Joyce's Wellman's Y....U is on view at the National Gallery of Art in the group exhibition With Passion and Purpose: Gifts from the Collection of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson. This exhibition celebrates the recent and promised gifts of 175 works from the Thompsons to the National Gallery—the largest group of objects by Black artists to enter our collection at one time.

For over four decades, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson have championed the work of Black artists. They have supported exhibitions and scholarship as they built a remarkable collection that spans 100 years of Black creativity in America. This exhibition features more than 60 paintings, sculpture, drawings, and prints organized in sections around themes of music and abstraction, figuration and portraiture, civil rights and social politics, as well as landscape and transcultural connections and influences.

Learn more: https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/passion-and-purpose 

Image: Y....U, 2016. Mixed media on paper, 22 x 30 in. National Gallery of Art, Gift of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson. 

On view May 17–August 31, 2025. See Wellman's work featured in Modern Luxury's "3 Must-See Art Exhibits in DC This Spring"

Essex Hemphill (1957–1995) was a poet, essayist, performer, and activist whose work explored the complexities of race, gender, sexuality, love, politics, and community during the height of the AIDS epidemic and the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s. Hemphill emerged as a luminary of the DC arts scene, gaining national and international recognition for his deeply personal and incendiary work. Take care of your blessings explores the interdisciplinary relationship between Hemphill’s writing and visual art, bringing together the work of artists who knew or collaborated with Hemphill during his life or created work decades later that speaks toward his writings. 

Wellman's Someone Different is paired with Hemphill’s poem “Black Beans” in which the poet redefines wealth as a richness of love and desire, imbuing love with the power of transfiguration. Filled with swirling shapes and colors, Wellman’s body of work—a network of coded messages, hidden signs, and symbols—requires deciphering, not unlike the similes, metaphors, and visuals Hemphill conjures through his words. 

Learn more: https://www.phillipscollection.org/event/2025-05-17-essex-hemphill-take-care-your-blessings 

Image: Someone Different, 1987. Oil paint stick on paper drawing, 50 x 38 in. 

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, International Arts & Artists is pleased to announce an art auction, fundraiser, and exhibition held at the Hillyer Contemporary Art Space during the month of May. The exhibition and auction will feature over 40 works of art, including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, mixed media collages, and sculptures by Hillyer’s past and present artists. Funds raised support the non-profit mission of IA&A and the Hillyer Contemporary Art Space.

Auction (Early Bids)
Friday, May 2, 5-6 pm (Members and VIPs)
Exhibition Opening and Bidding
Friday, May 2, 6 to 8 pm
Auction (Grand Finale)
Thursday, May 29, 6–8pm

Location: Hillyer Art Space, 9 Hillyer Ct NW, Washington DC 20008

Register: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/auctiononthealley/ 

Krishna Reddy Symposium 

Saturday April 26, 2 p.m. 
Print Center New York, 535 West 24th Street, New York, NY

Organized in conjunction with the exhibition Krishna Reddy: Heaven in a Wildflower, this symposium gathers a range of scholars and practitioners to explore the life and legacy of the renowned artist. The event includes a section "Reddy's Pedagogical Legacy" (3:30-4:30PM) where Reddy’s former students (including Joyce Wellman), and collaborators will gather in a conversion exploring the artist’s commitment and radical approach to pedagogy. 

Free and open to all. RSVP: https://printcenternewyork.artsvp.com/7da57b

Workshop | Drypoint Monotype with Joyce Wellman

Sunday, April 27, 1-4 p.m.

EFA Robert Blackburn Workshop, 323 West 39th Street, New York, NY

Join acclaimed artist Joyce Wellman in this immersive single-session, all-levels monotype session. Participants will explore using drypoint plates and experimenting with different ink viscosities and transparencies to create unique, expressive monotype prints. Joyce Wellman met Krishna Reddy in the late 1970s at Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, where Reddy was teaching color viscosity workshops.

This event is full, but you can join the waitlist: https://printcenternewyork.artsvp.com/54f85b

Image: Krishna Reddy rolling ink over a metal plate during a workshop at Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop. Courtesy the archives of EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop.

The Phillips Collection interviewed Joyce Wellman in the final days of Breaking It Down, an exhibition of work from The Phillips' permanent collection. 

Two works by Joyce Wellman have been donated to the permanent collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Images (left-right): Y… U?, 2016. Mixed media on paper. Journey Through Migration, 1985, Color viscosity etching, 22 x 16 in.

Future Histories: New Acquisitions at The Driskell Center, showcases the diversity and depth of Black art through significant additions to the center’s collection since 2018. Many of these works will be displayed for the first time, offering a fresh perspective on Black art's past, present, and future. On view February 10-May 9. Learn more.

