Jennifer Mack-Watkins received her BA in studio arts from Morris Brown College, MAT from Tufts University, and MFA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute.Jennifer’s work investigates the societal conformities that isolates being a woman and how society defines what femininity is based on a predefined pattern.She was a recipient of “The Elizabeth Catlett Printmaking Award” given by Hampton University Museum. The Library of Congress, Rutgers University,Agnes Scott College, Getty Library, The Newark Public Library, and Clark Atlanta University have all acquired her work. In the summer of 2015, Jennifer was selected to participate in the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory artist-in-residence program in Yamanashi, Japan. Mack-Watkins participated 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 fair. The Joan Mitchell Foundation nominated her as a 2015 Emerging Artist. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Art and Object, and Essence. Jennifer Mack-Watkins is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. She currently lives and works in both New Jersey and Georgia.
My current bodies of work celebrates the beauty, importance, and complexity of positive representation of 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 the series ,Children of the Sun demonstrates how a child’s innocence can be seen 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 aspiration. In the same way, I hope to encourage children to enjoy childhood while being aware of the injustices and challenges that lie ahead of them.
— Jennifer Mack-Watkins