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Desmond Lewis primarily uses industrial materials in his work as he correlates the invisible appearance of structural materials in buildings with the concealed structural importance of African Americans in the United States. Through the creation of fabricated and carved concrete sculptures, his work abstractly addresses the conversations of race, equality, and community uplift. Additionally, Desmond fabricates large scale sculptures that seek to enhance public spaces in developing communities.

Desmond Lewis is a sculptor who was born and raised in Nashville, TN. Lewis received his AA from Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA in 2012, BS from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN in 2014, and MFA from The University of Memphis in 2017. Selected group exhibitions include Current Collapse at Ruddell Gallery in 2017 in Spearfish, SD, Price is Right at David Lusk Gallery in 2017 in Memphis, TN, Equality Matters at Mildred Cox Gallery in 2017 in Fulton, MO, and The Collective Presents: Liberation at the Clough-Hanson Gallery at Rhodes College in 2018 in Memphis, TN.

His public and private collections include the Penland School of Crafts, Carolina Bronze Sculpture Park, City of Lenoir, NC, City of Hickory, NC, Vermont Carving and Sculpture Center, The University of Memphis, Soulsville USA, NexAir LLC, Skowhegan Parks and Recreation, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. In 2017, He was named one of the 100 Interesting and Influential People of Memphis.

His residencies include the Pittsburgh Glass Center (2018), Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2018), Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (2017), and the Vermont Carving and Sculpture Center (2016). Desmond is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. His studio is based in Memphis, TN.

Desmond has an upcoming two-person show with Kenturah Davis (New Haven, CT) at Crosstown Arts from February 15 — March 10, 2019 presented by Seed Space + Delta Axis. More info may be found here: https://seedspace.locatearts.org/exhibitions/memphis-kenturah-davis-desmond-lewis