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A Personal Investment in the Space

Phiri said she used her retirement savings to open Southside Gallery. Her goal is to create a place where history, art, and mentorship meet.

She hopes the space encourages unity and support for young people in Elkhart.

“What can they get? To be focused on unity. To be focused on family. To be focused on encouraging young children. To be mentors to young children,” Phiri said. “I wanted to be able to help people and feel good.”

A window display at an Elkhart art gallery is drawing wide attention across social media and prompting debate among residents, visitors, and local officials.

The Southside Gallery recently installed an artwork that depicts a Ku Klux Klan lynching. The piece, visible from the street, has stirred strong reactions, with some expressing concern and others supporting the message behind the exhibit.

Gallery curator Reyna Phiri said the goal is to encourage reflection and dialogue about the city’s past and present.

Honoring Local Black History

One side of the gallery highlights notable Black figures from Elkhart’s history. The exhibit aims to show young people that success and leadership can grow from their own neighborhoods.

“We have things that need to be memorialized because young people in this community, they don’t really have role models,” Phiri said. “So, if they can go to the park and they can say, ‘Oh, this person swung on these very swings. This person lived in this neighborhood. This person made it to national TV.’ Why can’t they make it to national TV or whatever their goal is?”

Phiri said the historical displays help connect students and families to stories that might otherwise go untold.

Artwork Meant to Provoke Thought

The second half of the gallery features local artwork, including the new piece that references racial violence tied to the Ku Klux Klan. Phiri described the display as a blend of art and history designed to prompt people to think and talk.

“Like the pen is mightier than the sword, a piece of art is mightier than a spoken word,” she said. “People are more apt to respond to artwork than if you were to just say, ‘Well, such and such thing happened.’”

She added that the installation is meant to confront viewers with a difficult subject rather than avoid it.

“This is to wake people up and stop being complacent,” Phiri said. “This stuff is still happening. It happened in the past. It might not have happened to anybody that you know, but it’s still happening. And if we don’t do anything about it, it’s not going to go away.”