DESIGN X COMMUNITY

I’m excited to share a new graphic design workshop I’ve created called “Echoes of the People”—a community-centered project focused on storytelling in Black spaces. This initiative was developed during my Black Carolina Artist Residency and will launch with its first workshop in West Charlotte, in partnership with the Lakeview community.

I'm deeply grateful to the Lakeview Neighborhood Association for the powerful work they’re doing and for allowing me to kick off this project in a place that means so much. Over the past year, I’ve had the honor of working alongside the Lakeview community through various creative and cultural efforts—and this is just the beginning.

Stay tuned.

New Public Art Project in My Childhood Neighborhood

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been selected to design a public art sculpture just a few blocks from where I grew up — in the heart of my old neighborhood. This opportunity feels especially meaningful as I return to a place that helped shape who I am.

In partnership with the City of Charlotte and the Prosperity Alliance, I’ll be creating a community-centered sculpture for a new affordable housing development in the Sugar Creek and I-85 corridor. This project is more than just public art — it’s about honoring the stories, people, and spirit of the community I’ve always called home. I want to dedicate this project to my parents as well as my childhood home.

Stay tuned as I share more about the creative process.

Charlotte Hornets x Kiser

Exciting news, I will be teaming up with the Hornets Sports and Entertainment team to bring a new clothing line to the hornets team store. I’m working closely with Hornets stretch Forward, Kelly Oubre Jr. to design a dope, equitable series of gear to represent him, the hornets and the city. Stay tuned for the designs and what we create!

Cooper Hewitt x Kiser III

I’m excited to announce that I recently wrapped up a video series for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian’s new design toolkit. I was able to work with a young student, the amazing Paris Jerome to speak around deign and storytelling for community. Stay tuned for the series their videos.

emTRUTH x kisercorp

Recently, I’ve wrapped up a project helping emTruth with updated visuals for their latest website design. This company specializes in block-chaining DNA for medical records and data purposes. This was a very dope project and I got to work with really cool people. I’m so thankful and honored. check out the site here

Reimagining Queen Charlotte...

This past spring, I collaborated with Solid to reimagine the symbol of Charlotte, NC - the real and historic Queen Charlotte - as a concept for a new economic development campaign for the City of Charlotte Government here in North Carolina.

Most often depicted as the regalia-draped Queen Charlotte by the community, our reimagined Queen Charlotte is depicted on a stylized cinema poster, implying a shifted consciousness and storyline that moves the narrative, style and tone of economic development.

We wanted to disrupt the trope of economic development dominated by white male leaders by asserting the strong, intentional identity of black women as leaders in a growing Southern city.

We love pushing on embedded systems like econ dev.

And, those systems predictably push back.

First Solo exhibition

I recently debuted my first solo art exhibition for the month of October in Raleigh NC. The show was entitled MMXIX: I’m glad you believed in me. It was curated by Alexys Taylor and sponsored by the Black on Black project. The show is centered around black mental health and talks about my year around the loss of my father. Thanks for all the support and the amazing conversations that were created. The mediums were digital illustration and video.

Rebranding, reimagining abandoned black spaces for place making.

a few months ago I was approached by sequel to create branding designs for the old A&P grocery store space in charlottes historic Westend. After a few names, we finally settled on “west complex”. Here’s the logo mark as well as refurbish signage. Reactivating, redesigning an abandoned black space for the community with some branding and design work in Charlotte’s historic Westend. Design as a change agent.

Cooper Hewitt x Kiser II

I’ll be designing and illustrating the 2022 Cooper Hewitt activity books. These books will involve storytelling and design activities. I’m really excited to bring my flair for design and illustration to this project. Last summer, I had the opportunity to be a guest design instructor for their design camp. We centered the workshop around sequential storytelling and self expression. It was the first time the museum added it to their summer curriculum, however it turned out very successful, with around 70 international participants signing up. These lessons will now be published into a lovely interactive manual that’s centered around a central character. I’m very excited to be part of this project.

3D Animation Design and studies

I’ve been working on animation techniques for part of the intergalactic soul exhibit. This is a branch off of my 3d printing ideas for toys and figures. I’m navigating and learning a few new software programs. Soon, I’ll take these 2d ideas to a virtual world.

NFL my cause, my cleats

I recently completed a project with the Carolina Panthers for the NFL my cause, my cleats project. I teamed up with Aaron Montiero to bring awareness for charlotte rescue mission, a nonprofit that focuses on addiction and substance abuse recovery

Intergalactic Soul x Palos Verde Art Center

Intergalactic soul works have been selected for the online group exhibition at The PVAC in California.

Cooper Hewitt x Kiser

I was recently the guest design instructor at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian museum of design last week. We led 55 kids around the globe in design camp workshop around visual storytelling and character design. This was a great and rewarding experience . I’m looking toward to doing more work with them in the future.

Spaceship designs & toy lines

The last black starfighter is a part of the intergalactic soul art exhibit. If you’re familiar with the exhibit the. You’ve seen many of the prints. I’ve been expanding on the idea by creating a toy product line for it. Here are some prototypes of the toys and packaging ideas below. Stay tuned, there will also be an animation to accompany this product.

BLM street mural Charlotte NC

Excited to say that Jason Woodberry along with the 17 other artist participated in creating letters for the Black Lives Matter mural in uptown Charlotte last week. Thanks to the City of Charlotte, all the artist and everyone that supported. Read about it here

Kiser receives Arts & Science Council Creative Renewal 2020 Fellowship

I’m excited to say that I’ve received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from The ASC. I’m looking forward to exploring some realms of how I can merge art and tech to in public spaces of color to help. Here’s a quick snippet below from the ASC’s site.

Marcus Kiser, a multimedia artist who, in 2014, co-created “Intergalactic Soul,” a national exhibit utilizing art and technology to discuss social justice and experiences of black embodiment. I’ll use this fellowship to explore genres of multimedia animation and augmented reality to reimagine public art/place making in Charlotte communities of color.