Marilyn Gates-Davis

About the Artist

Painting since a child, Marilyn Gates-Davis has over 40 years and counting as an artist. She has been working as a graphic designer for the past 30+ years, designing magazines, books, and print materials. She typically paints intimate portraits of friends and family members as well as iconic figures. To counteract negative stereotypes, she chooses to depict the joy of the black culture through her paintings. Marilyn paints images that celebrate grace, strength, dignity and love of black people, often utilizing her art to share personal stories and childhood memories. Marilyn paints primarily in acrylics and oils. She also creates collage work using cut paper, acrylic paint and other organic textured materials. Her goal is to take the everyday images and life experiences and elevate them to tell stories that connect us all.  

Artist's Statement

EXHIBITIONS Group Exhibit, M-NCPPC, 30th Annual Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, Harmony Hall Art Center, October-December 2018 Group Exhibition, “Seeking Prince George's!” M-NCPPC, Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD, January-April 2019 Juried Selected,  “Reflections of Self” M-NCPPC, 31st Annual Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel MD, November-December 2019 Group Exhibit “Perspective: Prince George’s” M-NCPPC, Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD, January-April 2020 Featured in WANDER magazine, “34 Women Illustrate Their 2021 Dream” October 2020 Solo Show, “The Black Family” M-NCPPC, Southern Area Aquatic Recreation Complex (SAARC), Brandywine, MD, July-Sept 2021 Group Exhibit “Symbiotic Presence” M-NCPPC, Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, MD, November 2020-January 2021 Solo Show “No Justice, No Peace” HCAA, Prince George’s Plaza Community Center, Hyattsville, MD, October 2021 Group Exhibit, Wellspring Manor & Spa Art Gallery, Upper Marlboro, MD, March 2022-present Group Exhibit “Songs That Move Us” WCADC, The Gallery at Friendship Heights Village Community Center, Chevy Chase, MD, July 2022 Group Exhibit, “What is Ours?” WCADC, Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD, September-November 2022 Group Exhibit, “Art Maryland 2022”, Howard County Arts Council, September-November 2022 Group Exhibit, “Black Prometheus: The Legacy of Jacob Lawrence and Global Modernist Art of the Mid-Twentieth Century” NSU, The James Wise Gallery, Norfolk, VA, October-November 2022 Group Exhibit, Community Bank of the Chesapeake, Waldorf Gallery Exhibit, December-April 2023 Group Exhibit, “Renewal” M-NCPPC, Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD, January-April 2023 Group Exhibit, Carbonado: Asserting the Emerging Exhibition at the Sebrof Forbes Cultural Arts Center, February 2023 Group Exhibit, Rhizome DC, “UpBringing”, Washington, DC, February 2023 Group Exhibit, “Kuumba II Art Exhibit”, Neiman Marcus, Tyson Galleria, Mclean, VA, February 2023 Solo Exhibition, “African Children Series”, Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, MD, March-April 2023 Group Exhibition, "We, The People", Goldstein Treasury Building, Annapolis, MD, March-June 2023 Group Exhibition, "In the Presence of Light", Gallery B 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD, May 2023 Group Exhibition, "2023 MSAC Triennial", Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD, May-June 2023 Group Exhibition, "What Do You see When You Look At Me?", Popcorn Gallery, Glen Echo Park, MD, July, 2023 Group Exhibition, “Labor Day Art Show”, Glen Echo Park, MD, September 2023 FY 2024 Grant Recipient, DC Art Now! 2023, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington DC, September-December 2023 Group exhibition, “Pivotal: An Exploration of Art and Activism”, Laurel, MD, Nov-Dec. 2023 Group Exhibition, “Life in Layers”, Brentwood Art Exchange, Brentwood, MD, Nov-Jan. 2023 Group Exhibition, “Collective Grounds”, M-NCPPC, Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD, Feb-April. 2024 Group Exhibition, “Kuumba III”, Neiman Marcus, Tyson Galleria, Mclean, VA, Feb. 2024 Group Exhibition, “Regional Juried Exhibition, Hill Center Galleries 2024”, Washington, DC, Jan.-May 2024 Group Exhibition, “Sustenance”, miXt Food Hall, Brentwood, MD, Mar.-May, 2024 “Upcycled Bike Planter Sculpture”, Operation Arts Foundation, Brentwood, MD, permanent outdoor display Group Exhibition, “Jembe” Artist and Makers Studio, Rockville, MD, July 2024 1st Place Winner, “Voices of Our Ancestors” MD Federation Art, Circle Gallery, Annapolis MD, June-July 2024 Group Exhibition, “Wonderbloom: Where Creativity Takes Roots”, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, September 2024-February 2025 1st Place Winner 53rd Annual Labor Day Art Show, Glen Echo Park, MD Commission Art Unveiling, “Montpelier House Museum”, Laurel, MD, September 2024 Solo Show, Operation Arts Foundation, Oxon Hill Library, Oxon Hill, MD, September-October 2024 FY 2025 Grant Recipient, DC Art NOW 2024, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington DC, September-December 2024 Group Exhibition, “Hope and Joy” Bowie City Hall Gallery, Bowie, MD, November 2024-February 2025 Solo Show, “Pieces of A Dream”, Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD, January-February 2025 Group Exhibition, “Kuumba IV”, Neiman Marcus, Tyson Galleria, Mclean, VA, Feb. 2025 Group Exhibition, "Timeless Prince George’s", Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD, January-April 2025 Group Exhibition, “Gift of Life”, Artist & Makers Studios, Rockville, MD, March 2025 Solo Exhibition, “Black Families” Parkville Library, Parkville, MD, March-April 2025 Group Exhibition, “Herstory In Hues”, Honfleur Gallery, Washington, DC, March-April 2025 Group Exhibition, “Turning Tides”, Gallery B, Bethesda, MD, May 2025