Short Bio
Josiah Malik Jamison is a Black contemporary realist painter and interdisciplinary artist whose practice examines the intersections of memory, mental health, and belonging through layered visual environments.
Statement
My work examines the complexities of identity, visibility, and reclamation at the intersections of race, gender, and queerness. Through painting, installation, and material exploration, I explore themes of trauma, erasure, and collective healing. Rooted in personal and communal histories, my practice centers marginalized experiences shaped by resilience and transformation, challenging dominant narratives while creating spaces for introspection and connection.
Through textured surfaces, layered compositions, and figurative imagery, I seek to disrupt Eurocentric ideals of beauty and representation. I am particularly drawn to the tension between hypervisibility and erasure—how racialized and gendered bodies are simultaneously spotlighted and obscured within broader social and cultural structures. Informed by psychoanalysis, trauma theory, and critical Black and queer thought, my work invites viewers into a dialogue between serenity and disruption, reflection and resistance.
Ultimately, my practice offers a space to reclaim autonomy, celebrate complex identities, and imagine communal futures grounded in care, belonging, and enduring visibility.
Biography
Josiah Malik Jamison is a Black contemporary realist painter and interdisciplinary artist based in Columbus, Ohio. They hold an MFA in Drawing and Painting from The Ohio State University and a BFA in Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art & Design. Working across painting, drawing, furniture, and installation, Jamison creates environments that reflect the psychological and emotional experiences of marginalized communities, engaging themes of identity, vulnerability, resilience, and desire. Their practice draws from African American history, personal memory, and the impact of untreated mental health on daily life and relationships, examining emotional unraveling as both a personal and collective experience.
Jamison’s work has been exhibited at Beeler Gallery, Acock Gallery, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Sean Christopher Gallery, and the Columbus Museum of Art. As both an artist and curator, they have organized exhibitions at Hopkins Hall Gallery and Urban Arts Space, creating platforms for dialogue around underrepresented identities and expanding the conversation around belonging and visibility in contemporary art.
Resume / CV
JOSIAH JAMISON
Columbus, Ohio | Email: josiahjamison3640@gmail.com | https://www.josiahjamison.com | 614-668-9753
EDUCATION
2025 MFA in Drawing and Painting (pending)
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, Franklin County
2022 BFA in Fine Art with Concentration in Painting,
Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH, Franklin County
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2025 Graduate Assistant , Hopkins Gallery, Urban Arts Space, Columbus, OH ( exhibition
management, artwork installation and strike procedure )
2024 Substitute Teacher, Saturday Art Classes, Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, OH
2023-24 Graduate Assistant , Hopkins Gallery, Urban Arts Space, Columbus, OH ( exhibition
management, artwork installation and strike procedure )
2023 Co-Teaching Assistant, Dani Restack ( Faculty), Spring 2023, The Ohio State University ,
Columbus, OH (2 courses taught: Beginning Drawing, Spring 2023)
2022 Teaching Assistant, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH (course taught: Beginning
Drawing (17292) , Autumn 2022
2020-22 Woodshop Studio Assistant, Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, OH
(maintained studio equipment and prepared workshops)
2018-22 Painting Studio Assistant, Columbus College of Art and Design,
Columbus, OH (maintained studio equipment, safety, knowledge of a various mediums and
chemicals)
SKILLS & TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY
Artistic & Technical Skills: Oil painting, acrylic painting, mixed media, figurative drawing, printmaking, sculpture, woodworking, and installation art.
Digital & Design: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Procreate.
Studio & Exhibition Preparation: Artwork installation and deinstallation, archival framing, lighting for exhibitions, and gallery management.
Teaching & Workshop Facilitation: Experience teaching drawing and painting, leading critiques, and facilitating community-based art workshops.
Writing & Research: Grant writing, exhibition proposals, and arts-based research with a focus on Black trans-femme identities and psychoanalysis.
Public Speaking & Community Engagement: Artist talks, panel discussions, and event programming.CURATED SHOWS
2024 UG Scholarship Showcase, Hopkins Gallery, Columbus, OH
2024 Convergence, Hopkins Gallery, Columbus, OH
2023 OSU MFA Show, Hopkins Gallery, Columbus, OH
2022 Breaking Boundaries, Byers Gallery, Columbus, OH
2018 Senior Portfolio and Photography Show, The Shot Tower Gallery
2017 Intern Pop-Up Show, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Lean into the Uncomfortableness: Act 1, Parlor Suites, Columbus, OH
2022 BFA Thesis Exhibition, Hyper-Visibility: Why Would You Take Your Eyes Off Of Me, Acock
Gallery, Columbus, OH (cataloged)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Desire Lines, Urban Arts Space, The Ohio State University, OH
(catalogued)
2024 33st Fergus Scholarship Exhibition, Hopkins Gallery, Columbus, OH
2023 2nd Year MFA Exhibition, Tethers, The Ohio State University Biological Sciences Greenhouse
2023 Summer Showcase, No Place Gallery, Columbus, OH
2023 Irrepressible Soul!, Urban Arts Space,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH(cataloged)
2023 MFA Show, Hopkins Gallery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2023 31st Fergus Scholarship Exhibition, Columbus, OH
2022 Mind, Body, Spirit, Sooouuul: An Exploration Of What Makes Us, Streetlight Guild,
Columbus, OH
2022 Chroma Show, Beeler Gallery, Columbus, OH
2022 Breaking Boundaries, Byers Gallery, Columbus, OH
2022 Annual All-CCAD Juried Student Show, Sean Christopher Gallery, Columbus,OH (cataloged)
2021 Resilience in Nature: We are the Roses that Grew from the Concrete, Franklin
Park Conservatory, Columbus, OH (catalogue)2020 Young Hearts 9 The Color of Love, Sean Christopher Gallery, Columbus,OH (cataloged)
2018 Senior Portfolio and Photography Show, The Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus, OH
2016 Intern Pop-Up Show, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus,OH
AWARDS/ HONORS/ SPECIAL PROJECTS
2024 Greater Columbus Artist Project, Columbus, OH
2024 33st Fergus Scholarship Exhibition, Hopkins Gallery, Columbus, OH
2024 Greater Columbus Artist Project, Funds for Artists, Columbus, OH
2023 Greater Columbus Artist Project, Funds for Artists, Columbus, OH
2023 31st Fergus Scholarship, Columbus, OH
2022 Second Place, Annual All-CCAD Juried Student Show, Sean Christopher Gallery,
Columbus,OH (catalogued)
2021 Visitors Choice, Resilience in Nature: We are the Roses that Grew from the Concrete,
Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, OH
2021 Pamela Workman Endowed Prize, Columbus, OH
2018 Gold Portfolio, Silver Portfolio, Two Honorable Mentions, Alliance for Young
Artists & Writers, Columbus, OH
2018 The Columbus Foundation, Columbus, OH
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
2025 Ohio State’s Urban Arts Space to host live figure drawing event celebrating diverse Black skin
tones and identities Friday," The Lantern, February 2025 Available at:
https://www.thelantern.com/202...
celebrating-diverse-black-skin-tones-and-identities-friday/
2025 Students' art tackles Ohio's transgender bathroom law, Trump policies," The Columbus Dispatch,
February 27, 2025 Available at:
https://www.dispatch.com/story...
trump-policies-ohio-state-columbus-murals/79428394007/
