Artist Statement & Bio |
Jada Simone Haynes (they/m) is a Black non-binary archivist and multidisciplinary artist who is deeply engaged in exploring the nuanced aspects of Black queer existence, resistance, and resilience. In their creative practice, they are particularly drawn to abstracted images and the transformative potential of knotted and knit fibers to serve as conduit for the density of personal and collective grief, security, memory, and desire. These vessels and tapestries that weave fibers, verses, and vision create a constellation of experiences that delve into the textures of these themes and their futures.
Jada Simone Haynes was born in San Ramon, CA, and raised in Tracy, CA. They earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a Bachelor of Arts in Design from the University of California, Davis. During their time at UC Davis, Haynes served as Lead Director of the Basement Gallery and completed an independent study under the mentorship of Azin Seraj and Darrin Martin.
Haynes currently resides and practices in the Bay Area, where they contribute to the field as a Collections Associate at the Letterform Archive. In this role, they merge their interests in art and memory, focusing on how archives can better preserve diverse bodies, objects, and experiences.
They were the recipient of the Freemon Gadberry Award in Art and the Freemon Gadberry Award in Sculpture in 2022 and received the New York Studio School scholarship within that same year. Haynes' work has been exhibited at notable venues such as the Afrofuturist Center, Arden Fair, Bass & Reiner, Gearbox, Gallery 1202, Holland Project Gallery, The Little Raven, Mercury20 Gallery, Root Division, The San Francisco Gallery, Textile Arts Center, WAL Public Market Gallery, and represented in the Letterform Archive Collection.
Curriculum Vitae |
Education
2022
- B.A. Art Studio, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
- B.A. Design, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Awards and Grants
2022
- Honorable Mention, Art Show International
- Best Experimental Film, Film Fest at UC Davis
- Student Staff Pick, Film Fest at UC Davis
- Freemon Gadberry Award in Art
- Freemon Gadberry Award in Sculpture
- New York Studio School Scholarship
2021
- Yale Norfolk Nomination
Exhibitions, Production* & Curation** (*/**denotes prep and curation only, no participation)
2025
- Zephr Coating, 120710 Gallery, Berkeley, CA | Curator(s): Hannah Gibson, Alex Ehmer
- Lay of the Land, Root Division, SF, CA | Curator(s): Naomi Alessandra Schultz, Eleanor Scholz, Julianna Heller
- 10 x 10 x 10, Letterform Archive, SF, CA | Letterform Archive Staff***
- This Time, A Living Room Encounter, San Francisco Gallery | Curator(s): Layne Takahashi
- Ancestors in Progress II, Textile Art Center, Brooklyn, NY | Curator(s): Black Girls Sew
- Beautiful Distorted, The Box SF | Dorian Emerson
2024
- Citizen Printer, Letterform Archive, SF, CA | Curator(s): Kelly Walters*
- Arden Fair Artist Spotlight Window Display, Sacramento, CA | Supported by: UnchARTed
- A Seat at the Table: Queer*+ Intersections Lecture, Letterform Archive, SF | Curator(s): Mikhail Ganesh, Jada Haynes, Eve Scarborough
- On Accident, On Purpose, San Francisco Gallery | Curator(s): Suki Berry; Layne Takahashi
- Hand Wash Only, Holland Project Gallery, Reno, NV | Curator(s): Anna Newman, etal.
- Seeds Split Before They Bloom, SF, CA | Curator(s): Dorian Emerson
- Silently Violent, WAL Public Gallery, Sacramento, CA | Curator(s): Jazel Muñoz, Jada Haynes
- Typographic Jazz, Letterform Archive, SF, CA | Curator(s): Rob Saunders*
- Metamorphosis, Mercury20 Gallery, Oakland, CA | Curator(s): Elena Gross
2023
- Ordinary Survival Film Fest, Afrofuturist Center, Iowa
- Dissonance Within the Fog, Alchemy House, SF, CA | Curator(s): Dorian Emerson
- Surrounding (Self), Gallery 1202, Gilroy, CA | Curator(s): Emily McEwan-Upright
- Within Sight or From Imagination, Gearbox Gallery, Oakland, CA | Jury: Jeremy Morgan
- Now Ain't Some Day Yet, Root Division, SF, CA | Curator(s): Jamil Nasim
- Pyramid Scheme, MSP: Bass and Reiner, SF,CA
- Subscription To Mischief, Letterform Archive, SF, CA | Curator(s): Kate Long Stellar; Greg Lamarche; David Villorente; Kel Troughton*
2022
- Open Ceilings, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes; Kaden Ezra Umana; Worlds Through Minds
- Senior Show Series (4): Figuratively Speaking**, Displace Amnesia**, Fresh Stains**,Obstructive Metaphors, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes
- Basement Gallery Film Fest, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes & Basement Gallery Team (BG)
- Free-For-All**, Basement Gallery, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes & Basement Gallery
2021 (Notable Shows)
- Adultification Anthology, Basement Gallery, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes; Neida Cruz;Amanda Thomas; Kaden Ezra Umana; Trinity Salazar; Ren Allathkani; Katja Zimmer
- Colors Group Show, Basement Gallery, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes & BG Team
- Darkness Within Group Show, Basement Gallery, Davis, CA | Jada Haynes & BG Team
- 2021 UCD Senior Show, Off-Campus Residence | Jada Haynes & BG Team
- New Beginning (Virtual Shows & Podcast)** | Curator & Host: Jada Haynes
Commissions
- 2024 Hand Wash Only Exhibition Catalog Essay
- 2022 UCD MFA Cand. Philip Byrne, Video Collaboration for Strata Gallery Solo Show “Bloom”
- 2021 California Studio, Raul de Nieves Performance Promotion (Media & Marketing)
- Veronica Diaz Muniz, OJOXOJO Stage Projection
Work & Related Experience
- Otherness Archive BIPOC Curatorial Roster, International | December 2024-Current
- Collections Associate, Letterform Archive, San Francisco, CA | May 2022-Current
- Contract Video Editor; Web Designer; Visual Artist, Davis, CA | 2020-Current
- Lead Director of Basement Gallery, University of California, Davis | September 2020-June 2022