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Sharon L. Bjyrd is best known for her vibrant portraits celebrating the beauty and diversity of the black experience. "I seek to honor the individuality of people of color and to depict the different ways we go about expressing our blackness."
Sharon was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, attending Kenwood Academy High School and Chicago Metropolitan High School. After moving to Madison she attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying Social Work and Afro American studies and went on to work in the domestic violence field and serving women in poverty at organizations like the YWCA of Madison and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Self-taught, with a few classes along the way, Sharon entered the art world as a second passion after a life slowdown due to Lupus and sickle cell disease created the space to re-discover her love of art in the form of painting. Her medium of choice is acrylic paint, though she sometimes creates mixed media pieces. Influenced by contemporary artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Kerry James Marshall, Sharon melds her love of African prints with colorful portraits of Afro Americans who uniquely express their blackness.
Sharon's work is on public display at University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics new East Clinic, Madison College; has been shown in both solo and group shows in Wisconsin and Illinois, has been documented in the book "Let's Talk About It, The Art, The Artists and The Racial Justice Movement on Madison's State Street", at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's Art Fair on the Square; and the historic South Side Community Art Center, Chicago.
Sharon was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, attending Kenwood Academy High School and Chicago Metropolitan High School. After moving to Madison she attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying Social Work and Afro American studies and went on to work in the domestic violence field and serving women in poverty at organizations like the YWCA of Madison and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Self-taught, with a few classes along the way, Sharon entered the art world as a second passion after a life slowdown due to Lupus and sickle cell disease created the space to re-discover her love of art in the form of painting. Her medium of choice is acrylic paint, though she sometimes creates mixed media pieces. Influenced by contemporary artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Kerry James Marshall, Sharon melds her love of African prints with colorful portraits of Afro Americans who uniquely express their blackness.
Sharon's work is on public display at University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics new East Clinic, Madison College; has been shown in both solo and group shows in Wisconsin and Illinois, has been documented in the book "Let's Talk About It, The Art, The Artists and The Racial Justice Movement on Madison's State Street", at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's Art Fair on the Square; and the historic South Side Community Art Center, Chicago.
artist's statement
Often only the painful, gritty, hard history of black life in America is the focus. This creates an unconscious societal agreement that this is the one and only story of every Afro American. I seek to offer an alternative view for society by recreating the effortlessly regal and vibrant manisfestations of Afrocentrism that are underseen and which could replace the narrative of the black experience in America. My aim is to add colorful, beautiful, human faces to the collective consciousness that can be called upon when thinking about black lives and our place in America today. My work celebrates the beauty of the diversity of the black experience and honors the individuality of people of color by depicting the different ways we go about expressing our blackness.
My influences are somewhat eclectic and range from Toulouse-Latrec's use of color to set a mood to Kehinde Wiley's play with brown skintones against African prints. I love the way color bounces off of brown skintones and use a highly saturated palette to highlight this. Although I work mostly with acrylic paint I also enjoy experimenting with the way paint interacts with mixed media like newsprint and wood to create more dynamic skintones and colors. My hope is to capture the vibrancy of modern Afro American life.
My influences are somewhat eclectic and range from Toulouse-Latrec's use of color to set a mood to Kehinde Wiley's play with brown skintones against African prints. I love the way color bounces off of brown skintones and use a highly saturated palette to highlight this. Although I work mostly with acrylic paint I also enjoy experimenting with the way paint interacts with mixed media like newsprint and wood to create more dynamic skintones and colors. My hope is to capture the vibrancy of modern Afro American life.
Artist Resumè
- University of Wisconsin Sickle Cell Clinic, Coming Soon
- Women’s History Month Show, Giant Jones Brewery, 2024
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Lobby Exhibit, 2024
- “Women’s Work” Exhibit Femmistival at Garvey Canvas
- Omega School Gallery Black History Month show, 2024
- Rare Artist Finalist, 2023
- Visual Arts Team, Art Lit Laboratory, 2023-ongoing
- City of Madison Utility Box Art, 2023
- Our Town Everywhere, the Bubbler at Madison Public Libraries, Artist Facilitator, 2023
- Overture Galleries, 2023-2024 Selection Committee
- LOUD Wisconsin group show, Omega School, 2023
- Bridgework Group Show 2023, UW-Oshkosh Allen Priebe Gallery, 2023
- Heavy Is the Crown, solo exhibit, Art & Literature Laboratory, 2022
- Art Fair On the Square 2022, Juror
- TIME:(is) Exhibit, The Bubbler at Madison Public Library, 2022
- Licensing agreement with Ashro to produce limited edition artwear merchandise such as tshirts, canvas, and caftans, 2022-2024
- “Honoring the Black Woman” exhibit, Madison College, Madison WI, 2022 Work (4 pieces) purchased by the college and is on permanent display
- Madison Maker’s Market, Holiday Market 2021
- Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Holiday Art & Gift Fair, Madison, WI 2021
- BridgeWork Program, Art, Lit Lab, Madison WI 2021-2023 Cohort
- Umoja Magazine Impact Award 2021, Madison, WI, 2021
- Madison Maker’s Market, Summer Market 2021
- 46 Plays For America's First Ladies, Forward Theatre, Madison, WI 2021
- "Let's Talk About It, The Art, The Artists and The Racial Justice Movement on Madison's State Street", book produced by American Family Institute, 2021
- City of Madison Downtown Mural Project, Madison, WI, 2020
- Bohemian Black Solo Show, Roberta's Gallery UW-Whitewater, 2020
- Madison Public Market Holiday Market, Madison WI 2019
- Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Holiday Art & Gift Fair, Madison, WI 2019
- Art Fair on the Square, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Emerging Artist, Madison, WI 2019
- South Side Community Art Center, Flowers in the Garden Exhibit, Chicago, IL 2019
- EcoSquared Show, Hatch Art House, Madison, WI 2019
- Madtown Artisan Spring Event, Madison, WI 2018
- Pancakes & Booze, Chicago, IL 2018
- Promega Friends & Family Show, Madison, WI 2018
- Pancakes & Booze, Chicago, IL 2017
- American Bandito Podcast, Season 1, Episode 11, 2017
- Silver Room Block Party 100 Canvas Event, Chicago, IL 2017
- Silver Room Block Party 100 Canvas Event, Chicago, IL 2016
- Plus Gallery, Chicago, IL 2016