JAZZ WILLIAMS

About the Artist

Mixed media painter and fiber artist Jazz Williams has grown up in the DMV her whole life, within a Black family that has enveloped traces of southern influence into her life. Living and working in Baltimore, Maryland, Williams has always been fully immersed in Black culture in one of the most populous Black areas in the country. Williams graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art as a General Fine Arts major focused in Fibers and Painting in 2024. It’s important for her to stay connected to her roots and constantly reach back towards home as a Black woman in a predominantly Black area now entering the white-centric world of portrait painting.

Williams’ work delves into the intricate relationship between the black femme body and the natural world, exploring how we evolve alongside the cycles of growth, decay, and rejuvenation in nature. Inspired by her upbringing in the DMV, Williams’ artistic imagery is rich with motifs of local plants and animals. Through her art, Williams aims to portray the black femme identity by weaving personal mythology and anecdotes, illustrating our resilience akin to navigating and rebuilding life in an unfamiliar wilderness.Central to her creative process is the concept of shadow-work, where she explores and transcends past traumas, reflecting on the inner strength required for growth. Employing a diverse range of mediums including fiber manipulation, natural dyeing, collage, painting, and 3D elements, Williams crafts visual narratives that resonate universally with women's coming-of-age experiences, using nature as a powerful metaphor. Many of Williams’ pieces are presented as tapestries, emphasizing the tactile quality of dyed fibers which echo the historic tradition of woven storytelling. Through these textile artworks, Willaims explains the contemporary journey of the black femme, rejoicing in endurance and triumph in today's world.