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 3-29, 2023