Arkansas-born, Baltimore- based painter and printmaker LaToya Hobbs uses figuration to depict the Black female body and challenge the stereotypical perceptions of it through a nuanced, layered look. Themes of family, beauty, adornment, cultural identity, and sisterhood take center stage in the work, as Hobbs’ thoughtful compositions on a singular printmaking surface create deep, multi- faceted worlds.
Hobbs holds a BA in Painting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an MFA in Printmaking from Purdue University. Her exhibition record includes numerous national and international venues, including the National Art Gallery of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia; the SCAD Museum of Art; the Albright Knox Museum; and the Sophia Wanamaker Gallery in San Jose, Costa Rica, among others. Her work is housed in private and public collections such as the Harvard Art Museum, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, the National Art Gallery of Namibia, the Getty Research Institute, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Hobbs’s accomplishments include the 2020 Janet and Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize, a nomination for the 2022 Queen Sonja Print Award, and a 2022 IFPDA Artist Grant. Hobbs is also a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art and a founding member of Black Women of Print (BWoP).