OCC Art faculty member Tylonn Sawyer’s continues to gain recognition for his work with prestigious international accolades this fall. His pieces have been accepted into two world-renown Paris art exhibitions, ART Basel Paris and Palais de Tokyo, while his art was also featured in the iconic art and fashion magazine W.
Sawyers 30 x 22-inch oil on paper, “The King James Version,” featured at ART Basel Paris.
Paris Week Exhibits
Art Basel is a global series of art platforms connecting collectors, galleries and artists, while Palais de Tokyo (Tokyo Palace) hosts contemporary art exhibitions as part of Paris Art Week. This marks Sawyer’s second consecutive year exhibiting in Paris.
Sawyer entered his artwork in an open call to exhibit at the Paris events. Two of his pieces were selected to represent Detroit artists by Salonierre. The modern art, culture and social organization promotes global access for a diverse community of artists.
Sawyers 30 x 22-inch oil on paper, “The King James Version,” featured at ART Basel Paris depicts a young Black man holding an American flag. The piece received tremendous attention during the last elections. At the Palais de Tokyo, his 8 x 6-foot charcoal, pastel and glitter on paper, “Black Man on Horse Bayard,” shows a Black man in a white riding suit on a black horse.
“This is the second year Salonierre has sponsored my trip to Paris to display my work. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to participate in Paris Week alongside other Detroit-area artists and curators,” Sawyer said.
At the Palais de Tokyo, his 8 x 6-foot charcoal, pastel and glitter on paper, “Black Man on Horse Bayard,” was displayed.
Featured in Fashion and Culture Magazine
Sawyer’s art was also highlighted in “W” magazine’s feature, “How Two New Art Exhibitions Are Spotlighting Black Queer History.”
The magazine showcased his 72 x 48-inch lavender pencil on paper piece, “Strata Drawing 4: Cake Walk.” His piece was part of Detroit’s “In the Life: Black Queerness—Looking Back, Moving Forward” Carr Center exhibit which explored the mirroring power of artist and viewer through the lens of the Black Queer experience.
W Magazine covers fashion, film, art, music and society for a sophisticated audience of fashion professionals, art enthusiasts, cultural critics and high-quality lifestyle readers.
Artistic Career Highlights
Throughout his art career, Sawyer has focused on figurative art centered on themes of individual and collective identity, politics, race, history and pop culture. He has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad, including the 55th International Venice Biennale, Rush Art Galleries in New York, Art Basel Miami Beach, Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History as well as Flint Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and the University of Michigan.
He has also created public murals and collaborative projects for organizations such as Whole Foods, Redbull, Quicken Loans Corporation, Under Armor, Market International Festival at Eastern Market, Detroit’s Museum of Contemporary Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
In 2019, Sawyer was named a Kresge Artist Fellow by the Kresge Foundation, a prestigious award that recognizes creative vision and commitment to excellence, receiving a $25,000 unrestricted award and a year of professional practice to advance his art and teaching.
Passion for Teaching Art
Sawyer has taught art at OCC since 2016, covering all levels of drawing and oil painting. He provides his students with the fundamentals of how to draw something and then empowers them to personalize it. His passion for art was fostered by a professor/mentor while attending Eastern Michigan University.
“I like to teach art students as if they have never seen a pencil,” Sawyer said. “Once a student has learned foundational skills, then we work on establishing ways to use those skills to manifest whatever they observe or imagine.”
Sawyer describes himself as being in a “perpetual state of doing things” when it comes to his art career, and his recent pursuits included a one-month residency in Ireland living in a castle and collaborating with other artists, and a new mural funded by the Gilbert Family Foundation on the side of the Next Chapter Books in Detroit.
While the world is truly his art oyster, his passion for teaching at OCC remains a central passion and vital part of his life.
“I love seeing a student in my art class progress from learning how to draw simple things to learning to use their imagination to create a true piece of art,” he shared.
For more information, visit Tylonn J. Sawyer.
About OCC
Celebrating 60 years, Oakland Community College (OCC) has educated over one million students since 1965. OCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs and is committed to student success with affordable tuition, support services, flexible class options and top transfer opportunities. The College serves more than 20,000 students annually while advancing our community through education, training and career support. OCC is nationally recognized as Michigan’s top online college, and seventh in the U.S., by Newsweek’s America’s Top Online Colleges 2025. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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