“the first step in making a dream come true is to wake up.”
i just wanted to share a bit of what i’ve been working on independently since 2019. i’m grateful for how this research project has grown. i would love to expand this project further through programming and on-site initiatives at universities and within community spaces.
two years ago (and a few months), i created a research based zine during my senior year of college. this year, i’m releasing that zine into the world. but first, frames of continuum vol. 1 zine is on the way (2026)!! distributed by @blkgroundpress
i hope you enjoy this work, and i hope it serves as living proof to believe in yourself. always.
—
#morganstateuniversity #research #memorywork #blackarchives #hbcu
Photographs from “In Our Frame” a project in-progress
Self-Portraits of Residents in Coney Island, 2025
Carey Gardens Center, 2025
A year ago, I shared flyers throughout my neighborhood inviting residents to participate in a community photobooth activated at a nearby community center in Coney Island. Alongside the self-portraits, I recorded and archived oral history interviews with each participant. For one month, I held sessions on Mondays and Thursdays. After each week, I developed and scanned the film, printed the photographs, and returned them to residents inside souvenir cards. Returning the images became both an act of care and an extension of authorship.
In Our Frame is a community-based visual and archival project rooted in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where I was born and raised. The project reimagines the photobooth as a site of memory making, resistance, and self-representation.
Lighting Assistance: Khalid Riley
NYC!!! MAY 15, 2026!!!
Excited to announce that I’ll be showing work next Friday to conclude my time as a 2026 @fabnycarts LES YA Fellow! Looking forward to this group exhibit!
ON THE GROUND WHERE WE MIGHT FIND
An exhibition of works by FABnyc’s 2026 Lower East Side Young Artists of Color Fellows
70 E 4th Street, New York NY 10003
Reception: Friday, May 15th, 6-9pm
Open Gallery Hours: Saturday & Sunday, May 16th & 17th: 1pm-5pm
In On the ground where we might find, the eight artists experiment with ways of being with others, caring for each other, and remembering together. The pieces are participatory in nature: some are directly inspired by existing community archives, while others attempt to break the ground for one. Anchored in feelings that are meant to be shared: camaraderie, gratitude, nostalgia, and grief, the exhibit explores emotional complexities within a sense of community.
Featured Artists: Benji Hsu @benjyhsu , Coralis Rivera @coralismrivera , Daniel Marte @fromthelower , Jewel Champbell, Kendall Greene @kendalllikesflowers , Mei Bock @mlbpainting , Natalia Boumatar & Nia Blue @niablueart
Two frames by Jewel Champbell as featured in our forthcoming group publication Common Objects. Now available to order, this title begins shipping in early May.
Meet our 2026 Memory Lab facilitators! 📓
Facilitators are wearing our “Reunion Tee,” now live on our site while supplies last! Link in the biooo!
Last week, we held our first @memoriacontinuum Memory Lab, a participatory archival event exploring the ways we preserve and document our experiences. To kick off our recap, I want to give a special shoutout to our facilitators. You all are amazing. I’m grateful to have crossed paths with each of you during my time at Morgan. ★ Jewel: Founder / Host @herblkground ★ Courtney: Digitization Station @courtnoellee ★ Ellis: Photo/Printing Station @ellissteide ★ Niajea: Photo/Printing Station @niy.vmi ★ Sha-Shonna: Zine-Making Station @sheeggo
Photos by @niy.vmi
“Enter” sign by @reemunknown
@memoriacontinuum presents The Memory Lab📓 April 22, 2026 | Holmes Hall 114
Organized by: Jewel Champbell @herblkground Lead Assistant: Courtney Fisher @courtnoellee
Flyers by: @blkgroundpress // @herblkground
Slide 6: 1989 Promethean
The Memory Lab is a one-day participatory archival event inviting students and alumni to actively document and preserve student life at Morgan State University. The lab combines digitization, free community portraiture, and zine-making as tools for storytelling and collective authorship.
This event is presented in collaboration with the Beulah M. Davis Special Collections Department, @morganprealumni , and @msu.underground
Super excited for this community service activation during I Love Morgan Week! Shoutout to my talented classmates, both students and alumni, coming together to lead each station. YOU are the best, truly!!!
Station 1: Digitization Lead Facilitator: @courtnoellee Station 2: Community Portraits Lead Facilitators: @ellissteide & @niy.vmi Station 3: Zine-Making Lead Facilitator: @sheegoo ★ SEE YOU THERE! ★
—
Background: The Memory Lab builds on Jewel Champbell’s research (2019–present) on student-produced yearbooks and the role of print in shaping collective memory. This work explores the shift from traditional yearbooks to digital documentation.
excited to share that my work is featured in “common objects” by @uncle_projects . thank you!
“harlem, some time ago,” 2024 (top left)
common objects brings together the work of 97 photographers from across the globe to explore the role of the image and its ability to shape perception.
released 2026, 196 pages, 6x9
i’m excited to announce that i’ve been selected as a 2026 fellow in the @_fabnyc young artists of color fellowship 📠
grateful to be in community with such a powerful cohort! thank you, God.
**only right to use one of my favorite songs
see you in may may may 🔊
