Jacolby Satterwhite facts for kids

Jacolby Satterwhite (born in 1986) is an American artist. He creates amazing art installations that surround you. His art mixes different styles like video, digital art, sculptures, and paintings.

His work has been shown in many famous places. These include the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. You can also find his art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. His art is also in collections at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Jacolby Satterwhite also helps create music videos. He worked on Solange's 2019 visual album When I Get Home. He also directed a short film for Perfume Genius's 2022 album Ugly Season. His art was featured in the 2014 Whitney Biennial. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York City.

Early Life and Education

Jacolby Satterwhite was born in Columbia, South Carolina. When he was a child, he loved watching music videos. He especially enjoyed Janet Jackson's video collection. Videos by artists like Björk, Michael Jackson, and Madonna also shaped his artistic style.

He started using computers and technology at age 11. Before that, he played on many video game consoles. These included the Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, and SNES. He also had a Nintendo 64 and a Sony PlayStation.

Satterwhite studied art at college. He earned his first degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008. He then went to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 2010, he received his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

His Art and Career

Jacolby Satterwhite's art often uses drawings made by his mother, Patricia Satterwhite. She passed away in 2016. His mother was a very creative artist who made many drawings. Her drawings showed her ideas for everyday objects. These ideas were inspired by things like fashion, math, and even dreams.

In 2012, Satterwhite had an exhibition called Jacolby Satterwhite. The next year, his video series Reifying Desire was shown. This series mixed 3D computer animation with live action. It explored ideas about memory and personal history. This video series was later part of the 2014 Whitney Biennial.

Satterwhite has shown his work in many group exhibitions. These include shows at MoMA PS1 and the Smithsonian Institution. In 2013, he had his first solo show in New York. It was called The Matriarch's Rhapsody.

In 2014, he showed his work in an exhibition called "WPA Hothouse Video: Jacolby Satterwhite." An art curator described his work as "visually spectacular, strange, and boldly combines humor with darker elements." His piece Country Ball is now in the Seattle Art Museum.

From 2015 to 2016, Satterwhite's art was part of a traveling exhibition. It was called Disguise: Masks and Global African Art. This show explored how masks and costumes can be used to talk about social issues. It featured both old and new artworks.

In 2018, Satterwhite had a solo exhibition in New York. It featured a music video for his concept album, Blessed Avenue. This album was based on songs his late mother recorded on cassette tapes. The next year, he helped direct the music video for Solange's visual album When I Get Home. His work was featured with her song "Sound of Rain."

Also in 2019, Satterwhite had his first solo museum exhibition. It was at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. The show was called "Jacolby Satterwhite: Room for Living." He said that artists like Bruce Nauman and even the video game Final Fantasy influenced this work. Parts of the exhibition, like a bathtub and some handwriting, were designed by his mother.

Later that year, he opened another solo show in Brooklyn. This work was also based on songs his mother recorded. He worked with other musicians to turn her recordings into pop songs. He explained that he took his mother's simple home recordings and turned them into a big 3D animated virtual reality experience.

In 2022, Satterwhite directed a short film. It was called Pygmalion's Ugly Season. This film went along with Perfume Genius's album Ugly Season.

Awards and Recognition

Jacolby Satterwhite has received many awards for his art.

• 2016 United States Artists Fellowship
• 2013 Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant
• 2013 Arts Matters Grant
• 2013–2014 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace Artist-in-Residence
• 2012–2013 Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship
• 2011 Queer|Art|Mentorship Fellowship
• 2010 Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship
• 2007 Grand Prize Winner for Driven exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution

Where to See His Art

Jacolby Satterwhite's art is part of many public collections. You can see his work in these museums:

• Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland
• Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York
• Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City, New York
• The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, New York
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
• San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California