Jessica Clark
Artist & Educator
Jessica Clark is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC. She earned a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Jessica has exhibited in numerous shows in the Southeast, and her work is included in numerous private collections along with the Museum of the Southeast American Indian, Savannah College of Art and Design- Lacoste, France, the Federal Reserve Bank in Charlotte and the NoVo Foundation. Her work concentrates on documenting, preserving and educating her viewers on Southeastern Native American identity. She was profiled in the Winter 2014 and 2015/16 issue of First American Art Magazine, named a ‘2014 Woman to Watch’ at the Eighth Annual Conference of American Indian Women of Proud Nations, is a 2015 Joan Mitchell Visual Arts Scholar and a 2016 GOLDEN Educator Resident. She has a son in the US Army and currently teaches Visual Arts in Santa Fe, NM.
Jessica Clark, citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of NC, is a multimedia artist. She draws inspiration from the landscapes, traditions and people of southeastern NC, aiming to educate viewers on contemporary Native American identity and culture. Her work is not limited to one medium in order to communicate the importance of expressive culture in indigenous communities. She creates detailed abstract and collage drawings, large and colorful narrative paintings, and long leaf pine needle coiled baskets.
Each body of work tells the story of the “People of the Pines” in the medium that feels necessary at that particular moment. The long leaf coiled baskets and necklaces create a tangible connection to the land, preserving southeastern indigenous traditions of pottery and weaving. While the drawings and paintings honor and preserve our stories, experiences and traditions using contemporary techniques and methods of creating.