Painting, BIPOC-Owned, New to One of a Kind
Damon Lamar Reed
Chicago Narratives in Color
There’s truth to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. The “2025 Choose Chicago artist of the year”, Damon Lamar Reed brings that truth to reality. From hip-hop to public art, he strives to create messages that reach the depth of the human condition.
As a young artist, Damon was a national competitor in NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics(ACT-SO), a winner of the Congressional Art Competition, and a graduate of the Harvard Career Discovery Program. After graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago(SAIC) in 1999, he attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Artist Residency. In 2003, Kerry James Marshall featured Damon’s work in his solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art(MCA), One True Thing, Meditations on Black Aesthetics.
Being a “Creative” is at the essence of my being. It’s Damon’s purpose to use art to spread positivity. Ever since moving to Chicago, Damon has immersed himself into the culture and invested in the people. As an artist and entrepreneur, he has now created over 400 public art projects including works for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Showtime, Gatorade, The American Red Cross, the Chicago Blackhawks, Ticketmaster, and Sears to name a few. His work is featured in books such as, Kym Pinders’, Painting the Gospel: Public Art and Religion in Chicago. Revolt tv news named him “Revolutionary of the week,” citing the impact of his Still Searching project, where he uses art to raise awareness about missing women and children. The BBC also did a feature on the impact of Damon’s art; not to mention stories on News Nation, ABC, CBS, WGN(where he was named “Chicago’s Very Own”), and NBC(where he was named Chicago Today’s first “Hero.”)
Reed received the Neighborhood Access Program (N.A.P.) Grant from the City of Chicago to do more Still Searching murals on the south side of Chicago. He was the first artist to receive the “Gem of the Community Award” from Architreasures, for his ability to collaborate with the community. He also became the first person to accept “The Artist Award” from The Healing Foundation. In 2022 he was a recipient of the “Treasurer’s Award” from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Damon is the inaugural recipient of Chicago Public Art Groups 2024, “Artist of the Year Award.” CPAG is responsible for the start of the Chicago Mural movement over 50 years ago that began with the Wall of Respect. Damon is a true believer in the POWER of art and he uses it as a catalyst to change the world!
As a young artist, Damon was a national competitor in NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics(ACT-SO), a winner of the Congressional Art Competition, and a graduate of the Harvard Career Discovery Program. After graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago(SAIC) in 1999, he attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Artist Residency. In 2003, Kerry James Marshall featured Damon’s work in his solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art(MCA), One True Thing, Meditations on Black Aesthetics.
Being a “Creative” is at the essence of my being. It’s Damon’s purpose to use art to spread positivity. Ever since moving to Chicago, Damon has immersed himself into the culture and invested in the people. As an artist and entrepreneur, he has now created over 400 public art projects including works for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Showtime, Gatorade, The American Red Cross, the Chicago Blackhawks, Ticketmaster, and Sears to name a few. His work is featured in books such as, Kym Pinders’, Painting the Gospel: Public Art and Religion in Chicago. Revolt tv news named him “Revolutionary of the week,” citing the impact of his Still Searching project, where he uses art to raise awareness about missing women and children. The BBC also did a feature on the impact of Damon’s art; not to mention stories on News Nation, ABC, CBS, WGN(where he was named “Chicago’s Very Own”), and NBC(where he was named Chicago Today’s first “Hero.”)
Reed received the Neighborhood Access Program (N.A.P.) Grant from the City of Chicago to do more Still Searching murals on the south side of Chicago. He was the first artist to receive the “Gem of the Community Award” from Architreasures, for his ability to collaborate with the community. He also became the first person to accept “The Artist Award” from The Healing Foundation. In 2022 he was a recipient of the “Treasurer’s Award” from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Damon is the inaugural recipient of Chicago Public Art Groups 2024, “Artist of the Year Award.” CPAG is responsible for the start of the Chicago Mural movement over 50 years ago that began with the Wall of Respect. Damon is a true believer in the POWER of art and he uses it as a catalyst to change the world!
