Zerric Clinton, Ph.D.
Abstract Artist, Educator, Speaker, Author
It was Wassily Kandinsky that said, "color is a power which directly influences the soul.” What speaks to my soul are the social issues that affect people. I am heavily influenced by AFRI COBRA artists like Cole and James Phillips who used bright colors in their works of art. In my work I apply color in a polyrhythmic way and use cutouts to symbolize the intricate details. Building up layers upon layers of cutouts in my work is used to rhythmically showing how the interplay of these pure contrasting colors enhance the image. Ultimately, I seek to create colorful abstract three-dimensional pieces that each viewer has an opportunity to interact with in an intimate way to locate subtle symbolism. Truthfully, my work deals with social issues that we experience in society, and I use intricate cutouts and symbolic colors to reference specific elements in my work. When I think back to a pivotal moment in my life that propelled me to become the artist educator that I am today I think of my great uncle. When I was 13 years old, he told me that I would be a doctor one day. That prophetic statement has stuck with me over the years, and it compels me to continue to strive to be my best version of an artist educator.
EDUCATION
Graduate - National Art Education Association School for Arts Leaders Program
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art ​
Doctor of Philosophy - Art EducationFlorida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Dissertation: What Adolescent African American Males Say About Music Videos with Implications for ArtEducation
Master of Education - Educational Leadership, Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia​
Bachelor of Fine Art - Art EducationValdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Art Educator - Dutchtown High School
Hampton, Georgia
Adjunct Faculty, Art Education – Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Adjunct Faculty, Art Education – Southern Regional Technical College
Thomasville, Georgia​
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ESOL Instructor - Cairo High School
Cairo, Georgia
SOLO / GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Art Fields 2024
Lake City, South Carolina
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2024 50TH Anniversary: Celebrating the Visual Arts
Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Atlanta, Georgia
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2024 LaGrange Southeast Regional, LaGrange Art Museum
LaGrange, Georgia
2023 Pivot: Restoring Balance, Emma Darnell Aviation Museum
Atlanta, Georgia
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2023 Identity Politics, Where Do We Stand?, Arts Clayton Gallery
Jonesboro, Georgia
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2023 Two Sides of Color, Shape, and Form, Emma Darnell Aviation Museum
Atlanta, Georgia
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2023 Remnants of Color, Realism to Abstraction, Gallery at Hood Street
McDonough, Georgia
2022 Hold the Line, Arts Clayton Art Gallery
Jonesboro, Georgia
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2022 Vitilgo Awareness Month Show, Georgia State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia
2021 Healing for Humanity, Steffen Thomas Museum of Art
Buckhead, Georgia
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2021 24th Annual MLK JR. Commemorative, Ashe Cultural Art Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
2020 Spring Into Art Exhibit / Turner Center for the Arts
Valdosta, Georgia
2019 Georgia Artists, Abernathy Art Center
Sandy Springs, Georgia
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2019 A Sense of Place Gertrude Herbert Art Center
Augusta, Georgia
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2019 Artists Who Teach, Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina
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2019 Beautiful Nurses Magazine Exhibit, Kupcakerie
East Point, Georgia
2019 32nd Annual McNeese State Annual Exhibit
Lake Charles, Louisiana
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2019 Arts for Athletes, Westside Cultural Art Center
Atlanta, Georgia
2019 The Freedom of Abstraction Exhibit
Brooklyn, New York
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2019 Arts Clayton Exhibit
Jonesboro, Georgia
2018 Below I-20 Exhibit/Fulton County Arts and Aviation Community Cultural Center
Atlanta, Georgia
2019 National Art Education Association Exhibit
Reston, Virginia