Jennifer Mack-Watkins

My current bodies of work celebrate the beauty, importance, and complexities of positively representing African American children and women in literature, media, and pop culture. I am interested in using aesthetics as a form of resistance against the erasure and invisibility of African American culture.In these works, my subject matter depicts childhood innocence as an act of hope and resilience. Through my art, I seek to provide a sense of assurance for all African American children and hope the work encourages imagination and high aspirations. I hope to encourage children to enjoy childhood while being aware of the injustices and challenges that lie ahead of them.

Jennifer Mack-Watkins is a contemporary visual artist who’s primary studio practice entails silkscreen and Japanese woodblock prints. Her work investigates the societal constructs that can leave women feeling isolated and she explores definitions of femininity based on widely held notions of beauty and cultural norms. Her artistic aesthetic draws from a confluence of reference points, most of which include her Japanese Mokuhanga printmaking techniques and her culturally rich southern roots.  In the summer of 2015, Jennifer was selected to participate in the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory artist-in-residence program in Yamanashi, Japan and was a Joan Mitchell Foundation 2015 Emerging Artist nominee. She is also the recipient of "The Elizabeth Catlett Printmaking Award" presented by Hampton University Museum. 

Institutional acquisitions include Thomas J. Watson Library, Library of Congress, Zimmerli Museum, Agnes Scott College, The Getty Library, Newark Public Library, and Clark Atlanta University. Her work is also held in the permanent collections of ABC Studios and many other private art collections. Jennifer has presented her work in the Rush Arts Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition and Print Portfolio that was exhibited in New York City, and at Miami SCOPE and PRIZM art fairs. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Art and Object, and Essence.  Jennifer is a native of Charleston, South Carolina and currently lives and works in both New Jersey and Georgia. Jennifer holds a bachelor of arts in BA in studio arts from Morris Brown College, a MAT from Tufts University, and a MFA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute.