Martha Jackson-Jarvis

Martha Jackson Jarvis (born 1952) is an American artist known for her mixed-media installations that explore aspects of African, African American, and Native American spirituality, ecological concerns, and the role of women in preserving indigenous cultures. Her installations are composed using a variety of natural materials including terracotta, sand, copper, recycled stone, glass, wood, and coal. Her sculptures and installations are often site-specific, designed to interact with their surroundings and create a sense of place. Among other awards, Jackson Jarvis has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and has been inducted into the Washington DC Hall of Fame. The family moved to Philadelphia when Jackson Jarvis was thirteen.

Jackson Jarvis pursued a formal education in fine arts. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University in 1974, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1984. Ed Love, Jeff Donaldson, and Elizabeth Catlett. Jackson Jarvis transferred to Temple University's Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia to study ceramics. located at the Anacostia Metro station in Washington, D.C.; and sculptures, Music of the Spheres, at Fannie Mae Plaza in Washington, D.C., and Crossroads/Trickster I, at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. She also worked as a designer on the set of Julie Dash's 1991 film, Daughters of the Dust.

Jackson Jarvis is well-known for Signs of the Times, a series of sculptures on a large scale that examine the history and culture of the African American community. This work serves as a meaningful tribute to the rich heritage of the community, and has been displayed in numerous galleries and museums worldwide, such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Jackson Jarvis has also been an educator and mentor. She has taught at Howard University and the Maryland Institute College of Art. 1980 - Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), Washington, DC 1980 - National Sculpture Conference – Baltimore, MD 1981 - Howard University, Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 1989 - Washington Project for the Arts – Washington, DC 1989 - California African American Museum – Los Angeles, CA 1990 - New Jersey Center for Visual Arts – Summit, NJ 1990 - SUNY College at Brockport Tower – Brockport, NY 1990 - Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) – Winston-Salem, NC 1990 - Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art – New York, NY 1991 - Tretyakov Gallery – Moscow 1991 - BR Kornblatt Gallery – Washington, DC 1991 - National Museum of Women in the Arts – Washington, DC 1992 - The Fern Bank, Museum of Natural History – Atlanta, GA 1992 - Peninsula Fine Arts Center – Newport News, VA 1993 - Studio Museum of Harlem – New York, NY 1993 - Philadelphia African American Historical Museum – Philadelphia, PA 1994 - Art Museum of the Americas, Organization of American States – Washington, DC 1995 - Snug Harbor Cultural Center – Staten Island, NY 1996 - Swarthmore College – Swarthmore, PA 1996 - Maryland Art Place – Baltimore, MD 1997 - Spoleto Festival USA – Charleston, SC 1999–2000 - Society for Contemporary Craft – Pittsburgh, PA 2000 - Baley Museum – Richmond/Orange, VA 2000 - South Carolina Botanical Garden Clemson, SC 2000 - Addison-Ripley Fine Art – Washington, DC 2007 - American University Museum – Washington, DC 2007 - Manchester Craftsmen's Guild – Pittsburgh, PA 2008 - Bactria Art Center, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 2008 - Galerie Myrtis – Baltimore, MD 2010 - The Kreeger Museum – Washington, DC 2010 - University of Maryland University College – Adelphi, MD 2010 - American University Museum – Washington, DC 2011 - Gateway Art Center / Prince George's African American Museum – Brentwood, MD 2011 - Reginald F. Lewis Museum – Baltimore, MD 2011 - Museum of the Americas, Organization of American States – Washington, DC 2018 - Dumbarton Oaks Museum, Outside/IN, Washington, DC 2023 - African American Museum in Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA

Recognition and awards Jackson Jarvis has received several awards and honors for her artistic contributions, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She was inducted into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame, in recognition of her impact and influence in the region.

Julie McGee, an art historian at the University of Delaware, stated, "The work of Jackson Jarvis operates in two worlds—that of large-scale public commissions and the more intimate space of the gallery. Very few artists are able to finesse both, and certainly not with her acumen and sensitivity."

1986 - National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in sculpture 1977–1978 - Crafts Artist Grant 2007 - Artist in Residence, Lafayette College, Blackburn/Tague Experimental Printmaking Institute 2011 - United States Artists Project 2011 - Nominated for Anonymous Was a Woman Award Ochun: Earth Mounds, 1999-2000; South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson University Music of the Spheres, 2003; Van Ness Metro Station, Washington, DC Crossroads/Trickster I, 2005, Commissioned by the North Carolina Museum of Art ''Signs of the Times

Public art spaces (public and corporate commissions)

United States Embassy (Freetown, Sierra Leone) New York Transit Authority (Metro NYC) Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, SC) Arco Chemical Co. (Newton, PA) Cleveland Public Art (OH) Philip Morris Corp. (Washington, DC) North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, NC) Johns Hopkins State Health Laboratory (Baltimore, MD) Merck Company (PA) Lenkin Company (Washington, DC) KPMG Peat Marwick (Washington, DC) Howery and Simon Law Firm (Washington, DC) RST Development (Silver Spring, MD) Arlington County (Arlington, VA) New York Percent for Art (Bronx, NY) Fannie Mae Corporation (Washington, DC) Washington Metro Transit Authority (Washington, DC) South Carolina Botanical Garden (Clemson, SC) Prince George's Co. Courthouse (Upper Marlboro, MD) LaGuardia Community College (Long Island, NY)