The New York Times called her “noteworthy.”
Essence Magazine says, “Her paintings capture the soul of New Orleans.”
​She is among a group of women listed as major artists of our time in 
Gumbo YAYA: Anthology of Contemporary African-American Women Artists
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Professor M. Marion Clough, Douglas College of Art, Rutgers University, wrote, “With an emotional truth that is difficult to ignore, Margaret Slade Kelley’s paintings address the social climate of our time. A figurative painter, Kelley’s concentration is devoted to finding common ground surrounding social relationships. Her paintings represent a convergence of social, expressive, and personal elements. The works of Margaret Slade Kelley rely heavily upon color for their expressive qualities.” 

​​Margaret has mastered oils, acrylics, mixed media, and collages. A Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts graduate, she majored in fine art under the tutelage of French Impressionist Samuel Breecher, German Realist Hans Weingartner, and African American Expressionist Donald Brown. She studied fine art at the New York School of Visual Arts and is an Arts High alumna. Margaret has proven to be a fine visual artist, using strong images and colors, which dominate her work.

​She is among a group of women listed as major artists of our time in Gumbo  YAYA: Anthology of Contemporary African American Women Artists, written by Dr. Leslie Hammond, art historian, educator, and Dean of Graduate Studies at the Maryland Institute, College of Art. Margaret’s Journey spans five decades, as noted by famed journalist and author Barbara Kukla in three of her eleven books on the history of Newark and its people: “Against All Odds,” “Distinguished Alumni,” and “Newark Women, From the Suffragettes to the Statehouse.” 

In 2016, the Newark Historic Preservation Committee included her among an impressive list of Distinguished Alumni of the Newark Public School System: Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan, actor Michael B. Jordan, dancer Savion Glover, artist Willie Cole, cardiac surgeon Victor Parsonnet, and Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, to name a few.

At age 21, she exhibited with well-known contemporary artists Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, and Horace Pippin in the unprecedented exhibit “Black Artist: Two Generations." She showed in the acclaimed exhibition, “Fragments of Myself the Woman," at Douglas College Art Gallery, along with Howardena Pindell and Faith Ringgold. She is a member of the Black Women in Visual Perspective. A group of women who, in their youth, defied the odds and dared to be artists, exhibiting in museums and galleries throughout the state of New Jersey with Eleta J. Caldwell, Janet Taylor Pickett, Bisa W. Washington, Gladys Barker Grauer, Viki Craig, Marietta Mays, and Nette Forne Thomas.

Margaret's work has been critiqued by the New York Times critic Vivian Raynor as a “noteworthy artist” for her figurative rendition of “A Girl in Paisley Print,” exhibited at the Newark Museum’s Artists: Emerging and Established. Other group exhibits include The Jersey City Museum, The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum, Montclair State College, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, Tweed Art Gallery, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Prudential, Bell Laboratories, Essex County College, Carter G. Woodson Foundation, Label Gallery, Savacou Gallery, Southern University, Congo Square Art Gallery, and the list goes on.

The Boston Public Library, Mount Holyoke College, Spelman College, Purdue University, and La Revue Modern Arts in Paris have sought her work. At 32, she became the first Black artist commissioned by the State of New Jersey to position artwork in public buildings. The city of Newark commissioned her to paint a portrait of superstar Whitney Houston, and her work has been auctioned at Sotheby’s for the Harlem Dowling Foundation.

Margaret has shown a devotion to sharing and documenting the human condition. In 1974, she was recognized by the mayor of Newark; in 1980, by the governor of New Jersey; in 1983, by the Essex County Executive; and in 2001, by the mayor of New Orleans for her unique contributions to art. As an artist in residence, she instructed art at the Arts Council of NorthwestEssex, Rutgers University: Department of Continuing Education; Montclair State College: Special Programs; the Newark Museum Arts Discovery Workshop; and Steven’s Institute of Technology: Student Technical Enrichment Program, Charter Middle School in New Orleans, and the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training at the Cecily Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, New Jersey.

In 1995, her series of works, "Playing for Tips,” received national attention when Susan L. Taylor spotlighted her images at Essence Magazine’s 25th Anniversary Awards Telecast. In 1996, she was selected as one of sixteen artists in the nation to have work exhibited at the American Embassy in South Africa. Other commissions include 1997 Essence Music Festival, Essence Magazine, New York,  New Orleans, Louisiana, 1999 MCA Records, Los Angeles, California; 2000 and 2001 Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Washington, D.C.; 2004 General Motors brand, Chevrolet, Chicago, Illinois, for the 10th Anniversary of the Essence Music Festival, 2005, Satchmo Festival, New Orleans, Louisiana; and 2005 One World Music Festival, Durban, South Africa. 2006 Essence Magazine’s Women Shaping the World Leadership Summit, New York, NY; 2008 Art Four Now, Congo Square, Jazz & Heritage Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana; 2010 Algiers River Fest Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana. Her images have recently appeared on NCIS: New Orleans, HGTV, and the Netflix movie "Cut Throat City."  

In 2023, Audible, Inc. announced the launch of a new series of public artworks in Newark, New Jersey, as part of the third phase of the Newark Artist Collaboration. This program aims to amplify the work of local artists and foster investment in Newark’s creative community. Artist Danielle Scott, a mixed-media assemblage artist, was commissioned to create a work entitled "Young, Gifted, and Black." The mural honors seven women whose creative works pioneered the Newark Arts movement and set a trailblazing path for others. Gladys Barker Grauer, “Mother of Newark Arts,” founded Black Women’s Visual Perspective in 1972; Camille Josephine Billops, sculptor, filmmaker, archivist, printmaker, and Rutgers University Newark art professor; Victoria “Viki” La Beaux Clark Craig, a widely respected educator and the founder/executive director of Art in the Atrium, Inc.; and Nette Forney Thomas, a Newark educator and administrator for 36 years, whose art explores women’s roles and societal status. Margaret Slade Kelley, an acclaimed painter and the first Black artist commissioned by the State of New Jersey to position artwork on public buildings; Eleta J. Caldwell, a graduate—and later, principal—of Arts High School and devoted her life to mentoring young Newark artists; and Bisa Washington, a sculptor, printmaker, and writer whose work explored her identity as an African-American woman. Their images grace the building on Harriet Tubman Square in Newark, New Jersey.
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Today, Margaret lives with her family near Atlanta, Ga. She has given over five decades of beautiful artwork. She continues to paint for collectors throughout the country, and she celebrates thirty years and ships her New Orleans print series worldwide, "Playing for Tips."
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