12 Pittsburgh Black Visual Artists Worth Your Attention
We’re continuing to celebrate Black History month all year long by applauding Pittsburgh’s amazing Black visual artists!
During our February artist networking event, The Creative Hive, we invited everyone who shared space with us at Museum Lab to share their favorite Pittsburgh Black visual artist. These artists have been featured everywhere, from your favorite local murals to The Museum of Modern Art. Check out our list of 12 Black visual artists making an impact in our Pittsburgh community.
Korey Edmonson
Where to follow: Follow Korey Edmonson on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Korey Edmonson's website
Korey Edmonson, also known as Korey the Artist, is an artist from Pittsburgh that specializes in portrait and figurative oil paints. In his work, he highlights the beauty and truth of the world — Black culture and human experience is a common thread in all his pieces. He is also an arts educator featured on SkillShare, where he teaches painting eyes with oil paints and chronicles his arts journey on his Youtube page, where he vlogs life as a Pittsburgh artist.
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Check out their website: Check out LaToya Ruby Frazier's Website
LaToya Ruby Frazier is an artist native to Braddock. Her practice is expansive, including photography, video, performance, installation art, and book-making. On her website, Frazier states that her practice centers on “the nexus of social justice, cultural change, and commentary on the American experience.” Her work has been featured locally, at The Silver Eye Center for Photography and The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and internationally, including the MoMA!
Wavy Wednesday
Where to follow: Follow Wavy Wednesday on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Wavy Wednesday’s website
Wavy Wednesday, or Kamara Townes, is a Pittsburgh-based artist who uses pop culture to uplift Black women and the everyday issues that they face. After graduating from California University of Pennsylvania in 2018, Wavy Wednesday’s art has been featured in a wide variety of locations including the Pittsburgh International Airport, Brew Arts House, and a solo exhibition in Brooklyn. Her second solo exhibition, WHERE DID YOUR CHRIST COME FROM?, will be on view from April-June 2024 at 937 Liberty in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Lyndon Barrois Jr.
Where to follow: Follow Lyndon Barrois Jr. on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Lyndon Barrois Jr.'s website
Lyndon Barrois Jr. is a Pittsburgh-based artist and educator. His primary medium is cinema and old cinema branding, which he uses to explore anachronism, simultaneity, and reanimation. He has recently completed residencies at the Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, Fogo Island Arts in Newfoundland, and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Ajani Zanaya
Where to follow: Follow Ajani Zanaya on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Ajani Zanaya's website
Ajani Zanaya is a Pittsburgh-based creative visionary and digital storyteller as well as the Advocacy and Communications Associate at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. She is the creator of @Ajisfits, which, according to her website, is “a holistic fashion, beauty, and travel blog that embraces the art of FIT.” Recently, their artwork “DOWN TO THE ROOT OF UNITY – STOP SCALPING OUR COMMUNITY” was featured in the “Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh” at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Thaddeus Mosley
Check out an interview: The New York Times coverage of Thaddeus Mosley's work
Thaddeus Mosley is a 98-year-old Pittsburgh-based wood sculptor. Mosley’s sculptural work can be found all over his home city of Pittsburgh, including Region in Suspension, Oval Continuity, and Branched Form, which you’ll find in the East Side Bond Plaza in East Liberty. Despite his late start as an artist, Mosley is nationally recognized for his sculptures and was awarded the 1999 Governor's Award for Artist of the Year in Pennsylvania Visual Arts and the PCA 2000 Cultural Award.
Marcel Walker
Where to follow: Follow Marcel Walker on Facebook
Check out their website: Check out Marcel Walker's website
Marcel L. Walker is graphic novelist, illustrator, and designer based in Pittsburgh. According to his website, Walker is “an expert on social applications for the graphic-prose arts, with a mission of championing comic books as a force for social good.” One of Walker’s most recognizable projects has been serving as project coordinator and lead project artist for “CHUTZ-POW!: Superheroes of the Holocaust,” an acclaimed comic-book series created and published by The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
Addoley Dzegede
Where to follow: Follow Addoley Dzegede on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Addoley Dzegede’s Website
Addoley Dzegede is a Pittsburgh-based multimedia artist whose work investigates belonging, migration, and intersectional identities. On her website, Dzegede says she explores “the metaphoric potential of materials, textile traditions, notions of ‘authenticity’ and the ways color and pattern are used to as a means to assign belonging.” No matter where Dzegede’s work is featured, she contemplates location, materiality, and the conditions of the project.
Jasmine Green
Where to follow: Follow Black Girl Absolute on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Black Girl Absolute's website
Jasmine Green, also known as Black Girl Absolute, is a Pittsburgh native and visual artist who specializes in acrylic paint. Black Girl Absolute identifies as an “artivist,” and on her website says, “I use my work in support of movements that advance the lives of Black women and girls through celebrating our beauty and advocating for futures that allow us to thrive.” Currently, she is the Director of Education at 1Hood Media Academy.
Charlese Dawson
Where to follow: Follow Charlese Dawson on Instagram
Charlese Dawson is a Pittsburgh-based freelance artist, performer, jewelry. According to her Instagram, in 2021, Dawson received a grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation to create the book “Send My Love to the Hill,” “a book of photography and poetry highlighting the Hill District’s community through the eyes of Black Women.” Dawson is also the Production Management Fellow for the Alumni Theater Company.
Camerin “Camo” Nesbit
Where to follow: Follow Camerin "Camo" Nesbit on Instagram
Camerin “Camo” Nesbit is a mural artist native to Pittsburgh. According to his City of Pittsburgh artist profile, his work explores “the importance of representation of the black body in public art.” He has 40+ murals under his belt and his work has been showcased at BOOM Concepts, The Shop Pittsburgh, Wicked Pittsburgh, and the Frame Gallery. Currently, Camo is working on a public art installation in Homewood slated for 2024.
Jada Patterson
Where to follow: Follow Jada Patterson on Instagram
Check out their website: Check out Jada Patterson's website
Jada Patterson is a Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary artist and craftsperson, primarily working in clay, beeswax, and assemblage. In her work, she explores beauty and material culture to learn more about her identity and ancestry as an Italian African American. Patterson is currently a resident artist at BOOM Concepts and Radiant Hall, and she was recently featured in the exhibition “Time is a Circle: Generational Craft Practices” at Belger Arts in Kansas City, Missouri.
Follow our Instagram to join us in continuing to celebrate Pittsburgh’s Black artists and to share your favorites!