EDUCATION
University of California, Los Angeles. (PhD. 1997) American Art
University of Wyoming. (MFA, 1988) Sculpture; (MA, 1987) Painting
Schiller International University, Berlin. (MA) Theatre History
California College of Arts, Oakland, CA. (BFA) Painting
UNIVERSITY TEACHING
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL. (2007-2019) African American Studies and Art History
Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC. (2000-2007) Art History
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. (2005) Art History
Cottey College. Nevada, MO. (1996-2000) Art History, Film Studies, Studio Art
PUBLISHING AWARD
Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as Visual Culture, George Tyler
Moore Center for Study of the Civil War, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV. (2008)
VISUAL ART AWARDS
Honorable Mention, “Josecito, Uvalde, Texas,” A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA. Sept 8 – Oct 13, 2023.
Honorable Mentions (2), “Ukrainian Mother” and “Ahmaud Arbery Memorial Run,” Palmetto Hands Fine Crafts, ArtFest, North Charleston, SC. May 1 -7, 2023.
Honorable Mention, “Witness for the Prosecution,” Handcrafted 2023, Maria V Howard Arts Center at the Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences, Rocky Mount, NC. Jan 20 - April 23, 2023.
Honorable Mention, “Roses for Angela, 1971,” Artists Who Teach, Fayetteville State University, Rosenthal Gallery, Fayetteville, NC. Sept 23 – Nov 12, 2022.
Honorable Mention, "Ahmaud Arbery Memorial Run," A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA. Sept 2 – Oct 7, 2022.
Weyerhaeuser Juror Award, "Daddy Changed the World," Great Northern Art Explosion, Grayling, MI. Aug 28–Sept 12, 2021. https://www.artexplosion.org/winners
VISUAL ART GRANTS
2022 Not Real Art Grant, Crewest Studio, Culver City Arts Foundation, CA. https://notrealart.com/2022-not-real-art-grant-winners/
Cultural Commentary/Social Change Grant, Fiber Art Now 10:3 (summer/fall 2021).
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Quilts in Remembrance, Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, Fond du Lac, WI. Jan 12- Feb 23, 2024.
Quilted Memorials, Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery, Alma College Alma, MI. Nov 6 - Dec 7, 2023.
Cotton Collages: Remembering the Innocent, Harry Krug Gallery, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS. Sept 26 - Nov 8, 2023.
Quilted Chronicles: Comforters for a Fraught Era, Corkran Gallery, Rebohoth Art League, Rebohoth Beach, DE. Sept 29 - Oct 29, 2023.
Lady Corona Series, Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, OR. Feb 24 - March 24, 2023.
Quilt Memorials: Dreams of Social Justice, Park Circle Gallery, North Charleston, SC. Nov 4 - Dec 31, 2022.
Quilt Memorials: Saying Their Names in Fabric, Dalton Gallery, Art Council of York County, Dalton Gallery, Rock Hill, SC. Feb 3 - March 4, 2022.
PRESS COVERAGE
Gallery Talk: From the artist with Jo-Ann Morgan, Quilted Chronicles, Rehoboth Art League.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esVgv_U_JWM
Charleston [SC] City Paper “Jo-Ann Morgan Provides Comfort, Commentary Through Quilting.”
Chloe Hogan, (Nov 23, 2022).
CN2 News, Rock Hill, SC "Stories Through Quilts" - New Art Exhibit on Display at Art Council of York (February 16, 2022). https://www.cn2.com/stories-through-quilts-new-art-exhibit-on-display-at-art-council-of-york-com
Fiber Art Now “Excellence in Fibers VIII,” (winter 2023) 58.
Fiber Art Now “Cultural Commentary, Social Change Grant, Jo-Ann Morgan,” (summer/fall 2021) 52.
VISUAL ART EXHIBITIONS (Recent)
A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA. September 8 – October 13, 2023. Artwork shown: "Josecito, Uvalde, Texas."
