Jason Wallace
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Jason Wallace’s art practice is deeply rooted in an exploration of public policy and its profound effects on social structures, cognition, and collective perception. Drawing on Roland Barthes’ concept of the 'death of the author' as the 'birth of the reader,' Wallace’s work invites viewers to engage with the phenomenological aspects of human experience.
Having trained under some of the most brilliant artists and scholars of the 20th century, Wallace’s artistic journey began at the Art Institute of Chicago and flourished at Howard University’s College of Fine Arts, where his experiments with paint and form led to a passion for photography. While earning his Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Tufts University, Wallace was honored with the prestigious Dana Pond Award, recognizing excellence in painting.
Wallace’s work spans numerous private collections and public spaces, including significant murals commissioned by the New York City Department of Transportation and the Department of Parks and Recreation. His exhibitions include prestigious venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 7 World Trade Center, and most recently, the Miami Art Week/Art Basel Miami 2023. Wallace continues to push the boundaries of his practice, creating art that challenges and expands our understanding of the world.
Upcoming and current exhibitons
Excited to be one of the featured artists in the Smithsonian Design Triennial with the Black Artist & Design Guild’s [BADG] exhibition ‘Making Home’ for the Cooper Hewitt Museum. The exhibition officially opens to the public on November 2, 2024, and will be up for one year closing on August 10, 2025.
‘The Underground Library: An Archive of Our Truth’
"The Underground Library: An Archive of Our Truth"
The Underground Library was conceived by curatorial team @leydenlewisdesignstudio @malene.barnett @jomotariku @ninacookejohn @eclectichomenola and is inspired by the Underground Railroad, the clandestine network established in the early 19th century, through which many enslaved African Americans traveled in search of freedom. This library installation represents a 21st-century sanctuary surrounded by art, objects, artifacts, and books of Black legacy. In reimagining and repurposing the Andrew Carnegie personal library, BADG invites visitors to examine the power of home libraries and the significance of literacy, remembering that African Americans were denied the right to read under slavery.
Curatorial Team: @alexcunninghamcameron Hewitt’s curator of contemporary Design Hintz Secretarial Scholar; Christina L. De León @xtina_de_leon , Cooper Hewitt’s acting deputy director of curatorial and associate curator of Latino design; and Michelle Joan Wilkinson @michelleinthemix, curator of architecture and design at the National Museum of African American History and Culture; with curatorial assistants Sophia Gebara, Caroline O’Connell, Julie Pastor, and Isabel Strauss.
#BuildwithBADG #DesignTriennial #BADGLab #TheUndergroundLibrary #jasonwallacestudio
In ‘Purpose’, the target and equal sign act as symbols that speak to themes of equity, power, and the repurposing of historical spaces. Installed within Andrew Carnegie’s personal library—once a repository of knowledge funded by immense wealth from steel and railroads—this exhibition reclaims a space rooted in industrial capitalism and transforms it into a setting for Black art and design. The work thus functions as a form of counter-archive, challenging the legacy of figures like Carnegie, whose wealth built much of modern America but left complex social implications.
The target symbol, often associated with achievement or focus, here evokes the persistent pursuit of equality—a call for balance amid historical inequalities. The equal sign, on the other hand, represents an aspiration for shared access and equity, confronting how spaces of privilege have long excluded or marginalized Black voices. By bringing these symbols into this library, ‘Purpose’ questions how history might be reinterpreted or “targeted” for new meanings when seen through a different lens, specifically one that centers on Black perspectives.
Ultimately, ‘Purpose’ invites viewers to reflect on their relationship to spaces of power and knowledge, urging a reconsideration of who has historically been allowed to leave a legacy and how that legacy might be reshaped. This piece doesn’t simply inhabit Carnegie’s library; it transforms it into a place of reflection on justice, opportunity, and the rewriting of history.
The Abbott Stillman Prize 2024
I am honored to be the inaugural recipient of The Stillman Prize, awarded by the NYC Culture Club for 2024. This prestigious recognition includes the acquisition of one of my works pictured below and a cash award, acknowledging my contributions to the area of ‘Signs & Symbols’ within contemporary art. Being the first artist to receive this award is a significant milestone in my career. Thank you @abbottstillmanstudio!
Zero Bond Artist Residency 2022
In February 2022, I took part in a six-week artist residency at Zero Bond, a private membership social club in the heart of Manhattan. In collaboration with The Apostrophe NYC, the residency allowed me to immerse myself in a dynamic social environment, creating works that explored themes of community, social capital, and cultural exchange. The experience enabled me to engage with an eclectic audience, fostering meaningful connections with members and blending the worlds of contemporary art and high society in an intimate setting.
