Jordan Robinson
he/they
Raleigh NC USA
Jordan T. Robinson (He/They) is a North Carolina-based artist, curator, and educator dedicated to empowering communities through creative services. Originally from New Rochelle, NY, Robinson grew up in Greensboro, NC, where early exposure to the arts led him to earn a Media Design degree from North Carolina A&T and an MA in Arts Administration from SCAD. His curatorial journey began during undergrad, producing exhibitions and supporting fellow artists. Robinson has taught at the African-American Atelier, assisted at GreenHill NC, and exhibited at institutions like the Center for Visual Artists and High Point University’s Big SURS. Today, he blends design and strategy to help creatives build impactful careers and foster inclusive, community-driven projects.
“My work explores navigation and identity—how we move through life and define ourselves within complex realities. Using mixed media and found objects, I map visible and invisible layers of experience shaped by culture, faith, behavior, and environment. My process is intuitive and analytical: I begin with emotion, creating abstract forms through color, texture, and shape, then layer meaning using lines, words, and marks. This back-and-forth between feeling and logic builds vibrant, intricate compositions. I’m drawn to the mystery of identity—how it influences behavior, decision-making, and our perceived worth. Through art, I investigate the forces that shape us and the narratives we construct.”
How does your work relate to the theme of flourish(ing)?
“I consider our community to be flourishing to be able to connect with those we love with less fear of death by infection, by violence, and by other forms of harm. This triptych was made from a series I painted reflecting on the risks we take for human connection. What is the cost of embracing one another? What can we do in facing the fact that there is risk in everything we do? Flourishing in this work is about continuing to take the risks in order for us to be able to connect in very human ways despite of what threats (like COVID or HIV) or successes we face."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
"HELL BENT", "Champlevé enamel on oxidized copper, brass findings, silver rivets, 4.5” x 3.5”, 2024"How does your creative practice allow you to flourish (grow, thrive, blossom)?
“"My process fuels flourishing in three concrete ways.
- Confidence through making. Finishing a work and reflecting on it gives me affirmation that I am capable. That reassurance expands my enthusiasm and keeps me making, learning, and taking creative risks.
- Connection through collaboration. Co‑creating with others dissolves ego, keeps me open to new ideas, and creates meaningful exchanges. Collaboration returns me to why I chose the arts: to connect, exchange stories, and build community.
- Inquiry into identity. The practice of mapping internal and external realities lets me examine layers of selfhood and behavior. Asking what motivated a choice or feeling helps me grow emotionally and intellectually, and it deepens the empathy embedded in my work.
Together, these elements—making, collaborating, and investigating identity—create a sustaining loop. Intuition sparks a piece; analysis refines it; the finished work affirms my capacity; collaboration expands perspective; reflection clarifies purpose. Flourishing, for me, is not a destination but an ongoing practice of creation, connection, and self-inquiry that enriches both my art and my life.”
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
As a queer+ artist, what would you like to see and/or what do you need in order to flourish during this time?
“This work, and all the other pieces in the series is for sale. at least 100 of the proceeds for each sale will go to Visual AIDS, an organization that uses art and education to fight against the virus because the pandemic is not over.”
“I would need a safe space for us to be our authentic selves. We need a space where we can live, love, be and reflect on who we are and what it means to be.”
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Simon Leung
[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium
