John Hairston
Freelance illustrator, fine artist and art professor at Winthrop University
Education: BFA in Illustration, UNC Charlotte (2003)
MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford (2021)
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Raised in the era of Reaganomics and hip-hop culture, John Hairston uses a mixture of street art, expressionist sensibilities, and vibrant colors to create an aesthetic all his own. “The combination of comic books, cartoons and the street art that I saw in all the breakdancing movies I watched as a youth sparked my interests,” John says.
When he decided to pursue his love of art professionally, he enrolled in the Department of Art & Art History. “UNC Charlotte taught me so much in the realm of professionalism, technical proficiency, how to intelligently articulate my art work when discussing it to different kinds of audiences, writing contracts, healthy business practices, etc. In essence, I was taught how to play the game properly and not be a starving artist.”
Reflecting on his time at UNC Charlotte, John recalled that many of his favorite memories had to be the late nights with Antoine Williams. The two friends would spend hours working in the illustration studio getting ready for their senior show. “We forged a life-long friendship at UNC Charlotte and would later go on to usher in a movement throughout our city and beyond, and it all started in Jamie Franki’s classroom.”
John is currently a freelance illustrator, fine artist, and full-time professor at Winthrop University. He has done work for the ACC Network, Raycom Sports, the NBA, the NFL, and the NCAA. He has also provided the illustration for numerous musical acts including, The Wu-Tang, Del The Funky Homosapien, Earthgang, and the Grammy award nominated children’s album “The Perfect Quirk” by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.
Since graduating, he has worked on many exciting projects. Among his favorites: his solo “Hollywood Africans” show, which was displayed at the dialect gallery in Charlotte in September 2009, city of ink in Atlanta in November 2009, and Delurk in 2010; his “Native Tongues” paintings, displayed at studio twenty-two in February 2014, city of ink in summer 2014, and Delurk in fall 2015; Charlotte’s “Talking Walls” mural festivals; publishing the first of his “Collected Works” book series; and his children’s book “The Grooviest Grandfolks,” which will be published in summer 2025.
John is the recipient of many awards, including but not limited to, Charlotte Shout! Poster Contest 1n 2018, the Center City Vision Award in 2016, and Midsouth Regional Emmy in 2015.
His advice for current students: “My advice for students in the CoA+A would be to work hard, experiment, screw up, live a life outside of the studio. Understand that art feeds life and life feeds art. Make friends that exist outside of the art world. Make friends that exist in the art world. Do not chase success, Make work that you believe in. Understand that some jobs are just to make ends meet and that you are not going to love everything that you do. Be present, and take lots of pictures.”
John is exhibiting work in the Generations exhibition for the 60th anniversary of the Department of Art & Art History. To learn more about his work, visit his website.