Najee Dorsey (born 1973) is a

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

American

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

known for using

mixed-media In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...

, collage, paint and photographic works that depict Southern

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

experience and culture.

Biography

Najee Dorsey was born Jan. 26, 1973 in

Blytheville, Arkansas Blytheville is the county seat and the largest city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. It is approximately north of West Memphis. The population was 13,406 at the 2020 census, down from 15,620 in 2010. History Blytheville was foun ...

. He began creating art from a young age, but in 2005 became a full-time artist after a move to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. His art can be seen in various art institutions and private collections across the United States. In 2010, Dorsey created Black Art in America (BAIA), a media web site that provides access and exposure to black art and artists and facilitates connections between artists, collectors and art enthusiasts.Retrieved 29 May 2020. Dorsey and his wife, Seteria Dorsey (also a visual artist, and his business partner), live in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

Career

Najee Dorsey has used collage to convey the experience of growing up in the South, including his own childhood in

Mississippi County, Arkansas Mississippi County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,685. There are two county seats, Blytheville and Osceola. The county was formed on November 1, 1833, and named for the M ...

. His art has consisted of painting, photographs, digital and mixed media forms. Dorsey creates collages that focus on Southern

culture. His art has been known to highlight such themes as the Blues, black people within United States history and socioeconomic conditions of the South. His newest work, titled The Poor People's Campaign (an homage to Martin Luther King's program for economic justice) focuses on the themes of

afrofuturism Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocultu ...

and

environmental racism Environmental racism or ecological apartheid is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionally placed in communities of colour. Internationally, it is also associated with ...

in poor communities in the South.

Exhibitions

Dorsey has exhibited his work at many galleries and institutions, including:
Anika Dawkins Gallery
Atlanta, Georgia (2021)
Griots Gallery
Miami, Florida (2020)
Columbus Liberty Theatre
Columbus, Georgia (2019) * Mildred L. Terry Library,

(2019) * Stonecrest Library,

Lithonia, Georgia Lithonia (, ; AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area. "Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart ...

, ''The Art of Najee Dorsey: Environmental Injustice, Visions of a Futuristic Black South'' (2019) *

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, R.D.’s Backroom
University of Arkansas Library
Fayetteville, Arkansas, ''Remixed: Something Ole, Sum Nu Roux'' (2016); * The American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Missouri, ''Jazz Then and Now'' (2015) * Syracuse University
Community Folk Art Center
''Resistance'' (2015)
The Houston Museum of African American Culture
''Leaving Mississippi: Reflections on Heroes and Folklore'' (2015) * The Columbus Museum,

, ''Leaving Mississippi: Reflections on Heroes and Folklore'' (2014) * The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History,

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, ''Visions of the 44th Collection'' (2012)

Selected works

*''B-4-Rosa-Here I Stand'' (2014) *''Baby Boy'' (2019) *''Bethlehem Steele'' (2015) *''Captive Audience'' (2019) *''Deacons for Defense'' (2011) *''Harriet’s Daughter'' (2018)

References

External links