Gazing out the window on NJTransit south to Trenton, and then on Amtrak further south to Philadelphia and Baltimore, one sees brick row houses, sometimes crumbling, sometimes boarded up, covered with words that express desolation. There are solitary figures here and there, or perhaps a face looking out from a window. Better times might have been in the past, for these places.  

This is the world of Leroy Johnson, whose exhibition is on view at the Gallery at Mercer County Community College through March 23. Largely self-taught, Johnson called himself an “activist artist” and “urban expressionist” whose work was shaped by African American history and life in the inner city.

“I wanted to bring Leroy here because a lot of this work transcends generations, and its socio-political content is still very relevant,” says Gallery Director Lucas Kelly.

Johnson’s city – the one he lived his life in – was Philadelphia. He grew up in an integrated neighborhood, and in his lifetime saw many neighborhoods become gentrified. But, says Kelly, it could be any city.