Reception: February 7, 5-7PM. 

Image: Deborah Roberts, Keeping Watch, 2019. Mixed media, 20.5 x 9.75 in. The Driskell Center, University of Maryland. Gift of Deborah Roberts/ Purchased with funds from the C. Sylvia & Eddie Brown Arts Acquisition Fund.

On view November 2, 2024-January 19, 2025.

"The Phillips Collection, from its inception, has focused on creating what founder Duncan Phillips called 'units': groups of works of art that represent key aspects of an artist’s vision or spirit. Leaders in championing the independent-minded artist, Duncan and Marjorie Phillips gave many their first museum exhibitions and acquisitions. This presentation offers a deep dive and new take on several artists who are cornerstones of the collection, including Georges Braque, Richard Diebenkorn, Arthur Dove, Sam Gilliam, Paul Klee, and Georgia O’Keeffe, alongside a growing collection of works by trailblazers of our time, including Sean Scully, Sylvia Snowden, Renée Stout, Joyce Wellman, and more."

Special online event: Guided Meditation and Artist Talk with Joyce Wellman November 6, 12:45-2 p.m. Registration required.

On September 7, the Washington Print Club hosted a visit to Joyce Wellman's studio to see her prints and learn more about the process behind creating them. The Washington Print Club nurtures a greater understanding and appreciation of printmaking in enthusiasts of all sorts—collectors, artists, scholars and students—to apply for membership.

Photo: Sharon Farmer

In conjunction with two-site exhibition:
Where We At Black Women Artists Now! Paper Works July 20 – November 2, 2024 | Blackburn Study Center

Part 2: Where We At Black Women Artists Now! Weeksville Heritage Site

Saturday, October 26, 3PM
Discussion | Where We At Black Women Artists Now! | Blackburn Study Center 

Following the exhibition Where We At, Black Women Artists. Now! Paper Works at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts' Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City, a second exhibition will revisit the legacy of Where We At Black Women Artists nearly five decades later. Forward Ever—Celebrating Where We At Black Women Artists, (1971-Now) will be on view at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, New York, from August 27-October 25, 2024.

Presenting works from members Claudia Aziza Gibson-Hunter, Sadikisha Collier, Jerrolyn Crooks deGracia, Charlotte Ka, Dindga McCannon, Ann Tanksley, Joyce Wellman, and Viola Burley Leak, this selection of works reflect on the broader narrative of Black women in art. This exhibition invites us to question how we can sustain spaces that nurture the artistic pursuits of those at the furthest margins, reject the gatekeeping that stifles creativity, and transcend our silos as we harness the power of the collective to support each other on life’s journey. Curated by Erica Harper & Sika Bonsu.

Image: Dindga McCannon, Pat is Pregnant, 1977. Courtesy of Fridman Gallery

Where We At, Black Women Artists. Now! Paper Works will be on view July 20-November 2, 2024 at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts' Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City. Opening Reception: Saturday, July 20th; 3-6PM. Where We At Now! Part Two will be on view at the Weeksville Society Gallery August - October 2024. Opening Celebration: Saturday, August 27th, 6-9PM.

"This exhibition delves into the artistic achievements and contributions of Robert Blackburn (1920-2003). The printmaking workshop he founded served as a welcoming space for American and International artists of diverse backgrounds to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering an environment for learning and producing fine prints. Blackburn prioritized the workshop's operation over his own art making practice, dedicating himself to providing opportunities that nurtured fellow artists which often placed his own work in a secondary role."

In addition to Blackburn's own prints, the exhibition includes works by 42 artists "who benefited from his expertise and the exemplary standards he set," including Wellman. 

See the full online exhibition and selected works by Joyce Wellman. April 16-July 31, 2024.

Images, left-right: Joyce Wellman, Family Story 4 to 5, 1980. Open bite etching with simultaneous color printing, image: 19 7/8 x 15 5/8 in. sheet: 30 x 22 1/2 in.; Family Story 4 to 5 (red), 1982. Open bite etching with simultaneous color printing, image: 19 7/8 x 15 5/8 in., sheet: 30 x 22 1/2 in. 

"Joyce Wellman’s body of work offers a complex visual system of coded messages interlaced with hidden signs, sacred symbols, whispers, and dreams." - Adrienne L. Childs

Joyce Wellman's The Big Five is on view now with other works from The Phillips' permanent collection. Learn more.

Joyce Wellman’s works Third Eye (L) and Untitled Sky (R) will be included in the group exhibition The Oracle Said “Be Still,” curated by Renée Stout, and Newly Selected Artist, Shamila Chaudhary at IA&A Hillyer October 7-29.

