Gee Horton
{{Short description|American artist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gee Horton
| image =
| birth_place = Louisville, Kentucky
| years_active = 2020 - Present
| notable_works = Coming of Age series, The Baobob Project, BLINK 2024 Mural Series
| website = https://www.geehorton.com/
}}
Gee Horton (/dʒi ˈhɔːrtən/) is an American contemporary artist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is recognized for his graphite and charcoal portraiture, as well as mixed-media works that address themes of identity, memory, and emotional experience. Horton's practice often integrates photorealistic drawing with archival materials and installation, focusing on aspects of Black adolescence and masculinity.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.geehorton.com/about |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Gee Horton Art |language=en}}
Early life and education
Horton was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Psychology from Thomas More University in 2006 and a Master of Social Work from the University of Louisville in 2008. His academic training in psychology and trauma theory has influenced his approach to art. Horton transitioned from a corporate career to full-time art practice in 2020.{{Cite web |title=The Enquirer Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts |url=https://subscribe.cincinnati.com/restricted?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2F2022%2F05%2F11%2Fcincinnati-artist-gee-hortons-photo-realistic-drawings-exhibit%2F9626518002%2F&gps-source=CPROADBLOCKDH&itm_source=roadblock&itm_medium=onsite&itm_campaign=premiumroadblock&gca-cat=p |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=subscribe.cincinnati.com}}
Work
In 2020, Horton began the "Coming of Age" portrait series and received ArtsWave's Truth and Reconciliation Grant.{{Cite web |last=Partners |first=US DIgital |title=Truth and Reconciliation Artist Showcase Highlights Greater Cincinnati Artists |url=https://www.artswave.org/impact/making-waves/artswave-blog/2021/07/29/truth-and-reconciliation-artist-showcase-highlights-greater-cincinnati-artists |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.artswave.org}} He also launched The Baobab Project, a space for Black men to explore vulnerability and personal narratives through visual storytelling.{{Cite web |title=Photography |url=https://www.geehorton.com/photography |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Gee Horton Art |language=en}} During this period, Horton served as an artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati, where he produced a portrait of abolitionist Peter H. Clark, recognized with an Emmy Award.{{Cite web |title=Emmy® Awards - Nominees & Recipients |url=https://ohiovalleyemmy.org/emmy-awards/nominees-recipients/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Ohio Valley Emmys® |language=en-US}}
File:Gee Horton's Mural for BLINK 2024.jpg
Horton's work has been featured in television productions such as HBO's Insecure and Amazon Prime's Harlem. His debut solo exhibition, "Chapter One: Coming of Age" (2021) at the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery, examined African American adolescence through contemporary cultural references.{{Cite web |last=Arts |first=Cincinnati |title=Gee Horton: Coming of Age Chapter I – In Search of Self…Identity {{!}} Official Ticket Source {{!}} Cincinnati Arts |url=https://www.cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery/exhibitions/detail/gee-horton-coming-of-age-chapter-i |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.cincinnatiarts.org |language=en}} The Cincinnati Art Museum acquired his work for the "Coming of Age: New Acquisition Exhibit" in 2022{{Cite web |title=Cincinnati Art Museum: Gee Horton's "Coming of Age" |url=https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition-archive/2022/gee-hortons-coming-of-age/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cincinnati Art Museum |language=en}}
His subsequent exhibitions include "Chapter Two: A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child" (2024) as part of the FotoFocus Biennial at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.{{Cite web |title=Gee Horton: Chapter 2, A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child {{!}} FotoFocus Cincinnati |url=https://www.fotofocus.org/fotofocus-exhibition/gee-horton-chapter-2-a-subtle-farewell-to-the-inner-child/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.fotofocus.org |language=en-US}} and "Chapter Three: Be Home Before the Streetlights" at KMAC Contemporary Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. These exhibitions further explored themes of identity, memory, and healing
Horton participated in the 2023 FotoFocus + Creative Time Symposium, where he engaged in discussions on land, identity, and the role of art in social transformation.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=Q&A with Cincinnati-based Visual Artist Gee Horton {{!}} FotoFocus Cincinnati |url=https://www.fotofocus.org/2023/10/17/qa-with-cincinnati-based-visual-artist-gee-horton/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.fotofocus.org |language=en-US}} He also contributed to the Blink Festival in Cincinnati with the "Coming of Age" mural series, which spans three blocks of Vine Street, addressing youth vulnerability and celebrating community
Gee Horton is the founder of Gee Horton Studio Gallery in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine district, which functions as an art studio, print shop, and gallery space providing services to local artists and collectors.
