Artist Biography
I am a Philadelphia-based curator, educator, and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland. My work explores the complexities of safe spaces in Queer and Black culture through mixed medium paintings and installations. My current body of work, Finding Home, reinterprets the concept of safe spaces by creating introspective portraits with installations and mixed-media paintings that give Black, Queer, Trans, and Femme individuals the space to share what sounds, textures, memories, colors, and spaces make them feel safe. This creative process includes sharing a meal in a safe space my models select, interviews about memories and comfort, photoshoots, and collaboration during the installation of the painting. These works showcase Black, Queer, Trans, and Femme people in a way that highlights their tenderness and vulnerability to challenge the hyper-sexualized and performative narratives often placed of these communities in mainstream media.
As a curator, my exhibitions showcase my passion for creating safe spaces for art expression in immersive art installations highlighting the LGBTQIA+ social movement, racial justice, and feminism. I challenge the binaries of gender and social norms by confronting and dismantling monolithic beliefs about various cultures and reshaping the power dynamic between curators and artists to build a care-centered community within the Philadelphia art scene. As a curator, my relationships with artists are rooted in creating long-term support, limitations of labor, and creative agency.
I am the Exhibition Manager at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens and have independently curated multiple art exhibitions with art institutions in Philadelphia including IceBox Project Space, Da Vinci Art Alliance, William Way LGBT+ Center, and the Center for Emerging Visual Artists.
Artist Statement
At the beginning of my practice, I focused on self-portraiture and explored the lack of security and safety as a Queer Black woman through depictions of unsettling bathroom scenes in “The American Bathroom” series. This body of work critiqued our failed incarceration system and the unhinged violence I experienced along with others in my community through large-scale erie-colored oil paintings on wooden panels. I developed creative programming and community building with other Queer, Women, and Black-led organizations and community leaders through talks, fellowships, and residencies that allowed me to collaborate on performances and discussions on Black and Queerness with regards to self-autonomy, community discussions, and collage workshops that welcomed people of all artistic backgrounds to create work that explored identity. Through this work, I shared the universal feeling of wanting to feel safe with individuals of all backgrounds.
Through the relationships formed and stories I heard during the creation of “The American Bathroom” series, I knew that our stories could not end with trauma and violence. I discovered that creating a sacred space within myself and others in my community leads to healing, peace, and safety. This inspired my current project "Finding Home." “Finding Home,” tells the stories of my models' physical and mental safe spaces through mixed-media artworks. The stories of my models are documented and inform the creation of these imaginative safe havens while also creating a physical safe space for them to share their vulnerabilities using oil and fluorescent acrylic paint, fabric, glitter, glue, and markers on large-scale paper, panels, and canvas. These works give my models agency over their image and create a safe space for them to view themselves within.
