At some point in the arc of every student's academic career, there comes what Timothy Caison calls a "defining moment." For some, it's a challenging course, a semester abroad or a first internship. For Caison, an Art and Art Education major at the Tyler School of Art, the defining moment was the six grueling months he spent recreating the forgotten world of a local African-American family in six stunning paintings, all of which are now hanging in the historic Philadelphia home the family once occupied.

Caison's paintings were commissioned by Janine Black, a graduate student in Temple's Fox School of Business. While looking into the deed records of a home she and her husband had purchased on Delancey Street in Society Hill, Black found the names of Joseph Cassey and his descendents, owners of the property from 1845 to 1929. Months of research at Temple's Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection revealed that the Casseys, a prosperous family of merchants, were also prominent abolitionists and social activists. Eager to commemorate the home's former residents, Black contacted Tyler seeking to commission paintings of the Casseys by a student artist. Tyler faculty members recommended Caison.

"Once I saw what [the project] was all about, I thought: 'This is perfect,'" said Caison, a Philadelphia native and a graduate of the city's High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. His emotional investment was immediate.

"I saw the Casseys as my ancestors — and as role models," Caison said. "I wanted to tell their story and honor their quest for social justice and equality, as well as their ability to shine through and overcome the racism of the time."

For nearly half a year, Caison poured himself into historical research, sketching and painting while fulfilling his duties as a full-time Tyler student, an intern at the Independence Charter School in Center City and a part-time art teacher at the Saint Veronica Beacon After School Program in North Philadelphia (a position he still holds).

"It was definitely a stressful semester," admitted Caison, "but I had a connection with the work ethic of the [Cassey] family."

Spurred by a growing sense of kinship with the Casseys and the encouragement of Tyler Lecturer Eva Wylie and other faculty members, Caison completed six paintings: a street scene of S. 4th St., where Joseph Cassey opened a barber shop; a portrait of Matilda Inez Cassey, Joseph's granddaughter, sitting on a piano; a scene of a family baptism along the Schuylkill River; and three small portraits of Cassey patriarchs.

Although he won't pick a favorite painting, Caison acknowledges a deep affinity for the baptism scene.

"My family and I have always had a strong spiritual sense," said Caison. "When I researched the Casseys, I got to see how important spirituality was for their family too. The baptism scene shows their connection with a higher power."

Caison still takes strength from the lessons learned from his months of painting the Casseys. Their lives, he says, prove that the seeds of hard work and spirituality can bear fruit in future generations. It's a lesson he's practicing by teaching art to children in underserved neighborhoods.

"I want to make a difference," Caison said. "I feel like I'm accomplishing what I was meant to do on this Earth."