Jennifer Wilson, a 2023 graduate of Wyncote Academy in Cheltenham Township, hosted her first-ever gallery showcase titled “Laforest Art Exhibit” during the MLK Day Pop-Up Art Exhibit at the Von Populi Gallery in Philadelphia on Monday, January 19.
Wilson, now a first-year student at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, overcame a learning disability, attended eight different schools, and took a gap year to prepare academically to become the first in her family to pursue higher education in the arts. She took art classes at the Cheltenham Art Center, Fleischer Art Memorial, Scribe Video Center, and Studio Incamminati to help build her portfolio. During her time at Wyncote Academy, she took independent studies with the mosaic art and graphic design programs and studied urban agriculture with the school’s farm.
“I’m creating for that little Black girl who always had a doll in one hand and a sketchbook in the other. Art was my escape and my outlet to be raw and honest,” she told Glenside Local. “This exhibition is a gift to myself, a celebration of how far I’ve come.”
The exhibit features paintings, sketchbooks, claywork, screenprinting, and mixed-media. According to Wilson, each piece reflects a chapter of her journey from a shy 10-year-old selling artwork at community events to a young woman stepping into her identity as an artist.
“Growing up, she faced significant challenges in traditional classrooms, often lacking the support she needed to thrive academically,” her mother, Carolyn, owner of Magnify Your Essence in Cheltenham Township, said. “Despite these obstacles, art became her anchor and a source of confidence, expression, and stability. When school environments fell short, she sought out alternative art programs across Philadelphia, building the skills and belief in herself that ultimately helped her reach Pratt.”
Fun Fact: Carolyn is an award-winning filmmaker, author, and sexual assault survivor. In May 2025, she screened her film “The Good Life”.
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Photos: Carolyn Wilson