An artist working across disciplines - journalism, photography, printmaking, music - Michael Jackson brings rare depth to each field he inhabits.
Michael Jackson is an interdisciplinary artist immersed in journalism, photography, fine art printmaking, music performance, production and composition. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was awarded the James Nelson Raymond Fellowship Prize.
Beginning his editorial career in London as jazz editor for the Guardian, Telegraph and Evening Standard, Jackson has gone on to become a regular correspondent for New City, Downbeat, The Chicago Sun-Times, Jazzwise (UK) and the New York Times, among other publications. In 2025 he was nominated for the Robert Palmer/Helen Oakley Dance Award for excellence in writing.
A member of the Chicago Photography Collective, his prolific photo work has been widely published and exhibited internationally. He was nominated for the Lona Foote-Bob Parent Photography Award for career excellence by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2011, 2012, 2016, and received the award in 2018. He was shortlisted for a Lisagor Award in 2022 for his work for the Chicago Reader, and was a finalist for the JJA's Photo of the Year in 2024.
As a musician, Jackson leads the eclectic Mike's Magik Band. His latest recording, The Gal from Ochi, features 18 Chicago musicians under the banner "Head, Heart & Tails." He has also co-produced the Chicago chapter of Pecha Kucha, the international cultural forum.
Active as an educator, Jackson has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Evanston Art Center, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, the Northshore Art League and Gallery 37.