Maxwell Pearce ’18

When not traveling the world as a Harlem Globetrotter, Maxwell “Hops” Pearce ’18 is traveling the world as an accomplished and celebrated artist.

His art speaks to human rights and social justice, using sports as a catalyst for storytelling while challenging how we perceive humanity in and out of sports.

He has shown his work at galleries around the world and has taken part in art installations with Art Basel Miami and Art Basel Switzerland.

Hops counts his grandmother and the acclaimed African American artist, Ernie Barnes, as role models and heroes who championed his love of art. He continues to be inspired by people like Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick, Natasha Cloud, and Lebron James, who use their platform to bring awareness to social issues.

See a recent appearance on CBS Mornings where Pearce discusses his latest body of work, inspired by his 93-year-old grandmother, Lovely Hill Billups, a former model turned educator.

Originally from Tuckahoe, NY, Pearce was a starting point guard for the Purchase Panthers, where he quickly built a global reputation for his slam dunk videos. His social presence led to being featured on CNN, GQ, CBS, Sportscenter, MTV, and more.

In 2018, he won the first-ever Purchase Shark Tank business competition with his idea for a nonprofit called Flynance, a program that he founded with a teammate from Purchase. Its aim was to help student athletes with the transition from sports into their next phase of life. This program was named a 2018 Westchester Up & Coming Award recipient and was featured in Westchester Magazine.

That same year, he represented Purchase in the ESPN College Slam Dunk Championship in San Antonio, finishing 3rd. Pearce became just the 7th Division III player to participate in the championship. His outstanding performance led to being discovered by the Harlem Globetrotters and signing a contract upon graduating.

After experiencing a deeply inappropriate live interview with Alabama television anchors that had racist undertones, Pearce channeled the extreme backlash he received into an artistic celebration of the human under the jersey. This inaugural collection debuted at N’namdi Contemporary for Miami Art Basel in 2022. He had pieces acquired by the LA Dodgers, Detroit Institute of Art, the Pittsburgh museum of Diversity and Culture, the Westchester County Hall of Fame, and more.

Pearce’s perspective as a professional athlete and an artist gives him a unique vantage point; his work emphasizes the multidimensionality of being an athlete and a total person.

His textured mixed-media pieces are often made from sports equipment and shoelaces, which he believes are the common thread between so many of us. His sculptures—each offering multiple points of view—draw on historical and contemporary references, including important people, moments, ideas, family members, and athletes.

January 17 is Maxwell Pearce Day in Westchester County, New York.

—Excerpted from artofanathlete.com and harlemglobetrotters.com