50 for 50: Trei Ramsey
50 for 50: Trei Ramsey presents colorful, playful works from Ramsey’s *Precocious Kid* series at Touchstone Gallery. Through paintings, drawings, sketches, and multimedia pieces, the self-taught multidisciplinary artist examines how the environment shapes overlooked communities and explores the emotional impact of everyday sources of inspiration.
Ramsey began the series in 2023. Ideas may arise from books, news stories, walks, light bulbs, televisions, or other elements of the surrounding environment. After reflecting on how a moment affects his mood, he develops its visual representation through sketches. The series’ central character is a child with large eyes symbolizing innocence and influence, locs arranged in a Fibonacci spiral, and a square framing the head to represent constrained mental space and the outsider suggested by the archaic slang term “square.”
The exhibition is part of Touchstone’s 50 for 50 initiative, which gives 50 community artists the opportunity to exhibit at the gallery during 2026, the year of Touchstone’s 50th anniversary.
When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 12:01 PM through Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 3:00 PM
Reception: September 30 from 5:00 to 7:30 PM
Venue: Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Artist: Trei Ramsey
Series: *Precocious Kid*
Mediums: Paintings, drawings, sketches, and multimedia
Background: Ramsey’s artistic influences include Saturday morning cartoons, mythology, comic books, and Western art history. His work aims to uplift and educate while exploring the ways people are alike, speaking to communities that are often overlooked. He also advocates for art and artmaking as accessible and important to everyone.
Artist biography: Ramsey lives and works in Washington, D.C., and has exhibited since 2018 in solo and group shows at venues including Homme, Thundershark, Touchstone, Strathmore, and Washington Studio School. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from Howard University.
Tickets: Price not available