Independent Arts News Reporting New ACP Artist-in-Residence Martryce Roach Creates to Inspire Social Change
Reported on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Pictured Above: Martryce Roach, the Arts Council of Princeton’s newest Artist-in-Residence, is a self-taught artist whose style is marked by her mix of history, musical references, figures, and geometric shapes. Photo Credit: Contributed
NEWSROOM POST: PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
he Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is pleased to welcome New Jersey visual artist and human rights advocate Martryce Roach as its newest Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence for Summer + Fall 2026
Princeton, NJ — The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is pleased to welcome New Jersey visual artist and human rights advocate Martryce Roach as its newest Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence for Summer + Fall 2026. Raised in New Brunswick, Roach is a self-taught artist whose practice blends history, musical references, figures, and geometric forms to create surrealistic narratives about human experiences and relationships, particularly as they relate to African American culture. Her background in Public Health, Africana Studies, and Social Work informs a practice rooted in wellness, equity, and humanitarianism.
Roach’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and has been acquired three times for the permanent collection of The Colored Girls Museum in Philadelphia. Her honors include being named Curator’s Choice by Pro Arts in Jersey City, receiving a Mid Atlantic Arts Individual Artist Fellowship Grant through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and completing an artist residency with ArtCrawl Harlem on Governors Island. Her public art projects include a 240-foot mural at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and a mural honoring local educator and activist Lebby Jones in Irvington, NJ. Roach also volunteers as a visual arts judge for the annual NAACP ACT-SO scholarship competition and frequently contributes her artwork to fundraisers supporting organizations that provide financial assistance to marginalized communities.
“Art has the power to transform historical narratives into something people can feel,” Roach shares. “My works are intended to be dynamic, engaging platforms for viewers to take in our shared stories about what we are, what we have been and challenge us to consider what we aspire to become.”
Roach’s residency is unfolding in two distinct phases:
This August, Roach focused on creating and installing a historically themed mural on Spring Street as part of Princeton’s celebration of the 250th. Titled Created Equal, the piece invites viewers to reflect on our nation’s history and look ahead to a better future. The mural will be featured as part of the Re-visioning America Gallery Crawl taking place September 24, which is open and free to the public to attend.
In November, Roach will return to the ACP with a body of work that engages the history that changes the landscapes of major cities across the country and helped shape American culture, particularly through the confrontation of oppression, the evolution of civil rights and rejuvenation found in the pursuit of equitable opportunities. Additional details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Through both projects, Roach hopes viewers will connect with the joy, loss, conflict, and resilience embedded within these stories, and leave inspired to engage in conversations about change.
For more information about Martryce and her work, please visit her website: www.martryceroach.com
Pictured Above: New Spring Street mural titled “Created Equal” painted by Martryce Roach, the Arts Council of Princeton’s Summer + Fall 2026 Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence. Photo Credit: Contributed
The Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence Program, named after ACP Founding Director, was established by the Arts Council in 2009 to offer artists the opportunity to conceptualize and create work while providing the community with creative interaction with working artists in all disciplines. This project would not be possible without the support of Timothy M. Andrews, longtime supporter of the Arts Council of Princeton, who has generously underwritten the Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence program.
For more information about the Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence Program, visit the arts council website, www.artscouncilofprinceton.org. Arts Council of Princeton. 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ.
About the Arts Council of Princeton
The Arts Council of Princeton, a non-profit organization founded in 1967, fulfills its mission of building community through the arts by presenting a wide range of programs including public art projects, exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population in the greater Princeton region. To learn more, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or follow @artscouncilofprinceton.