Good Trouble Quilts — Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Congressman John Lewis, Atlanta Quilt Festival, South Fulton, GA. August 4 – September 2, 2023. Artworks shown: "Pledge Allegiance- Memorial for John R. Lewis," and "Lain in State."
ArtFest, Palmetto Hands Fine Crafts, North Charleston, SC. May 1 – 7, 2023.
“Inspiration,” SAQA Georgia and South Carolina Showcase Exhibit, QuiltFest, Greenville, SC. April 20-22, 2023.
I Choose Therefore I Am, Silver Street Studios, Houston, TX. March 11 – April 30, 2023. Artwork shown: "Justice for All."
Passage of Time, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC. Feb 2-March 13, 2023. Artwork shown: "Roses for Angela, 1971."
Pee Dee Regional Annual, Florence County Museum, Florence SC. Jan 26 – April 7, 2023. Artwork shown: "Foto Estudio."
2023 Handcrafted, Maria V. Howard Art Center at the Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences, Rocky Mount, NC. Jan 20 – April 23, 2023. Artwork shown: "Witness for the Prosecution."
Democracy- A Visual Exploration, Overture Center, Madison, WI. [scheduled] March 7- June 4, 2023. Artwork shown: “Justice for All- Memorial for Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
Through the Mask: Conversations about Culture and Covid, Saint Vincent College,
McCarl Coverlet Gallery, Latrobe, PA. Nov 9 – Feb 3, 2023. Artwork shown: “Lady Corona Comforts the Children,” “Justice for All: Memorial for Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” “Elegy for Elijah.”
Artists Who Teach, Fayetteville State University, Rosenthal Gallery, Fayetteville, NC. Sept 23 – Nov 12, 2022. Artwork shown: “Memorial for Breonna Taylor,” “Roses for Angela, 1971.”
Southeastern College Art Conference Members Show, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. Oct 21 – 28, 2022. Artwork shown: “Daddy Changed the World,” “Sueños de la Madre,” “Ukrainian Mother.”
The Shape I’m In, Tri-State Sculptor’s Member Exhibition, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC. Aug 3 - Oct 8, 2022. Artwork shown:“Ukrainian Mother.”
ArtPrize 2022, Grand Rapids, MI. Sept 15 - Oct 2, 2022. Venue: Cornerstone Church, Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids, MI. Artwork shown: Quilt Chronicles: Comforters for a Fraught Era, "Daddy Changed the World," “Elegy for Elijah,” “Lady Corona Comforts the Children,” “Reunion,” “Sueños de la Madre.”
A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA. Sept 2 – Oct 7, 2022. Artwork shown: “The Ahmaud Arbery Memorial Run.”
Sacred Threads, Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA. July 14 – 24, 2022. Artwork shown: “Elegy for Elijah.”
Connectivity, Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA. June 15 – July 187, 2022. Artwork shown: “Justice for All: Memorial for Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
ArtFIELDS, Lake City, SC. April 22 - 30, 2022. Artwork shown: "Daddy Changed the World."
Protest Signs, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, Feb 24 – April 1, 2022. Artwork shown: "Memorial for Breonna Taylor;" "Pledge Allegiance: Memorial for John R. Lewis;" "Daddy Changed the World."
Embracing Our Differences, Bayfront Park, Sarasota, FL. Jan 15-April 10, 2022. Artwork shown: “Justice for All: Memorial for Ruth Bader GInsburg.” https://www.embracingourdifferences.org/gallery/2022-gallery/justice-for-all/3051/?back=gallery
“No Justice, No Peace”: Global Protest, Unrest, and Conflict, James Wise Gallery, Norfolk State University, Norwalk, VA. Oct 15-Dec 10, 2021. Artwork shown: “Pledge Allegiance- Memorial for John R. Lewis.”
