Kristina Kay Robinson (@kristinakayrobinson) speaks with Willie Birch about his sixty year retrospective at California African American Museum (@caaminla), New Orleans, and staying true to one's artistic vision.

"I got in trouble in New York, because I wanted to tell stories. They wanted me to be an abstractionist. I’m from New Orleans, that’s the people I want to understand. That’s the people I feel closest to in terms of speaking to their lives, because that represents my life. " Read more form the interview at the link in bio. "Willie Birch: Stories to Tell" is on view at California African American Museum, Los Angeles through October 21, 2026. — 1, 2. Installation view of "Willie Birch: Stories to Tell" at California African American Museum, Los Angeles. Photograph by Elon Schoenholz and courtesy of the artist. 3. Willie Birch, Left: "The Builders (For Jacob Lawrence)", 2019. Right: "Shotgun Houses", 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.