Legacy of late Pittsburgh artist Javon Thompson lives on through anti-violence exhibit

Larry Milton’s best friend was the late artist Javon Thompson. The pair met in ninth grade and were inseparable until Thompson was shot and killed in the winter of 1994 at just 18 years old.

Thompson was killed in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood during Christmas break of his freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University, where he received a full scholarship because of his artwork. Nearly 30 years later, his life and legacy continue to make an impact.

On Thursday, Thompson’s life was honored and his artwork displayed in a gallery walk through exhibit, titled “Repentance,” at the City-County building Downtown. Its focus on stopping gun violence was a message Thompson often conveyed through his work.

Milton is also reminded of Thompson’s legacy every time he calls his son’s name: Javon.

“He always used to tell me when I was messing up. My nickname is Duck, so he’d say, ‘Duck, you messed up,’” Milton said. “In my head, to this day, that’s why I am where I am. Without him, I would’ve been somewhere else, somewhere bad.”

The exhibition, part of “Pittsburgh Paints,” a special artist initiative by Pittsburgh’s first lady Michelle Gainey, featured artwork by Thompson and longtime police officer and artist Alphonso “Fonz” Sloan, both of Garfield. Sloan, who painted the commemorative piece “Repentance,” unveiled it Thursday night.

“We want to put a message out, like a cease fire,” Sloan said. “We want people in the community to change this violent culture.”

Sloan has responded to many incidents of gun violence that turned fatal.

“We always remember the cries of the mother,” he said. “Being a person of color from the community, I can almost feel the pain of all the victims and the families.”

Sloan, who started painting at age 13 and graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, said artists are record keepers, with their works preserving stories for future generations.

“Repentance” does just that. The acrylic painted scene depicts a man being carried by his friend after being shot.

“It’s a call for change,” Sloan said. “Everybody involved was from the Garfield community. Red represents that community. Javon was carried out by his best friend.”

In the foreground of the painting, lime green Converse Chuck Taylors hang across an electrical wire.

For Thompson’s mother, Adrienne Young, the exhibit is deeply meaningful as her son’s voice comes alive again.

“Javon would say, ‘We must not focus on the quicksand but on the way out,’” Young said. “Tonight we are living that again, and it is like a renewal of everything he tried to do during his lifetime. So it is not lost.”

Young, along with Thompson’s other best friend, Wayne M. Scott Sr. — who was with Thompson and also shot the night Thompson died — tries to spread the message of gun violence prevention through Tree of Hope, an organization supporting victims of violent crimes. They usually hold a drive around Christmas, the time of year Thompson was killed.

“It forever changed my life,” Scott said. “His memory will always be with me.”

Scott remembers Thompson pouring his emotions and passion into his artwork. He said the two had plans to make a positive impact on their communities.

“Javon would be cracking up right now. He’d be trying to have me get people to play some hardcore music, something we could dance to. We were both very comical,” Scott said.

For Gainey, the impact of gun violence is very personal: her sister-in-law was shot and killed outside a bar after rejecting the advances of a man.

“In 2024, we have all lost someone or know someone who has been impacted by gun violence. I am raising a teenage son and daughter, and I want them to be able to live in a world that is different from where we are now,” she said.