James Welch is the winner of the Best in Show Award in 2015 and Best 3-D sculpture in 2016 Annual Juried Student Show at Northeastern Illinois University. He is also a 2015, 2016, and 2017 winner of the Northeastern Illinois Arts Merit Scholarship. His work is an examination of Black identity as it interacts with pop culture and white supremacy. Currently he is working on his Senior Exhibition entitled “Coping Mechanism,” where he is conceptualizing the idea of man, machine and spirit as one entity.
