The School of Design Galleries at Louisiana Tech University will present ARMOR AGAINST THE STORM: Works by John Alleyne, an exhibition by artist and educator John Alleyne, on view from Nov. 4 through Dec. 16.
The exhibition will conclude with an artist talk at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, in TVAC Room 103, followed by a closing reception at 6 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.
Through an intuitive process of silkscreen mark-making, Alleyne reimagines dreadlocks as futuristic defense technology. These crowns are not merely adornment, but armor. Inspired by barbershop hairstyle-guide posters, familial portraiture, and scanned photographs of his own dreadlocks, Alleyne constructs hybrid faces protected by woven “loc formations.” These stylized dreads operate as crowns, shields, and exoskeletons.
Drawing from Bajan (Barbadian) folklore, barbershop aesthetics, and Afro-futuristic survival strategies, Alleyne’s work proposes an alternative infrastructure for protection against seasonal elements and social weather; from microaggressions to systemic violence. In these portraits, hair becomes a morphological force that guards memory, absorbs impact, and signals sovereignty. In a world where Black hair is still policed, legislated, and weaponized against its wearers, these figures refuse vulnerability.
About the Artist
John Alleyne (b. 1990) is an artist, educator, and independent curator from St. John,
Barbados, living and working in New Orleans, Louisiana. His practice explores memory,
freedom, and sanctum through an experimental process of silkscreen mark-making and
collage. Through this approach, Alleyne challenges colonial narratives and celebrates
the beauty of defying societal norms.
He earned his MFA in Painting and Drawing from Louisiana State University and has been a fellow at Oxbow, ACRE, and the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. His work has been exhibited throughout the American South, the Caribbean, and Ireland, and has appeared in New American Paintings, Southern Cultures, Country Roads Magazine, The Chicago Reader, Studio Visit Magazine, Savannah Now, and The Hand Magazine.
Alleyne is an Assistant Professor of Art at Southern University and A&M College, an artist member of Baton Rouge Gallery, and a collective member at Antenna in New Orleans. He is the recipient of a 2023 Take Notice Fund Award and a 2025 Platforms Research Development Grant.
Gallery Hours
Sunday: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
The School of Design Galleries are located at Louisiana Tech University, 1 Mayfield Avenue, Ruston, LA 71270.