A sculpture by Clifford Ward in Weeden Park in Lawrenceville
Artworks Trenton will host the upcoming exhibition, Clifford Ward: I’ll Make Me a World, Prologue, from Feb. 1 through April 12.
The exhibit will feature selected works by artist Clifford Ward, known for his innovative explorations of African Diaspora mythology and cultures, and will open with a reception on Feb. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The exhibition, curated by Addison Vincent, artistic director of Artworks Trenton, highlights Ward’s artistic journey through the lens of Afrofuturism.
It will serve as a preview to a larger exhibition at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton. The full exhibit at GFS, curated by Noah Smalls, will be displayed from May 18 to Jan. 11, 2026, in the Museum Building, where Ward’s work will be presented in a broader context.
“We are excited to present Clifford Ward’s exhibition. His talent for engaging and inspiring audiences perfectly complements our mission to nurture creativity and artistic expression within the community,” Vincent said. “Furthermore, his work embodies the ideals of Black History Month, extending its significance beyond just February.”
Ward had a number of other careers before pursuing his art full-time. He was pre-med for three years, then switched majors and received a degree in speech communications from Rider University.
His first job was in advertising. Then he worked for a textbook publisher, and later moved to a smaller start-up publishing company in Philadelphia.
When the company he worked for went out of business, Ward channeled his energy into creating art, which had always been an outlet for him. He began working at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture after first serving as an apprentice in 1997-1998.
Ward was given a one-person exhibition at the Extension Gallery at the Johnson Atelier in 2000.