by Mitti Hicks
May 28, 2025
Hill traded in his pen and laptop for paintbrushes at Harvard Divinity School.
After spending more than two decades putting words to paper—books and online—award-winning journalist and author Jarrett Hill focused on paintbrushes and art at Harvard Divinity School (HDS).
He created more than 40 pieces during his time in the program. Nearly two dozen of his pieces are part of his first solo art exhibition, “jarrett hill: An Artist Lives Here.”
“I came to divinity school looking to get answers about being Queer and Black in the Black church tradition,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Hill’s exhibition takes people on his journey of searching for answers to questions he had as a child about race, culture, and sexuality within the Black church.
“(I wanted to get) a solid sense of how I felt and how I understood God to relate to queer and trans people.”
Hill says he got his answers pretty quickly in the HDS program and now feels more liberated and more connected to God.
“While my relationship with the church has changed, my relationship with God has only gotten better,” Hill adds. “It’s only gotten deeper and more thorough and more textured.”
Jarrett Hill’s Art Exhibition At Harvard Tackles The Relationship Between Black Church and Queer Community
Painting and drawing have always been outlets for Hill to express himself artistically, so he chose art to reflect on his academic, emotional, and theological growth during his time at HDS.
Hill says one of the most transformative works in his collection is “Create From Your Center.”
It’s a piece that shows movement inside and outside of what appears to be a heart. The movement is about everything radiating in and out of the heart. The piece is about listening to your heart, body, and the center. Hill hopes pieces in the exhibition such as this will inspire people to confront some of the questions in their own lives and make space for the ideas they may be ignoring.
“I want people to ask themselves, what is that thing that is in me that’s been trying to come out? (…) or the thing that perks up my ear when I hear it, but I ignore it?”
He adds, “This exhibition reflects my paradigm-shifting journey, exploring how this time in divinity school has helped me to more deeply understand, process, and start to heal my experience.”
“jarrett hill: an artist lives here” will be on display through early June. If you miss it, check Hill’s website for updates.
As for what’s next for Hill, he also has a background in interior design. He tells BE he plans to turn some of his artworks into pieces for the home.
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