supporters, Lewis said something equally important about the other purpose of the evening: the goal is to sell art. That bears mentioning, because it’s something I often forget. Many of the artists mentioned how Lewis and co-owner Hype Williams make it possible for them to actually make money as artists.
That fact makes them eager to participate in Hue Gallery exhibits. I saw several artists from the Greater Hartford area I’ve covered before. I also ran into Maurice D. Robertson, one of the great supporters of jazz in Hartford and an accomplished photographer. I run into Maurice all the time while working; it was nice to see some of his artwork on display. His work focused on pictures he took while in Bahia, Brazil, of the Sisterhood of Boa Morte. Robertson’s decision to feature a religious community in his work was an interesting contrast to the other kinds of community on display.
Take The Pop Out by artist Raheem Nelson. Instead of faith, Nelson bases his painting on music,describing it as a hip-hop inspired piece he completed before the exhibition was announced, but it fit right into the theme. He said his influences range from Pablo Picasso to Kendrick Lamar, and that he tried to capture that range in his piece.
Meanwhile, Shedia Smalls-Douglas’ work Jump In takes yet another look at the meaning of community in the form of children playing double-dutch. It can be read literally, as it takes three people for the game to be played, or as a metaphor for how we depend on the hands of other people to support us; even those we can’t see are still turning the rope for us.
There really is something to be said for a gallery that is dedicated to selling the work of its artists, and looking good while doing it. Hue Gallery continues to impress, and I’m already looking forward to revisiting the current exhibit.
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Jamil goes to learn about the life of author Albert Cavanna.
