Biography
There’s truth to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Artist Damon Lamar Reed brings that truth to reality. From hip-hop to public art, he strives to create messages that reach the depth of the human condition. As a young artist, Damon was a national competitor in the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), a winner of the Congressional Art Competition, and a graduate of the Harvard Career Discovery Program in Architecture. After graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago(SAIC) in 1999, he soon after attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Artist Residency. In 2003, Kerry James Marshall featured Damon’s work in his solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art(MCA), One True Thing, Meditations on Black Aesthetics. As an artist and entrepreneur, Reed has now created over 400 public art projects including: works for Super Bowl 46, Showtime(The Chi), Gatorade, the Chicago Blackhawks, Ticketmaster, and Sears to name a few. His work is featured in books such as Kym Pinder’s Painting the Gospel: Public Art and Religion in Chicago. Revolt tv news named Damon “Revolutionary of the week” citing the impact of his Still Searching project, where he uses art to raise awareness about missing women. The BBC also did a feature on the impact of Damon’s art; not to mention stories on News Nation, ABC, CBS, WGN, and NBC. He is filming a documentary with the same name, backed by Hulu, Kartemquin, and Still I Rise Films. He recently gave a TED Talk alongside filmmaker Latoya Flowers-Rudd. Reed received the Neighborhood Access Program (N.A.P.) Grant from the City of Chicago to do more Still Searching murals on the south side of Chicago. He was the first artist to receive the “Gem of the Community Award” from Architreasures for his ability to collaborate with the community. He also became the first person to accept “The Artist Award” from The Healing Foundation. In 2022, he was a recipient of the “Treasurer's Award” from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Damon is a true believer in the POWER of art, and he uses it as a catalyst to change the world!
For more info, visit www.damonlamarreed.com or @damonlamarreed on social media.