Exclusive Tonsorial Services
KATE CAPSHAW (b. 1953, Fort Worth, Texas) Sir.J, 2024, Oil on linen, 64 x 54 in.November 21, 2024 - January 19, 2025
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
Miami, Florida
Exclusive Tonsorial Services is Kate Capshaw’s Miami debut and solo museum exhibition. The exhibition unveils a new portrait honoring community member, Sergei Grant, who is also PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans’ barber. The new work is accompanied by a selection of photographs capturing local youth and patrons of Grant’s Miami-Dade barbershop.
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Art & Insight: A Talk with Kate Capshaw, Sergei Grant, and Franklin Sirmans
Tuesday, December 3 | 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
During Miami Art Week (an annual celebration of art coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach), PAMM will host an artist talk featuring Kate Capshaw, the subject of her painting, Sergei Grant, and PAMM Director, Franklin Sirmans to discuss Grant’s journey and the intersection of art and community. Tickets required.
Community Days: Free Haircuts at PAMM
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Saturday, January 11, 2025
As a celebratory extension of the exhibition and Sergei’s artistry, Capshaw has partnered with Grant to provide free haircuts and museum admission to community members.
Coming soon: details coming on how to participate
ton•so•ri•al adjective
the art and practice of cutting, styling, and grooming hair or beards
Sergei (Sir.J) Grant is the focus of Kate Capshaw’s portrait. She wanted to capture the spirit of joy and generosity of Sir.J., who was born in North Miami Beach and graduated from Carol City Senior High School in Miami Gardens on the northern edge of Miami-Dade County. Today, he is an entrepreneurial barber plying his trade all around Miami. In addition, Grant has a deep commitment to teaching and mentoring young barbers.
Capshaw’s evolving body of work continues to include artworks that explore the socioeconomics of the contemporary moment in America through the narrative of an individual. Her previous work, Unaccompanied, which premiered at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, is an ongoing series of portraits that give visibility to youth experiencing homelessness.
As the state of Florida enacts new laws criminalizing the unhoused population, Sir.J’s story exemplifies a path out. His narrative of triumph is the highlight of this special exhibition focusing on the strengths of accompaniment, hope, purpose, and community.
The Photo Booth Project: In His Hands
Sir.J’s portrait is accompanied by a series of photo booth images titled In His Hands. This series features local youth captured during two back-to-school community events where he offered free haircuts. The children’s expressions—some experiencing their first haircut— connect viewers to the rich history of barbering as a source of joy, identity, and transformation. Often respected as spiritual leaders, dentists, and even surgeons, barbers have long been pillars of their communities, with barbershops serving as sanctuaries, community hubs, and centers of economic and personal empowerment.
The photo booth series was created to accompany the portrait of Sir.J. These children represent his art and share space with him on the walls of an important institution. It reinforces their sense of belonging while also honoring the profound impact of a barber’s craft. Each child who stepped into the photo booth, proud to showcase Sir.J’s artistry, took part in something meaningful.
