The Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums (DLAM), the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), in partnership with The Virgin Islands Architecture Center (VIAC), announces a call for student artists in grades 9–12 to participate in a upcoming exhibition titled When the Walls Answer, opening May 30, 2026, at Fort Frederik Museum.
This student-centered exhibition honors the life and legacy of Gerville René Larsen and celebrates the legendary Crucian artist El’Roy Simmonds, whose work has profoundly shaped the understanding of art, culture, identity, and place in the Virgin Islands.
Hosted at Fort Frederik Museum, a National Historic Site where freedom was demanded and won by Virgin Islands ancestors, When the Walls Answer invites young artists to respond creatively to history, architecture, and memory.
When the Walls Answer explores architecture as a living record of who we are, asking students to imagine what historic spaces might say if they could speak. Student artists are invited to submit original artwork inspired by the theme: “When the Walls Answer”…….
