In this 50-minute documentary, award-winning filmmaker Eve A. Ma examines the life and work of San Francisco Bay Area artist Hershell West. A black man born and raised in the rural south before the end of segregation, neither his family nor his community expected him to become a professional artist. Defying these expectations, he triumphed over the odds.

In this film, we examine both his art, and the ways in which artists contribute to society - through their artistic creations, their teaching, and their advocacy for the arts.