Education, Fellowships, and Residencies:
2019 - Tyler School of Art, B.F.A., Painting and Drawing - Philadelphia, PA
2023-2024 - NewCourtland Artists Fellowship
2023 - Vermont Studio Center Residency Program - Johnson, VT
2022 - Mural Art Fellowship for Black Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2021-2023 - Vox Populi Art Collective Member - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - Center For Emerging Visual Artist 2021 Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - Katheryn Pannepacker Curatorial Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Chautauqua School of Art Residency Program, Chautauqua School of Art - Chautauqua, NY
Solo Exhibitions:
2023 - “Finding Home” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2023 - “Sacred Spaces” at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2022 - “Finding Home” at One for All Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Unveiling” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Chelsey Luster Featured Artist” at 11th Hour Theatre Company at The Drake Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2024 - “CFEVA at 40:Four Decades of Supporting Contemporary Art” at Michener Museum - Doylestown, PA
2024 - “Fortitude at at” at Gross McCleaf Gallery - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Remnant” Allens Lane Art Center
2021 - “Odyssey of the Black Spirit” Tennessee Valley Art Museum - Tuscumbia, AL
2021 - “The Spaces We Carry” Cade Gallery AACC - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “HerStory” Leadership & Art Coalition - New York, NY
2020 - “Tenses: Queer Bodies Through Time” - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Freedom Philly” National Liberty Museum - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Black Lives Matter” Moody Jones Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Transform” Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “For the Culture” - Miami, FL
2019 - “14th Annual Juried Exhibition” William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “215 | 610 CONTEMPORARY: Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists” - Delaware County Community College - Media, PA
2019 - “Art and Sound” at Our House Community Center - Germantown, PA
2019 - “Transform” at Painted Bride Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Selections: Composition, Content, Form” at Aramark Partner Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “There’s Nothing Else to Call Them” at Kitchen Table Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
Honors and Awards:
2023 - Leeway Transformation Awardee - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Best in Show - William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - The Senior Painting Award - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - Dean’s Grant - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
Curated Exhibitions:
2024 - “Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-portraits on Paper” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2024 - “Under $100, Under $1000: Works by Philly Artists” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "In Unison: Ceramic Sculptures by George Rodriguez" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty" at Icebox Project Space - Philadelphia
2023 - "Before the Storm: CFEVA Juried Exhibition" at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia
2023 - "Laying the Foundation: the Zagars' Lives in South Philadelphia" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Art of Pleasure" at William Way LGBT Community Center - Philadelphia
2023 - "All the Right Places: Works by Rosa Leff" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2022 - “We’re on the Move: Paintings by Ashanté Kindle & Khari Turner” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
2022 - “When the Cracks Deepen: Works by Isaac Scott” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Together Again: Mosaic Panels by Isaiah Zagar” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Wading: When the Water Rises” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Queer Euphoria: “ at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Moving Forward When the World Stopped” at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Sanctuary: An Exploration of Queer Safe Havens” at Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “19.5%: Women in Power & Politics” at Little Berlin Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Icy Pop Up: Art Market” at The Artwear Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Bond of Knowing” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
I am a Philadelphia-based curator, educator, and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland. My work explores the complexities of safe spaces in Queer and Black culture through mixed medium paintings and installations. My current body of work, Finding Home, reinterprets the concept of safe spaces by creating introspective portraits with installations and mixed-media paintings that give Black, Queer, Trans, and Femme individuals the space to share what sounds, textures, memories, colors, and spaces make them feel safe. This creative process includes sharing a meal in a safe space my models select, interviews about memories and comfort, photoshoots, and collaboration during the installation of the painting. These works showcase Black, Queer, Trans, and Femme people in a way that highlights their tenderness and vulnerability to challenge the hyper-sexualized and performative narratives often placed of these communities in mainstream media.
As a curator, my exhibitions showcase my passion for creating safe spaces for art expression in immersive art installations highlighting the LGBTQIA+ social movement, racial justice, and feminism. I challenge the binaries of gender and social norms by confronting and dismantling monolithic beliefs about various cultures and reshaping the power dynamic between curators and artists to build a care-centered community within the Philadelphia art scene. As a curator, my relationships with artists are rooted in creating long-term support, limitations of labor, and creative agency.
I am the Exhibition Manager at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens and have independently curated multiple art exhibitions with art institutions in Philadelphia including IceBox Project Space, Da Vinci Art Alliance, William Way LGBT+ Center, and the Center for Emerging Visual Artists.
Artist Statement
At the beginning of my practice, I focused on self-portraiture and explored the lack of security and safety as a Queer Black woman through depictions of unsettling bathroom scenes in “The American Bathroom” series. This body of work critiqued our failed incarceration system and the unhinged violence I experienced along with others in my community through large-scale erie-colored oil paintings on wooden panels. I developed creative programming and community building with other Queer, Women, and Black-led organizations and community leaders through talks, fellowships, and residencies that allowed me to collaborate on performances and discussions on Black and Queerness with regards to self-autonomy, community discussions, and collage workshops that welcomed people of all artistic backgrounds to create work that explored identity. Through this work, I shared the universal feeling of wanting to feel safe with individuals of all backgrounds.