Quilts Unlimited, View Center for Arts and Culture, Old Forge, NY. Oct 2–Dec 4, 2021. Artwork shown: “Lady Corona Comforts the Children.” https://www.viewarts.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/2021-quilts-unlimited/
Terrain Biennial, installation in Tallahassee, FL. Oct 2-Nov 15, 2021. Artwork shown: “Memorial for Breonna Taylor,” “Pledge Allegiance: Memorial for John R. Louis;” “Lady Corona Comforts the Children;” “Witness for the Prosecution;” “Daddy Changed the World.”
The Language of Fiber Art, Kelso Art Center, University of Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX. Oct 8-Nov 12, 2021. Artwork shown: “Roses for Angela, 1970.”
Threads that Bind (When the Fabric of Social Culture Unravels), Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY. Sept 12-Oct 17, 2021. Artwork shown: “Lain in Honor;” “Memorial for Breonna Taylor.”
Current and Former Faculty Show, Rebekah Bryant Gallery, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC. Sept 1–Oct 3, 2021. Artwork shown: “Witness for the Prosecution;” “In Remembrance- Asian Spa.”
Art Explosion, DuSable Artisan Village, Grayling, MI. Aug 28-Sept 11, 2021. Artwork shown: "Daddy Changed the World."
Art and Social Justice: Art for the People, By the People II, Ellington-White Contemporary, Fayetteville, NC. May 1-June 26, 2021. Artwork shown: "Justice For All- Memorial for Ruth Bader Ginsburg." https://www.ellington-white.com/art-social-justice-exhibition
Fantastic Fibers 2020, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY. April 1-May 29, 2021. Artwork shown: "Memorial for Breonna Taylor." https://www.facebook.com/yeiserartcenter/videos/4267173826640479
Persistence III, d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA. March 13-31, 2021. Artwork shown: "Lady Corona Comforts the Children." https://www.facebook.com/joann.morgan.545/posts/4202669766431464
Your Place at the Table, 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC. Nov 6-27, 2020. Artwork shown: "Pledge Allegiance- Memorial for John R. Lewis;" "Memorial for Breonna Taylor." https://www.311artgallery.com/virtual/ypat
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS:
The Black Arts Movement and the Black Panther Party in American Visual Culture, New York and London: Routledge (2019).
"Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as Visual Culture, Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2007 (reissued in paperback, 2016).
ANTHOLOGY ESSAYS:
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly.” Books to Film: Cinematic Adaptations of Literary Works, edited by Barry Keith Grant, vol.1, Gale (2018) 379-383.
“From ‘Free Speech’ to ‘Free Huey’—Visual Ephemera and the Collaboration of Black Power with White Resistance,” Conflict, Identity, and Protest in American Art, Makeda Best and Miguel de Baca, editors, Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2015) 75-98.
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
“Huey P. Newton Enthroned--Iconic Image of Black Power,” Journal of American Culture 37:2 (June 2014) 129-148.
“Thomas Satterwhite Noble’s Mulattos--From Barefoot Madonna to Maggie the Ripper,” Journal of American Studies 41:1, Cambridge University Press (2007) 83-117.
“Winslow Homer Visits Aunt Chloe’s Old Kentucky Home,” Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) Review 14:5 (2005) 439-451.
“Picturing Uncle Tom with Little Eva--Reproduction as Legacy,” Journal of American Culture 27:1, Blackwell Publishing (Feb. 2004) 1-24.
"Mammy the Huckster--Selling the Old South for the New Century," American Art 9:1, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC, (Spring 1995) 87-109.
DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS:
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in the National Era, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT, “Commentary by Jo-Ann Morgan” on chapters 7, 20, 21, 29, 36, and 37 (July 10 & November 13, 2011; January 7 & March 4, 2012).
http://nationalera.wordpress.com/further-reading
Invited response to “Picturing Uncle Tom's Cabin from Harlem, 1938,” Laura A. Lindenberger Wellen, Religion & Culture Web Forum, Marty Martin Center, University of Chicago Divinity School (03/2010). http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/archive.shtml
“Illustrating Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture, Stephen Railton editor, University of Virginia (August 2007). http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/interpret/interframe.html
BOOKS REVIEWED:
Rethinking America’s Past—Voices from The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection, Tim Gruenewald, editor (University of Cincinnati Press, 2019), Journal of American History 107:4 (March 2021) 976-977. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaaa471
Beholding Christ and Christianity in African American Art, James Romaine and Phoebe Wolfskill, editors (Pennsylvania State University, 2017), CAA Reviews (May 2, 2018).
CrossRef DOI: 10.3202/caa.reviews.2018.150
Courtney R. Baker, Humane Insight—Looking at Images of African American Suffering and Death (University of Illinois Press: 2015) Journal of American History 103:3 (December 2016) 753.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaw376
Pictures and Progress: Early Photography and the Making of African American Identity, Maurice O. Wallace and Shawn Michelle Smith, editors (Duke, 2012), African American Review 46: 2-3 (Summer/Fall 2014) 14-16.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23784105
Picturing the Banjo, Leo Mazow, editor (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005), Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) Review 15:4 (2009) 483-486.
Susannah Walker, Style and Status--Selling Beauty to African American Women, 1920-1975 (University of Kentucky Press, 2007), Journal of Popular Culture 41:2 (April 2008) 355–357.
S. Craig Watkins, Hip Hop Matters--Politics, Pop Culture and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement (Beacon Press, 2005), Journal of American Culture 29:3 (September 2006) 378-379.
Scott Poulson-Bryant, Hung--A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men In America (Doubleday, 2005), Journal of Popular Culture 39:4 (August 2006) 690-692.
Ellis Cashmore, Tyson--Nurture of the Beast (UK: Polity Press, 2005), Journal of Popular Culture 39:2 (June 2006) 506-507.
Mark Anthony Neal, New Black Man (Routledge, 2005), Journal of American Culture 28:4 (Dec. 2005) 448-49.
TEACHING AWARDS
“Excellence in Diversity Education,” Western Illinois University Diversity Council (2019)
“Teaching for Undergraduate Research,” College of Arts & Sciences, Western Illinois University (2012)
“Excellence in Teaching,” President's Diversity Council, Western Illinois University (2011)
“Provost’s Award for Multicultural Teaching,” Western Illinois University (2010)
“Outstanding Faculty for Multicultural Teaching,” College of Arts & Sciences, Western Illinois University (2010)
“Excellence in Service,” President’s Diversity Council, Western Illinois University (2009)
RESEARCH AWARDS
Manuscripts, Rare Books Library Fellowship, Emory University (2011)
Summer Stipend Research Award, Western Illinois University (2011 & 2008)
Performing Arts Society Academic Support Grant, Western Illinois University (2010)
University Research Council Grant, Western Illinois University (2010)
Jay and Deborah Last Visual Art Fellowship, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA (2008).
American Art Museum Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, (1995-1996)
Collegium of University Teaching Fellows, UCLA (1995-1996)
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in American Art, ACLS/ Henry Luce Foundation (1993-1994)
Humanities Research Institute Fellowship, Dartmouth College (Spring 1993)
Edward A. Dickson History of Art Fellowship, UCLA (1991-1992 & 1992-1993)
ACADEMIC SERVICE
Guest Lecture (online), School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Media, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales. (Feb 2021)
Evaluator for Alumni Scholarship Awards, UCLA (2020, 2021)
Scholarship Application Reviewer, UCLA (2020)
Peer Reviewer, journal articles: American Art (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017); ESQ (2013); Ohio Valley History (2013); International Journal of Canadian Studies (2012).
