Marce Nixon ( she/ her )

My lived experiences, West African textiles & ceramic history inspire me. Beneath the adornment of my work are rich meditative marks that sing songs of resistance. Coil Building large vessels is the meditative process that reminds me that I am here & alive. Sculpting marginalized folks makes visible the people who keep my city running. Clay is archival, and every time I create, I hear my grandma's laughter saying, 'They couldn't erase me.'

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, surrounded by plastic orange milk crates and skyscrapers layered with the sounds of PAT (Port Authority Transit) buses and Steelers Fans. Most people don't notice the woman operating the train or the guy washing the windows at the stadium. So, I choose to sculpt the Ms. Nia's of the world, the workers who wake up before the sun and ride the bus to our public schools, because everyday people deserve to be archived, too.

Orange milk crates are representative of Pittsburgh's favorite tea, "Turner's Tea," which has been a household staple since I can remember. An orange crate, most likely 'borrowed' from the corner store, holds some of my best memories, from getting my hair braided on the porch to playing basketball with fake gold teeth. The orange crate shows up in my work as a pedestal to highlight the working class and the mundane memories that connect us.

My work is centered in the archival nature of ceramics in response to the burning of Black history throughout the Jim Crow Era. I hope my work will serve as a primary source & a testimony to my experience as a young black woman from Pittsburgh living in the 20th century.

Marcè Nixon-Washington is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her BFA from West Virginia University with a focus on Africana Studies. Marcè studied Ceramics in Jingdezhen, China, where she developed a passion for shards and ceramic history. She explores ceramics as an archival material to document personal and cultural history. Her work has been showcased at the Eutectic Gallery, The Carnegie Museum of Art, and The Mufei Gallery in Jingdezhen, China. She has been granted residencies at The Archie Bray Foundation, The Manchester Craftsman Guild, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Media. In 2024, she made history as the youngest artist to be invited to participate in the NCECA ANNUAL exhibition.