Mashell Black
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Born in a small rural community on the island of Jamaica in 1980, Mashell Black found a calling
in expressing himself creatively when school supplies and local resources were not available to
provide him with the foundation of a traditional education. After moving to the United States in
1994, Black’s family encouraged him to continue pursuing his art. With the watercolor lessons
that his step-grandmother gave him, he also learned to read and write, improving on the limited
education he received in his native country.
Black went on to excel in a traditional school environment in Tenafly, NJ, while maintaining his
love of drawing and painting. With a substantial scholarship in hand, he attended Syracuse
University, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Black continued his education and
pursued a Master of Fine Arts at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts,
completing his degree in 2006.
From construction work to picture framing to substitute teaching, after graduation Black worked
a number of jobs while building a space where he could concentrate on his art. Along the way,
he also started his own house painting business. With the blessing of his wife, Rabiyah, Black
returned to creating art, developing new techniques, and engaging the art world full-time in
2016.
With the start of the new decade, Black is expanding his art practice even further, channeling
his experience as an immigrant and an African American. With one foot firmly planted in the
world of painting and the other in drawing, his technique reveals a common theme of isolation
as he exists between a state of belonging and not belonging, exploring the place he occupies
between them. Equally devoted to both disciplines, Black now uses his creative talent to
recognize the spiritual connection that art manifests within an observer, within a community, and
within our society.
Mashell Black
Education
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick,New Jersey, MFA, 2006
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Syracuse University, Syracuse New York, BFA 2003
Solo Exhibitions
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2022- “Defiantly Happy” Akwaaba Gallery at NJPAC, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2021- “Black,” Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2003 – “Simply Oils,” JCC (Jewish Community Center) on The Palisades, Tenafly, NJ, Curator: Opera Listokin
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2003 – “Transitions,” CFAC (Community Folk Art Center), Syracuse, NY, Curator: Lauren Austin
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2003 – “Jamaican Countryside,” Englewood Public Library, Englewood, NJ, Curator: Dick Burdon
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2002 – “Mashell Black,” Storch Gallery, Syracuse, NY, Curator: Murphy Servatka
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2001 – “Mashell Black,” Haworth Public Library, Haworth, NJ, Curator: Penny Dell
Group Exhibitions
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2022- Art Fair 14C, Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2022 “Reemergence” New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ: Curator: Jenny Martin
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2022- “From Were I Stand”, Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2021- Art Fair 14C, Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2021- “Aura,” Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2021- New Jersey Arts Annual, The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ, Curator: Krisnten J. Owens and Amy Simon Hopwood
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2021- “Creative Resilience” Newark Arts Festival, Newark,NJ, Curator: Adrienne Wheeler
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2021-“New Jersey Visions,” Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, Morristown, NJ, Curator: Virginia Fabbri Butera
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2021- “The Empowerment,” Pro Arts Gallery, Jersey City, NJ, Curator: Danielle Scott
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2020- “Vanishing Boundaries,” Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ, Curator: Laura Bonas Palmer
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2020- “ Art and Tech,” Newark Arts Festival -Virtual show at The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ: Curator: Marcy Depina
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2020 – “Soothing Souls,” Akwaaba Gallery, NJ, Curator: Jo-El Lopez
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2020 – “Glimpse,” Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, Curators: Evonne M. Davis and Jo-El Lopez
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2018 – “Curator Choice,” Casa Columbia, Jersey City, NJ, Curators: Mollie Thonneson & Michael Endy
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2018 – “Well Hung,” Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, Curator: Jo-El Lopez
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2018 – “Art in the Atrium,” Novartis, Morristown, NJ, Curator: VC Craig
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2017 – “Frame of Mind,” Above Art Studio, New Brunswick, NJ
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2017 – Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
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2004-2009 – Tritico Fine Art, Piermont, NY, Curator: Deborah Tritico
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2007 – “Made in Camden,” Walt Whitman Arts Center, Camden, NJ, Curator: Beverly Roberts
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2004 – The Next Generation of Hudson Valley Artists, Nyack Village Hall, Nyack, NY, Curator: Rina Oh
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2004 – Art From Africa, Teaneck, NJ, Curator: Freddie Barber
Awards and Honors
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Black Ball Projects 2022 Micro-Grant Winner, Brooklyn, NY, 2022
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Newark Museum Permanent Collection, Newark, NJ, 2021
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Newark Catalyst Fund, Newark New Jersey, 2021
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Newark Catalyst Fund, Newark, New Jersey, 2020
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Teaching Assistantship, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004-2006
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MGSA Scholarship, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004
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Peter Stroud Scholarship, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004
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First Prize, Augusta Hazard Award for Outstanding Senior Painter, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 2004
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Nancy Shaffer Schallern Scholarship, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 2003
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First Prize, Augusta Hazard Award for Outstanding Junior Painter, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 2003
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First Prize, Augusta Hazard Award for Outstanding Sophomore Painter, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 2002