Cutting for a cause: Local barber’s journey from homelessness to mentorship displayed in PAMM exhibit
On Saturday, Jan. 11, Sergei “Sir. J” Grant and his team of barbers, who are all students at his barbering academy, gave free haircuts to around two dozen people just outside of the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Inside the museum stood an exhibit featuring a portrait of Grant by artist Kate Capshaw. The portrait, a 64” by 54” oil painting on linen, is the focal point of the installation “Exclusive Tonsorial Services,” named after the barber shop Grant founded in El Portal. It will be on display through Jan. 19.
Grant, who was born in North Miami Beach and graduated from Carol City Senior High School in Miami Gardens, is now an entrepreneur, professional barber and a teacher. Despite his accomplishments, however, his life has not been without hardship. Grant experienced homelessness in Miami for one year, during which he’d brush his teeth at a local Taco Bell.
“My experience being homeless really pushed me to grow and to do better. Being able to give back to others is my homage to homeless people to let them know that they can grow from their experience,” said Grant, now 41 years old.
Grant, a third-generation Miamian, often takes his barber shop on the road, traveling throughout south Florida to bring his services directly to the community and serve a diverse clientele. He specializes in fades, hot towel shaves, shape ups, scissor cuts, comb overs, undercuts and more.
Grant and his team work with several organizations throughout Miami-Dade County to offer haircuts to people who cannot afford them. Some of those include Camillus House, The Miami Rescue Mission, Chapman Partnership and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami.
Franklin Sirmans, the director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, is one of Grant’s clients and the curator of the exhibit featuring Grant as its muse. He has served as the museum’s director since the fall of 2015.
Sirmans connected Grant with Capshaw, the artist behind the installation paying tribute to Grant for mentoring and educating aspiring barbers.
This is Capshaw’s first institutional solo exhibition. She said she chose Grant as the focus of her portrait in an effort to capture his spirit of joy and generosity.
“This piece holds special resonance for me, as Sergei Grant is a barber – a profession I’ve always admired,” Capshaw said. “My mother was a beautician, and I have fond memories of her shop in Ferguson, Missouri,” where Capshaw was raised.
Capshaw is a self-taught painter who began her art studies in drawing, painting and portraiture in 2009. For her newest installation at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Capshaw worked with Grant to create an exhibit that focuses on challenges and triumph.
In 2016, Capshaw released a series of portraits of youth experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, Chicago, Fargo, Minneapolis, San Francisco, St. Louis and New York. The series, titled “Unaccompanied,” debuted at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. in 2019.
For her latest exhibition, Capshaw said she wanted to not only continue to raise awareness for homeless youth, but to create a portrait honoring a local Miami advocate as well. In came Grant.
In addition to making his services accessible to all, Grant also runs a school for aspiring barbers. There are currently approximately 20 students enrolled in his barbering academy.
“I like the energy he brings,” said 16-year-old Luis Diaz. “He’s very genuine. We are giving back to the community and we are making people feel good. At the end of the day, we are all elevating and growing because I’m getting better while making someone happy.”
Diaz was one of about seven students on site giving free haircuts during Saturday’s event. He has been a student of Grant’s for six months.
“I like that this exhibit includes an interactive experience of being able to get a haircut. We know historically what a place of engagement a barbershop may serve as in a community, and this exhibit takes that message and continues to explore it,” said Jeffrey Wilkinson, one of the attendees at the exhibit on Saturday. Wilkinson received a free haircut from Grant’s team.
The Pérez Art Museum Miami is a modern and contemporary art museum that offers free admission on the second Saturday of each month. The museum also offers a Black Art Tour, as well as public and private tours for the community to enjoy.
Museum visitors will also have one more opportunity to receive free haircuts from Grant and his team on Thursday, Jan. 16, before the exhibit concludes next week.
Meanwhile, Capshaw continues her mission to give voice to the voiceless. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness in the United States, 700,000 of which are unaccompanied minors.
Family conflict is cited as the number one reason for homelessness among youth, with Black kids experiencing the highest rates of running away from home.