Joel Madden

Joel Madden is a writer and oil-painter and he's had a life long passion for the arts. He's a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Joel spent five years as a Merchant Marine which exposed him to a variety of different cultures. Although he has a world view, Joel is devoted to recording and sharing the black experience in the United States. Some of his work can be viewed below.

Mr. Madden has studied and worked in film, video, photography, and theater. Joel's work was featured in the 2001 and 2002 exhibitions of The Art of Living Black at the Richmond Art Center in Richmond, California. Joel will also have a piece shown in this year's exhibit.

"I have been greatly blessed to have learned and worked with some of the best artists in the country; I've studied at the American Conservatory and I learned film, photography, and the philosophy of art from Adger Cowans, one of the most prominent photographers/painters in the country. Along each step of my journey I was fortunate to have been taught by a prominent and professional artist...I consider myself an artistic griot of the African American experience. Sadly, we live in a time when few are willing to speak for the masses of black Americans. My uncompromising commitment is to present a balanced historical and current image of the black experience. As an artist my vision, as well as my spirit, is constantly growing; more and more of my vision includes all of mankind!"

Works by Joel Madden