Exhibitions
= Selected solo exhibitions =
2024–2025: Chapter Three: Be Home Before the Streetlights, KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky{{Cite web |title=Gee Horton: "Chapter 3, Be Home Before the Streetlights" |url=https://www.kentuckyliving.com/event/gee-horton-chapter-3-be-home-before-the-streetlights-3 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Kentucky Living |language=en-US}}
2024: Chapter Two: A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child, Kennedy Heights Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
2022: Coming of Age: New Acquisition Exhibit, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
2021: Chapter One: Coming of Age, Alice F. & Harris K. Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
= Selected group exhibitions =
2025: The Light We Share, The Portal Gallery at Toledo School for the Arts, Toledo, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Opening Reception |url=https://www.toledo.com/events/2025/02/07/arts-visual/opening-reception-the-light-we-share/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Toledo.com}}
2024: Proximity of Fate, Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield Ohio |url=https://mansfieldartcenter.org/Exhibits/Exhibit/992e967f-a081-4217-842b-a37d7ff9e629 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=mansfieldartcenter.org}}
2023: A Flower For Our Inner Child, Koik Contemporary Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico{{Cite web |last=ArtFacts |title=A Flower for Our Inner Child {{!}} Exhibition |url=https://artfacts.net/exhibition/a-flower-for-our-inner-child/1254814 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=ArtFacts |language=en}}
2023: Ohio Voices, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Cincinnati Art Museum: Ohio Voices |url=https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition-archive/2023/ohio-voices/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cincinnati Art Museum |language=en}}
2022: Let’s Grow, Alpha Arts Alliance, Brooklyn, New York{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/pitterpadder/p/CzY6uBbrCQ_/?img_index=1 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.instagram.com}}
2020: Truth & Reconciliation, National Underground Railroad Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Special Exhibitions – National Underground Railroad Freedom Center |url=https://freedomcenter.org/special-exhibitions/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=freedomcenter.org}}
2020: Black & Brown Faces, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Cincinnati Art Museum: Black & Brown Faces: VERIFIED |url=https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition-archive/2024/black-brown-faces-verified/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cincinnati Art Museum |language=en}}
2020: Uprising, Kennedy Heights Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=UPRISING – KHAC |url=https://kennedyarts.org/exhibition/uprising/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=kennedyarts.org}}
2019: Banz Studios Presents, Banz Studios Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Banz Studios |url=https://www.banzstudios.com/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Banz Studios |language=en-US}}
2019: Manifestations of Time, The Mohawk Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |last=Manley |first=Mackenzie |title=Mohawk Gallery in Over-the-Rhine Exhibits the Diversity of Black Identity |url=https://www.citybeat.com/arts/mohawk-gallery-in-overtherhine-exhibits-the-diversity-of-black-identity-12217637 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cincinnati CityBeat |language=en}}
Public art projects and commissions
2024: Blink Lights Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Mural By Gee Horton {{!}} BLINK {{!}} A Festival of Light & Art {{!}} Cincinnati, Ohio {{!}} October 17–20, 2024 |url=https://www.blinkcincinnati.com/experience/art-and-artists/mural-by-gee-horton |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.blinkcincinnati.com |language=en}}
2021: Harlem, Amazon Prime, Season 1, Episode 11 (artwork appearance)
2021: Coming of Age Mural, Court Street Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Artwork |url=https://www.courtstreetcincy.com/artwork |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Court Street Plaza |language=en-US}}
2020: Cincinnati Music Festival Outdoor Art Museum, Washington Park, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=Cincinnati Music Festival Creates Outdoor Museum |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/07/27/cincinnati-music-festival-creates-outdoor-museum |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=spectrumnews1.com |language=en}}
2020: Black Lives Matter Mural, Cincinnati City Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio{{Cite web |title=The Enquirer Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts |url=https://subscribe.cincinnati.com/restricted?return=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2020/06/19/black-lives-matter-mural-cincinnati-city-hall/3224660001/&gps-source=CPROADBLOCKDH&itm_source=roadblock&itm_medium=onsite&itm_campaign=premiumroadblock&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z119088e003200v119088b00xxxxd11xx65&gca-ft=114&gca-ds=sophi |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=subscribe.cincinnati.com}}
Public collections
Residencies<ref name=":3" />
Honors and recognition
2025: CODA Summit Creative Revolutionary Honoree
2025: Be Home Before the Streetlights (short film), Official Selection, OTR International Film Festival{{Cite web |title=Short Films |url=https://www.geehorton.com/short-films |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Gee Horton Art |language=en}}
2024: Creative Ohio Semi-Finalist, Champion Advocacy Awards{{Cite web |title=CreativeOhio announces semi-finalists for 2024 Champion Advocacy Awards |url=https://highlandcountypress.com/headlines/creativeohio-announces-semi-finalists-2024-champion-advocacy-awards |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=The Highland County Press |language=en}}
2023: Cincinnati Business Courier 40 Under 40 honoree{{Cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/c/couriers-2023-forty-under-40-winners-spotlight/19920/gee-horton.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}
2022: Emmy Award for Artist Residency at the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati
2022: Best Gallery Exhibit, CityBeat Cincinnati – Coming of Age: Chapter I – In Search of Self…Identity at Weston Art Gallery{{Cite web |last=Readers |first=CityBeat |title=Best Museum Exhibit 2022 |url=https://www.citybeat.com/best-of/2022/arts-and-culture/best-museum-exhibit-12867090 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cincinnati CityBeat |language=en}}
External links
- [https://www.geehorton.com/ Official Website]
- [https://www.instagram.com/gee_horton/?hl=en Instagram]