Rate My Professor Jamal Thorne

Jamal Thorne is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Art + Design department at Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media and Design. A Boston-based visual artist originally from Maryland, Thorne is recognized for his innovative use of the drawing medium to investigate and visualize the nature of performed identity. Through massive drawings, he blends references from popular culture, religious iconography, and symbolism to create compelling images of multilayered identities influenced by societal overconsumption and expectations. Having grown up in the Washington, D.C. area as a graffiti artist, Thorne advanced his studies in drawing and photography, earning a B.A. in Photographic Media from Morgan State University in 2008. He then relocated to Boston and became the pioneering student in the newly established cooperative M.F.A. program between Northeastern University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from which he graduated as the first recipient of the degree in 2012. This unique program integrated advanced classroom learning at one institution with studio practice guided by faculty at the other.

Thorne's artistic contributions include his debut solo exhibition, “Frontin(g),” at Northeastern’s Gallery 360, where large charcoal drawings delved into themes of identity informed by the research of gender theorist Judith Butler, showcasing his exceptional technical skill in drawing. His work has been exhibited at notable institutions such as the James E. Lewis Museum of Art in Baltimore, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Huret and Specter Gallery in Boston. In 2012, Thorne received the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation M.F.A. Grant. Complementing his studio practice, he serves as a faculty mentor in Art + Design and Visiting Faculty at the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts. Thorne has also led immersive educational experiences, including a Dialogue of Civilizations program in Japan in 2024, where students engaged with Japanese culture in Kyoto and Tokyo. His dual commitment to art-making and teaching continues to influence students and the broader arts community.