Carolyn Jean Martin is an artist and educator whose work explores how philosophy and aesthetic traditions influence the construction of race and identity—particularly the portrayal of Blackness in Western art. Her research has been presented at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, UC Berkeley, Georgia Southern University, and the College Art Association.

As a visual artist, Carolyn’s multimedia practice delves into the ways identity is shaped by social constructs such as nationality and race, and examines how these identities evolve through diasporic movements. Her artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in China, Canada, and various locations across the United States.

Carolyn earned an MFA in Painting and an MA in the History and Theory of Contemporary Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. She earned a PhD in Visual Arts—specializing in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory—at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, where she was recognized as a David Driskell Fellow and awarded the 2024 Ted Coons Dissertation Prize.

She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the College Art Association.


Photo by Sarah Deragon @ portraitstothepeople.com