Toledo Museum of Art exhibit celebrates the impact and artistry of barbers, hair stylists

TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibit unlike any seen in the last five years.

The exhibition is called Art of the Cut. It celebrates the artistry and communal unity of the Black beauty salon and barber industry, which marries the conversations of mental health and physical appearance together.

On Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m., the art museum will host the show in the Peristyle Theater.

TMA’s Toni Gordon said barbers and stylists shape hair while building trust, promoting wellness and highlight vital conversations about mental and physical health.

“I can’t tell you how many times a stylist or a barber is a resource for their clientele,” Gordon said. 

During the evening, attendees will be able to watch live hair styling on stage and engage in open conversation with barbers, hair stylists and other community members, since so many who sit in chairs to get their hair done end up with more than a new look.

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With each visit, they get to talk about themselves, which is something they may not have gotten to do all day, or even all week says long-time stylist Crystal Sloan, who owns CrysStyles Hair Salon. 

“It’s sacred, it’s the safe place,” Sloan said. “It’s also a release.”

This is Les Levesque’s third time in the show, having joined when it started back in 2019. He said barbering, as the owner of Tal-Mon Barbershop, does more than clients realize. 

“They find themselves opening up and talking about those hard-to-ask questions. That’s why being in these positions we are more than just barbers and beauticians,” Levesque said. “We become doctors, sometimes we become friends. We’re brothers, shoot, we’re sisters and most of all, we’re therapists.”

He said Black barbershops have truly grown and stayed places where men have said they feel safe in sharing opinions on just about everything. They can ask questions and tend to find out if others feel the same. At times, they can learn new sound advice on how to manage things.

Sloan said when women step into her salon, they’re getting more than a new look, possibly a new outlook on life. 

“The conversations that we have in the shop are not conversations you can have with everybody,” Sloan said. “There’s a trust barrier that is kind of understood in that environment.”

It’s why TMA began hosting Art of the Cut back in 2019 and had full intentions of doing it annually. Gordon said the pandemic did put a stop to the exhibit for several years. But now it’s back and includes barbers, stylists and nail artists.

This is Sloan’s first year in the show and is excited for so many things. 

“I’m excited for people to see the different styles that we can perform. The different nail art that takes place, also the barber services,” Sloan said. “Barbering has taken off to another elite level that they’re not used to in this day in time.” 

Levesque said he’s looking forward to what the exhibit does within the community.

“I like to be a part of something that’s bigger than me. To actually bring unity, to bring some positive energy to the community, because there’s so much negativity that goes on in our city and our community,” Levesque said. 

Art of the Cut is free and open to the public. There will be food and drink available, along with several other exhibitions open for visitors to view.

For more information and to register for the event, visit toledomuseum.org/events.