Peer Reviewer, book manuscript: Oxford University Press (2015)
Career Mentor & Mock Interviewer, College Art Association Annual Conference (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Guest Speaker, Panel for Emerging Professionals, College Art Association Annual Conference (2015)
Conference Committee, Art Historians of American Art Symposium, St. Francis College, Brooklyn (2010)
Television Host, “15 Minutes with Jo-Ann Morgan,” WIUTV, Macomb, IL (160 episodes, 2008-2014)
Television Host, “Illinois Artist Conversations,” WIUTV, Macomb, IL (2009-2011). Artists interviewed: Emory Douglas; Richard Hunt; Preston Jackson; Stephen Shames; John H. White.
Visiting Speaker Coordinator, Western Illinois University. Speakers hosted: photographer Stephen Shames (2011); artist Susan Harbage Page (2010); sculptor Richard Hunt (2010); graphic artist Emory Douglas (2009).
PUBLIC LECTURES
Figge Museum of Art, Davenport, IA. (Aug 2019, Feb 2015, Nov 2014, Feb 2012, Oct 2007).
Illinois River Correctional Center, Canton, IL. (Feb 2017)
Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. (March 2016)
Knox College, Galesburg, IL (May 2015)
St. Louis Mercantile Library at University of Missouri, St. Louis. (Feb 2015)
Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI. (Nov 2011)
George Tyler Moore Center for Study of the Civil War, Shepherd University, WV. (March 2009)
Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY. (Oct 2007)
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT. (June 2007)
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
National Undergound Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH. "Roundtable: Reconsidering Angela Davis."
(Dec 8, 2021). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7DKhXIVEl8
College Art Association Annual Conference. (Chicago, 2020; NYC, 2019, Washington DC, 2016; Chicago, 2014; Los Angeles, 2012; Atlanta, 2005, Seattle, 2004; Los Angeles, 1999).
American Studies Association Annual Conference. (Chicago, 2017; Washington DC, 2009)
Midwestern History Conference ( Grand Rapids, MI. June 2018)
Media & Civil Rights History Symposium, University of South Carolina, Columbia. (March 2017; March 2015; March 2013)
“African-American Arts: Activism and Aesthetics,“ Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. (Sept 2016)
“Black Arts Movement—Southern Style,“ Dillard University, New Orleans, LA. (Sept 2016)
“El significado de la negritud (The Meaning of Blackness),” University of Costa Rica. (Feb 2016).
“African American Expression in Print/Digital Culture,” University of Wisconsin, Madison. (September 2014)
“Reexamining the 1960s: Media, Politics, Culture,” Texas Christian University. (2015)
National Council for Black Studies. (Indianapolis, April 2013; Atlanta, April 2012; Cincinnati, March 2011)
Mid-America College Art Association, Detroit, MI. (Oct 2012)
“The Fire Every Time: Reframing Black Power Across the 20th Century & Beyond,” Avery Center, Charleston, SC. (2012)
“Pathways to Freedom: Kentucky and the Civil War,” University of Louisville. (March 2011)
Association of Historians of American Art Symposium, St. Francis College, Brooklyn. (Oct 2010)
“African in the Age of Obama,” George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. (Oct 2009)
“Ethnic Studies 40 Years Later: Race, Resistance & Relevance,” San Francisco State University. (Oct 2009)
International Political Science Association World Congress, Santiago, Chile. (July 2009)
National Association of African American Studies, Baton Rouge, LA. (Feb 2008)
Southeastern College Art Conference. (Nashville, October 2006; Little Rock, Oct 2005; Jacksonville, FL, October 2004)
21st Annual Symposium on African American Culture & Philosophy, Purdue University, IN. (Nov 2005)
“Symposium on Art and Religion,” The Gallery of the American Bible Society, NYC. (March 2004)Honorable Mention, “Josecito, Uvalde, Texas,” A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA. September 8 – October 13, 2023. Juror: Jeffrey Richmond-Moll, Curator of American art, Georgia Museum of Art, graduate faculty, Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia.