Kerry James Marshall

A famous contemporary African American artist named Kerry James Marshall was born in Birmingham in 1955 (Marshall). Most of his work referenced the geography of his upbringing: You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955 and grow up in South Central [Los Angeles] near the Black Panthers headquarters, and not feel like you’ve got some kind of social responsibility”(Marshall).

In response to Kerry James Marshall’s quote, was his social responsibilty to represent a group of people, or the places in which he grew up? I think Marshall’s referencing both the people and locations that surrounded him growing up. Everyone is a product of their environment. “Place can be a central facet of someone’s idenity” (Roberston, 151). Regardless of how one feels about the people they interact with, eventually these people will influence one’s decisions, ideals or beliefs. Many of Marshall’s works depict people living in housing projects. Rather than focusing on the violence and poverty within these projects, he emphasizes the people who live within these developments. Although the conditions are not ideal, people spend time developing friendships and families within these projects.

Marshall’s “Our Town” shows two African American children playing in what looks to be a “white” neighborhood. The homes, yards and streets are beautifully maintained. This work shows his exaggerated black figure. His paintings have a whimsical quality through the use of curvy lines and vibrant colors. In “Our Town”. Marshall’s display of children running and riding bicycles through the white neighborhood shows the segregation during the Civil Rights movement. Neighborhoods were seperated by race. “The place or places where on has lived, with their attendant physical, historical, and cultural attributes, conditions what one knows and how one sees” (151). Kerry James Marshall’s upbringing within housing projects, influences his artwork. His lived experiences help him convey important stereotypes and truths about these locations during the civil rights era.









Marshall, Kerry James. "Art:21." PBS.org. N.p., 2007. Web. 5 Apr 2010. .

"Our Town." Storage.Canalblog. Web. 5 Apr 2010. .

Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art. Second. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 151. Print.