Ellen Blalock

I am an artist with a mission. I believe my job is to be a conduit to listen and tell the stories of people that need to be heard and represented; the ones whose lives and experiences have been marginalized. I am particularly interested in the African American experience in the Unites States. Though my art I have dealt with issues around African American teen fathers, slavery, female identity and power, LGBTQ families, “Deaf” children, mental illness and trauma, and the ancestors. My job is to listen, to record, to make available the voices and stories of what is missing. The Fathers’ Project, Beyond Boundaries in Ghana, The Quilt Project, Know Me, the WHOLE Me and CAGE have all grown out of  my need to help give voices to people and communities that need their stories told.

I work in many media. The main ones are photography, video, drawing, and fiber. Some of my projects have been collaborations with other artists for performance art and installations pieces.

I have taught courses in art, art history and photography at several colleges and universities. My signature studio course is The Visual Narrative.

I have a BFA from Tyler College of Art, Temple University and a MFA from Syracuse University. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA and live in Syracuse, NY.

My passions are art, traveling, art, learning, art, teaching, art, breathing, art, living, art, loving, art, and insects.

I really love insects!