Biography
Marcè (mar-say) Nixon-Washington
Marcè Nixon-Washington is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her BFA from West Virginia University with a focus in Africana Studies. Marce is currently finishing her MFA at Tyler School of Art and Architecture (May 2026). Marcè studied Ceramics in Jingdezhen, China, where she found her love for shards and ceramic history. She investigates ceramics as an archival material to record personal and cultural history.
Her work has been exhibited at Companion Gallery, Concept Art Gallery, Eutectic, The Carnegie Museum of Art, and The Mufei Gallery in Jingdezhen, China. Marcè has been granted residencies at The Archie Bray Foundation, The Manchester Craftsman Guild, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, 1Hood, and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Media.
Her work has been published in The TABLE magazine and Ceramics Monthly. She was awarded the Black Art Life Award by the Black Transformative Arts Network for her work with black and brown youth. In 2024, she made history as the youngest artist to be invited to exhibit at the NCECA ANNUAL.
Artist Statement
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, because every day people deserve to be archived, too. Sculpting marginalized folks makes visible the people who keep the city running.
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.
Beneath the adornment of my work are rich meditative marks that sing songs of resistance. Beneath the adornment of my work are rich meditative marks that sing songs of resistance. Clay is archival, and every time I create, I hear my grandma's laughter saying, 'They couldn't erase me.'