About Terry Lynn
Born in 1975 in Memphis, Tennessee, Terry Lynn is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores family, history, memory, community, and the stories passed down through generations. Growing up in a historic African American neighborhood in Memphis, Terry was surrounded by a close knit community shaped by resilience, faith, craftsmanship, and the traditions of those who came before him.
Terry’s work has always been connected to place and personal history. His practice reflects the influence of his family, the Mid South, and the experiences that have shaped his understanding of culture, identity, and belonging. The traditions of making, building, and storytelling were present throughout his upbringing, from watching his father and grandfather help rebuild and expand their AME church community to the family quilts created by his paternal great grandmother that remain in the family nearly 100 years later.
Working across painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, and mixed media, Terry uses materials as a way to connect the past with the present. While his recent work has explored quilt making and textile traditions, his practice is rooted in a larger exploration of visual storytelling and the relationship between history, material, and memory.
Terry received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Memphis and his Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss. During his academic career, he expanded his studies through sculpture, ceramics, and graphic design, developing a studio practice that continues to move between disciplines.
His love for printmaking began during his undergraduate studies and continued through graduate school. Terry’s printmaking practice includes participation in the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop and a self directed printmaking residency at Georgia College and State University. While serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Memphis from 2016 to 2019, he taught courses including painting, drawing, printmaking, mural making, and foundation studies.
Terry also worked as a teaching artist with Studio Institute’s Studio in a School program in New York, an organization founded on the belief that professional artists belong in classrooms and that meaningful arts education has the power to transform communities. His experience as an educator continues to influence his commitment to creativity, mentorship, and access to the arts.
After spending time working between Memphis and Los Angeles, Terry returned to Memphis with a renewed connection to community, ancestry, and personal history. His years in Los Angeles expanded his perspective and introduced him to new influences through the city’s diverse cultures, music, food, architecture, and creative communities. That experience continues to shape his work beyond a regional perspective.
Terry’s paintings and mixed media works often draw from the things that have surrounded his life: Southern traditions, construction and brick masonry, music, athletics, spirituality, and the everyday stories of people and communities. His background playing trumpet, his connection to the AME church, and his family’s tradition of making continue to influence the way he approaches art.
His work is held in public and private collections including Virginia Theological Seminary, Nex Air, We Are Grounded, the City of Memphis, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Memphis International Airport, Hilton Central Station Hotel, AME Publishing House Headquarters, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and other institutional and prominent private collections.
Today, Terry Lynn’s work continues to explore the connections between ancestry and contemporary life. Through painting, textiles, printmaking, and mixed media, he creates work that honors where he comes from while continuing to expand the conversation around memory, culture, and the stories we carry forward.