Marques Redd, PhD

Thank you @observer for this feature of me, @marquita.sams , and our family's art collection. To learn more about our story, check out the documentary Miracles. Link in bio.

In the 1990s, Melgenia and Vernon Redd opened Miracles Fine Arts Gallery, the first Black art gallery in Macon, GA. That archive grew into one of the largest private collections of Black art in the Southeast, including over 800 works by artists including Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. We are proud to share our documentary about this historic art collection “Miracles: The Redd Family Collection of Black Art,” which is now streaming on YouTube. Click the link in our bio to watch the full documentary. #BlackArt #BlackCollectors #ArtCollector #Artcollection #ReddFamily #RainbowSerpent #BlackGallery #Macon

Part 2 We are thrilled to announce “Myth-Science of the Gatekeepers,” our upcoming exhibition at the Pittsburgh Glass Center featuring 16 glass sculptures portraying Black queer Kemetic deities. These statues represent a profound spiritual system intertwined with the Rainbow Serpent Collective’s exploration of African cosmologies, multimedia art, innovative healing protocols, and emerging technologies. Join us for the grand opening at the Pittsburgh Glass Center on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 6–9 PM. It will be free and open to the public. The show will be on view through July 28, 2024. ✨TO WATCH THE FULL VIDEO CLICK THE LINK IN MY BIO.✨ Thank you to all of our sponsors: - @theheinzendowments - @studioforcreativeinquiry - @carnegiemellon - @neaarts - @the_pittsburgh_foundation - Arts Alliance for Contemporary Glass -Dawn & Chris Fleischner -Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh -Arts, Equity, & Education Fund -Anonymous

What a day for celebration! A few hours ago, Rainbow Serpent unveiled our first monumental public sculpture: “This Is the Body of the Sun.” This 8ft cast aluminum sculpture with gold gilding is our reinterpretation of the Ancient Egyptian deity of the sun, Ra. For us, this figure symbolizes leadership, sovereignty, and inner heroism.  We pray that this work will serve as a solar and spiritual beacon for Arts Landing, the City of Pittsburgh, and all who encounter it. May we all shine as brightly as we can, inspire each other with ethical clarity, and use our talents in the service of communal uplift.  The collar features a hieroglyphic hymn to Ra from the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. Each glyph is meticulously sculpted onto the 12 lines of the collar. An excerpt is below: “Ascribe praise to Ra, the Lord of Heaven; the Prince of Life, Strength, and Health; Creator of the Gods. Adore ye Him in His beautiful presence in His rising in the atet boat. The House of the Prince is in festival, the sound of those that rejoice is in the mighty dwelling. The Gods are rejoicing when they see Ra in His rising; His beams flood with light the countries. Mayest Thou be at peace with me, may I see Thy beauties.”  First, a big thank you to @emeraldkane , who served as the model for the sculpture and is a daily embodiment of Ra’s luminous virtues. Thanks to @kendrawingram , @anastasjames , and the team at the @culturaltrust and @trustvisualarts for supporting the work in its incarnation journey. Also many thanks to @heathermcelwee and @pghglasscenter for supporting our first iteration of this work, “Myth-Science of the Gatekeepers,” where we brought Ra to life alongside 15 other deities as glass sculptures in 2024. We are grateful as always to our arts community in Pittsburgh for all of your support. Thank you for providing us with the space to bring African cosmologies into public space, from our “Three Sisters” light installation on the Sister Bridges, to our 1200 sq ft installation “Playing the Cosmic Strings” which is still on view down the street from Arts Landing at @heinzhallpgh and @pghsymphony . #ancientegypt #kemet #ra #publicart #sculpture

Following the incredible energy of the opening, we invite you to continue engaging with FIERCE: Pittsburgh through upcoming programs centered on image-making and storytelling. Tuesday, April 14, 6–8pm Between Flesh and Firmament: Rainbow Serpent Image-Making and Cosmology Join us for a film screening of Between Us, The Gaze, offering an intimate entry point into Ajamu X’s practice, followed by a conversation with artists and project participants Marques Redd (@marques.redd ), Mikael Owunna (@mikaelowunna ), and Devan Shimoyama (@devanshimoyama ). Working across text, photography, and painting, these artists’ expansive practices activate the body as a godform and position art as a mode of world-building.  We hope you’ll join us to reflect and connect alongside artists and community. 🔗 Learn more and register via the links in our bio FIERCE: Pittsburgh is dedicated in celebration of the life of Christopher Smith. Produced with generous support from @duolingo . Image credit: Mikael Owunna and Marques Redd (Rainbow Serpent), X (Nu Apuat Geb), 2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the opening of FIERCE: Pittsburgh, the first U.S. solo exhibition by Ajamu X. We are so grateful to everyone who showed up and activated the gallery with such incredible energy, love, and support! Seeing the community come together to celebrate the vibrant Black queer culture that shapes Pittsburgh today was truly special. A heartfelt thank you to Ajamu X (@ajamustudios ) for sharing this powerful new chapter of the ongoing global archive FIERCE with Pittsburgh, and to exhibition collaborators Rainbow Serpent (@rainbowserpentinc ), the sitters and performers, and everyone who helped bring the evening to life. If you missed the opening, the exhibition remains on view at Silver Eye through May 2 and keep a look out for further programming! Construction note: Penn Ave is currently under construction, but the gallery is open as usual! Please allow a little extra time for traffic and parking. The exhibition is dedicated in celebration of the life of Christopher Smith. Produced with generous support from @duolingo Visit the links in our bio to learn more! Image credit: @tarageyerphoto

Thank you to everyone for the magical opening evening for “FIERCE: Pittsburgh,” the first US solo exhibition of Black British photographer @ajamustudios at @silvereyecenter created in collaboration with @rainbowserpentinc with support from @duolingo . Special thanks to everyone who participated and shared their brilliance on the floor, our MC @marques.redd , all of the sitters and our performers @go.go.m0_ and @rickydavii , @formosa.exe for DJing, @hannah_turpin5 our FIERCE cocktail mixologist, and Julian from @thetruetpgh and @kilololuckett from @alma_lewis_pgh for joining our judging panel. The exhibition is on view through May 2 at Silver Eye. This Saturday, March 7 at 11am please join us for a gallery talk with @ajamustudios and stay tuned for more programming throughout the run of the show.

Opening today! FIERCE: Pittsburgh, the first U.S. solo exhibition by Ajamu X, celebrates individuals shaping Pittsburgh’s Black queer culture today, affirming their place within a vibrant, evolving global archive. Presented in collaboration with Rainbow Serpent, Silver Eye Center for Photography proudly invites you to the opening celebration today, Thursday, March 5, from 6–9 pm at 4808 Penn Ave. Led by MC Marques Redd (@marques.redd ), the evening celebrates all the sitters included in the project and features live performances by Ricky Davii (@rickydavii ) and Mo (@go.go.m0_ ), open participation drawing from Ball culture traditions, and music by DJ Formosa (@formosa.exe ). Enjoy a FIERCE: Pittsburgh cocktail or mocktail mixed by Hannah Turpin (@hannah_turpin5 ) of SHAG (@shagpgh ), and join us for this unforgettable evening. The exhibition is dedicated to the life of Christopher Smith. Produced with generous support from @duolingo . Visit the link in our bio to register and learn more! Image credits: Ajamu X, Mo, 2025; Devan Shimoyama, 2025; Michael Tikili, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 2.24.26, 6-8pm, check out @rainbowserpentinc with @caapoetryandpoetics at @alma_lewis_pgh . Experimental filmmaking, surrealism, and cosmology will be on the menu!

Join us for the opening of FIERCE: Pittsburgh, the first U.S. solo exhibition by Ajamu X at Silver Eye Center for Photography, presented in collaboration with Rainbow Serpent. In thirteen portraits made last year, FIERCE: Pittsburgh celebrates individuals shaping the city’s Black queer culture today, affirming their place within a vibrant, evolving global archive. The exhibition is dedicated in celebration of the life of Christopher Smith. Produced with generous support from @duolingo . OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, March 5, 6–9 pm The evening celebrations feature music by DJ Formosa (@formosa.exe ), a celebration of all the sitters included in the project led by MC Marques Redd (@marques.redd ), live performances by Ricky Davii (@rickydavii ) and Mo Marshall (@go.go.m0_ ) and open participation drawing from Ball culture traditions. Enjoy a FIERCE: Pittsburgh cocktail or mocktail mixed by Hannah Turpin (@hannah_turpin5 ) of SHAG (@shagpgh ) and join us for this unforgettable evening! ARTIST TALK WITH AJAMU X Saturday, March 7, 11 am–12:30 pm Join Ajamu X as he discusses the creation of ongoing global archive FIERCE, and its latest chapter, FIERCE: Pittsburgh. The talk will be followed by a Q&A moderated by exhibition collaborator Marques Redd, and a book signing. Visit the links in our bio to learn more. Image credit: Mikael Owunna, Ajamu X, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

Established in Macon, Georgia, in 1990, Melgenia and Vernon Redd’s Miracles Art Gallery would go on to house one of the world’s most important collections of Black art. ⁠ ⁠ By day, Melgenia and Vernon were telecommunications engineers, and by night, they were building an art collection from the ground up and taking artworks into the community. ⁠ ⁠ Today, their children, artists Marques Redd (@marques.redd ) and Marquita Sams (@marquita.sams ), are the collection’s custodians, their artwork steeped in the collection’s themes. ⁠ ⁠ Read more by @simon_coates at the link in our bio

With @mikaelowunna and @marques.redd at @tedxtallinn all the way back in November. Great talk with Mikael as the cover story of this week’s Areen. Keep your minds expanding.