Through the relationships formed and stories I heard during the creation of “The American Bathroom” series, I knew that our stories could not end with trauma and violence. I discovered that creating a sacred space within myself and others in my community leads to healing, peace, and safety. This inspired my current project "Finding Home." “Finding Home,” tells the stories of my models' physical and mental safe spaces through mixed-media artworks. The stories of my models are documented and inform the creation of these imaginative safe havens while also creating a physical safe space for them to share their vulnerabilities using oil and fluorescent acrylic paint, fabric, glitter, glue, and markers on large-scale paper, panels, and canvas. These works give my models agency over their image and create a safe space for them to view themselves within.
Education, Fellowships, and Residencies:
2019 - Tyler School of Art, B.F.A., Painting and Drawing - Philadelphia, PA
2023-2024 - NewCourtland Artists Fellowship
2023 - Vermont Studio Center Residency Program - Johnson, VT
2022 - Mural Art Fellowship for Black Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2021-2023 - Vox Populi Art Collective Member - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - Center For Emerging Visual Artist 2021 Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - Katheryn Pannepacker Curatorial Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Chautauqua School of Art Residency Program, Chautauqua School of Art - Chautauqua, NY
Solo Exhibitions:
2023 - “Finding Home” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2023 - “Sacred Spaces” at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2022 - “Finding Home” at One for All Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Unveiling” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Chelsey Luster Featured Artist” at 11th Hour Theatre Company at The Drake Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2024 - “CFEVA at 40:Four Decades of Supporting Contemporary Art” at Michener Museum - Doylestown, PA
2024 - “Fortitude at at” at Gross McCleaf Gallery - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Remnant” Allens Lane Art Center
2021 - “Odyssey of the Black Spirit” Tennessee Valley Art Museum - Tuscumbia, AL
2021 - “The Spaces We Carry” Cade Gallery AACC - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “HerStory” Leadership & Art Coalition - New York, NY
2020 - “Tenses: Queer Bodies Through Time” - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Freedom Philly” National Liberty Museum - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Black Lives Matter” Moody Jones Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Transform” Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “For the Culture” - Miami, FL
2019 - “14th Annual Juried Exhibition” William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “215 | 610 CONTEMPORARY: Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists” - Delaware County Community College - Media, PA
2019 - “Art and Sound” at Our House Community Center - Germantown, PA
2019 - “Transform” at Painted Bride Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Selections: Composition, Content, Form” at Aramark Partner Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “There’s Nothing Else to Call Them” at Kitchen Table Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
Honors and Awards:
2023 - Leeway Transformation Awardee - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Best in Show - William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - The Senior Painting Award - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - Dean’s Grant - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
Curated Exhibitions:
2024 - “Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-portraits on Paper” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2024 - “Under $100, Under $1000: Works by Philly Artists” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "In Unison: Ceramic Sculptures by George Rodriguez" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty" at Icebox Project Space - Philadelphia
2023 - "Before the Storm: CFEVA Juried Exhibition" at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia
2023 - "Laying the Foundation: the Zagars' Lives in South Philadelphia" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Art of Pleasure" at William Way LGBT Community Center - Philadelphia
2023 - "All the Right Places: Works by Rosa Leff" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2022 - “We’re on the Move: Paintings by Ashanté Kindle & Khari Turner” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
2022 - “When the Cracks Deepen: Works by Isaac Scott” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Together Again: Mosaic Panels by Isaiah Zagar” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Wading: When the Water Rises” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Queer Euphoria: “ at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Moving Forward When the World Stopped” at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Sanctuary: An Exploration of Queer Safe Havens” at Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “19.5%: Women in Power & Politics” at Little Berlin Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Icy Pop Up: Art Market” at The Artwear Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Bond of Knowing” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