“During the height of Covid, I created a print that featured a disembodied head (the ‘oracle’), in which it suggested in a speech bubble that we should ‘be still.’ In that stillness I had hoped that we would all take the time to care for ourselves, reassess our lives and re-focus on the things that are most important.” — Renée Stout

Following the premonition of the “oracle,” Stout chose not to place importance on showcasing the featured artists’ most recent works. Instead, she selected works by the artists that collectively evoke a variety of thoughts, moods, and feelings that can be articulated with words like reflective, wistful, introspective, pensive, playful, forlorn, spiritual, and joyful.

Pondering the works, Stout experienced moments of reverie, solace, escape, and a deep sense of longing for something undefinable. In many instances, the titles of the works offer portals into their own narratives and trajectories. It’s that quiet, undefinable, and elusive thing, simultaneously serendipitous and melancholy, to the point of bittersweetness that Stout was aiming to present to the viewer to muse upon in their own way, to hopefully find some peace within the stillness.

Featuring artists: Cheryl Edwards, Sharon Farmer, Cianne Fragione, Adrienne Gaither, Elaine Qiu, Ellyn Weiss, Joyce Wellman, and Trevor Young

Learn more.

Images: The Third Eye, 1992. Etching, 20 x 16 in. and Untitled Sky, 1985. Etching, 20 x 16 in. 20 Eds.

Joyce Wellman’s artist book Mutual 3, 5, 7 is featured in the exhibition Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection at the Georgia Museum of Art through July 3, 2024.

In 2012, Larry and Brenda Thompson gave 100 works of art by African American artists to the Georgia Museum of Art, mirroring the original donation of 100 American paintings by museum founder Alfred Heber Holbrook. In addition, they endowed a curatorial position to steward this collection to help fulfill the museum’s vision of an inclusive canon of American art. This exhibition includes works from the 2011 traveling exhibition “Tradition Redefined,” which preceded the gift, as well as subsequent works added in recent years that have not been on view in other galleries. These works celebrate the expansion of the museum’s permanent collection through this transformative gift of works by African American artists.

On view with recently installed works from The Phillips' permanent collection. This iteration was curated by Sue Frank.

Learn more about visiting The Phillips Collection, including address, admission fees, and operating hours.

Joyce Wellman, The Big Five, 2005. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 72 x 60 in. Gift of the artist, 2022

Join me for a two-part program at the Phillips Collection in conjunction with the exhibition Pour, Tear, Carve: Material Possibilities in the Collection, where my work is included.

Artist Talk: April 27, 6:30­­–7:30PM

Learn about the artist’s practice during a talk in the exhibition galleries facilitated by Phillips Assistant Curator Camille Brown.

Workshop: April 29, 2-4PM

Return for a hands-on workshop led by the artist to apply what you learned to your own creations. All materials provided.

Registration Open/In-Person. Registration required; capacity is limited.

$16, Seniors $12, Students $10, free for members. Includes museum admission.

Images: Left: Joyce Wellman, credit: Sharon Farmer; Joyce Wellman, Journey Through Migration, 1985, Color viscosity etching, 22 x 16 in., The Phillips Collection, Gift of the artist, 2022. 

The Phillips Collection highlights the diversity and intricacy of its permanent collection in Pour, Tear, Carve: Material Possibilities in the Collection. The multi-faceted exhibition on view March 18–May 14, 2023, features over 65 works from the Phillips’s vast permanent collection and delves into how artists have used both historic and contemporary art materials as conduits of meaning and to generate discussion.

Wow! Friends and lovers of art, 2023 is going to be a blast!

First, I am a featured artist on Now Be Here’s social media accounts (see Facebook and Instagram). It is a wonderful organization dedicated to promoting women artists. I am honored, excited, and having fun being featured on their social media feeds.

Upcoming!

My work is featured in a group exhibition at The Phillips Collection—Pour, Tear, Carve, Material Possibilities in the Collection, from March 18 -May 14, 2023. Material Possibilities considers how artists have utilized historic and contemporary art materials to act as conduits of meaning. The show is culled from the Phillips’ permanent collection, and my featured etching is Journey Thru Migration.

Look out for more from me this year, including “Requiem for a Numbers Player”—the movie!

"I'm so excited!"

Always,

Joyce 

Exhibited in the group exhibition Imagine: Celebrating Black Female Creativity at the Featherstone Center for the Arts, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, August 7-September 5, 2022. Curated by Adrienne L. Childs.

Today's #TBT is to Autumn Passages, made in conjunction with Joyce Wellman's 2005 exhibition Chance and Other Musings, a solo exhibition at the North Carolina A&T State Museum Gallery, Greensboro, North Carolina.