On December 1, Erie Arts & Culture welcomes its final visiting artist of 2021, Malcolm Jackson. A street photographer from Jacksonville, Florida, Malcolm will spend the entirety of December navigating the streets and neighborhoods of Erie's urban core to document community life. In addition to documenting his time in Erie, Malcolm will meet with students at the Inner City Neighborhood Art House on December 7 to speak with them about his career path and work as a photographer.
Malcolm's roots in the American South are present throughout his work. His earliest images centered around southern car culture and communal gathering spaces, such as laundromats and barber shops. His most iconic imagery features faces and places that have historically been under-resourced by oppressive and discriminatory systems. As a photographer, Malcolm is a man of the people.
In 2019, Malcolm created a body of work alongside fellow artists Dustin Harewood an Jordan Walter. The show was titled "The Black Beach" and paid homage to the American Beach, a historic beach community in northeastern Florida. During the time of segregation and the Jim Crow era, African Americans were not allowed to swim at most beaches in Jacksonville. Founded in 1953, American Beach was a popular destination where African Americans could enjoy "Recreation and Relaxation Without Humiliation." The three-person exhibition raised questions around how American public policies and investments have been used to marginalize and disenfranchise African Americans.
This visiting artist residency program is made possible through the generous support of a privately funded grant from The Erie Community Foundation.
About Malcolm Jackson
Malcolm Jackson (b. 1993) is an artist and street photographer born in Jacksonville, Florida. Malcolm found photography at a young age, but was reintroduced to it in high school as a way to cure his budding depression; giving him something positive and productive to focus on. Malcolm studied photographers Gordon Parks, Robert Frank, and Roy Decarva, opening his mind to the endless ways that he could use a camera to create dialogue and tell stories.
Malcolm uses photography as a bridge to connect the viewer to the realities of life for the common person in the 21st century. His work as a street photographer focuses on race, class, identity, and community. He has documented communities from his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida all the way in Japan. Through his work, Malcolm captures moments that he hopes will spark conversations that have the potential to usher society forward.
Malcolm has worked with various clients and media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Nike, Bloomberg, Netflix, People Magazine, ESPN, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2018, Malcolm was named Artist of the Year by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
