[5] Towns has held various jobs throughout his career, including positions in a factory, at IHOP, and in a hospital where he stocked surgical equipment for operating rooms and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
[11][12] Stephen Towns' paintings explore the lives of individuals affected by American slavery, including the Zong massacre of 1781, in which 133 enslaved Africans were murdered by the crew of a British slave ship.
His work also reflects on the resilience of those who survived the Middle Passage and highlights the significant role of African Americans in shaping the economy through their endurance and resistance.
[18] His "Joy Cometh" series, which portrays realistic images of slave rebels, initially received praise at Galerie Myrtis but faced backlash at Goucher College's Rosenberg Gallery.
[19] An employee at the college found the paintings, which included images of Black faces with nooses, offensive and distressing, leading to a mediated discussion and a request for their removal.
[21] His decision to remove the artwork, while seen as a gesture of sensitivity, also sparked a wide-ranging and contentious debate on social media about the representation of historical trauma and its impact on viewers.