Sherrill Roland

Sherrill Roland is an African-American artist best known for his The Jumpsuit Project, a performance-arts based project that challenges viewers to face the prejudices and judgements surrounding those incarcerated. Early life and education Artist Sherrill Roland was born in 1984 in Asheville, North Carolina. In 2009, he received a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2013, while Sherrill Roland was a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he was wrongfully accused of four felonies. Before an indictment was reached, he finished his first year of grad school. After nine months, the four felony charges were dropped to four misdemeanor charges. This caused Roland’s case to be presented only in front of a judge, rather than with a jury as well. He was deemed guilty and served 10 months and two weeks at the D.C. Central Detention Facility. During that time, Roland missed the birth of his daughter and the passing of his grandmothers. Though Roland’s art is not primarily religious, Roland is open about the fact that prayer and reading the Bible were things that helped him get by. While in prison, Roland initially struggled with the concept of innocence. He believed that he was different from the other men serving time at the D.C. Central Detention Facility. Through his conversations with the men there, and through religion, he came to realize that he is not as innocent as he believed and that no man is perfect; Roland recognized the judgements he had made about those who are incarcerated.