Petrona Morrison (born 1954) is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n sculptor and media artist. Her work is largely inspired by African art; she uses found objects in assemblages that have both personal and broader social themes. A native of

Manchester, Jamaica The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioces ...

, Morrison was sketching from the time she was a child. She began training as an artist at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, graduating in 1976. In the mid-1980s she studied for her MFA at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, during which time she spent a year in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. She divided her time between the United States and Jamaica before returning home for good in 1995; she continues to travel for residencies. She has taught at the

Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, formerly Jamaica School of Art and Crafts, is an art school in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1940, Edna Manley pioneered evening art classes at the Institute of Jamaica's Junior Centre but it was ...

since 1988. She was artist-in-residence at the

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent. The museum's galleries are currently closed in preparation for a building project that will replace the current building, located at 144 W ...

. Her work may be seen in the collection of the

National Gallery of Jamaica The National Gallery of Jamaica, in Kingston, Jamaica, is Jamaica's public art museum. It was established in 1974 and is located in the Kingston Mall, a commercial and cultural center on Kingston harbour. The National Gallery of Jamaica also has ...

. She was awarded the Gold

Musgrave Medal The Musgrave Medal is an annual award by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of achievement in art, science, and literature.Webster, Valerie J. (2000), ''Awards, Honors & Prizes, Volume 2'', Gale Group, , p. 447. Originally conceived in 1889 a ...

in 2014. In 2017 Morrison exhibited work in the Jamaica biennial.

Selected exhibitions

* ''Petrona Morrison and Veronica Ryan: Sculptural Works''.

Bronx Museum of the Arts The Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), also called the Bronx Museum of Art or simply the Bronx Museum, is an American cultural institution located in Concourse, Bronx, New York. The museum focuses on contemporary and 20th-century works created by A ...

, United States, 1996–1997. * ''Annual Exhibition'',

, Jamaica, 1999. Work: "Absence" * ''Jamaica Biennial'',

, Jamaica, 2017. Work: "Selfie."

References

{{Jamaica-artist-stub 1954 births Living people Jamaican women sculptors Jamaican women artists 20th-century Jamaican sculptors 20th-century women artists 21st-century Jamaican sculptors 21st-century women artists People from Manchester Parish McMaster University alumni Howard University alumni Recipients of the Musgrave Medal Jamaican artists