Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr. is a Transdisciplinary, Black, Italian, Queer, Non-Binary, Neurodivergent creative practicing primarily in america. Their collaborative approach to community engagement results in artwork by and for the people.

Stevenson’s practice has been dedicated to supporting young people ages 4 to 18 in developing the necessary skills to encourage advanced imaginative thinking and self-confident expression. In 2019 they developed the Afro Contemporary Art Class at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School which has had many forms since, including Afro Futurist February (2020), three years of Fred Hampton Summer Camp (2020-2023), and the Living Archive at Jefferson High School (2023-2025). Currently they are collaborating to start up a new youth centered not for profit organization called Factory of Dreams in the Central Eastside Industrial District (2026-ongoing). 

Stevenson bridges the ideas, understandings, and contexts surrounding youth development into the contemporary art and socio-political worlds. Some of which were embedded in Mapping the Pipeline shown at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art as part of the Policing Justice exhibition (2025). Recent creative projects include participating as an artist in residency program with GLEAN Portland (2026) and as guest curator of Congruencies Trans:form(ed) at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (2026). 

Stevenson continues to cultivate a robust portfolio of artist projects centering food and gathering around it, projects involving sculpture, drawing, and photography, and work in collaboration with currently and formerly incarcerated folks. 

Stevenson pursues these professional and creative goals passionately because they believe that empowered and open-minded young people and communities are the best and most direct way toward ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for all.