SHIPS OF THE SEA MARITIME MUSEUM

Sharon Norwood is a conceptual artist whose interdisciplinary practice explores themes of history, labor, and identity through drawing, ceramics, and mixed media. Her work examines race, beauty, and power structures, often using Black hair as a recurring motif to challenge historical narratives and passive modes of viewing.

 

Originally from Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Norwood holds a BFA in Painting from the University of South Florida and an MFA in Studio Art from Florida State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, engaging with dialogues on postcolonial histories and cultural memory.

In Trade Winds, Norwood fires images of Black hair and ships onto vintage Wedgwood plates, investigating Savannah’s maritime past, the transatlantic trade, and the complex legacies embedded in historical objects. By using Wedgwood, a material linked to both abolitionist movements and luxury markets—her work highlights the contradictions of commerce and identity, questioning how objects hold memory and meaning across time.