Photo credit: Candice Majors | candicemajors.com

Ashley Ja'nae is an interdisciplinary teaching + visual artist and a libra. She creates imagery centered around notions of belonging, identity, and intimacy through Black people's relationship with hair, ourselves, and our communities. With classic hip hop instrumentals playing in the background, she facilitates art learning experiences for young people to develop a stronger sense of self. Ashley, the only daughter of Melissa, Dorothy's daughter, was born and raised in Wards 1 and 7 in Washington, D.C. She received her BFA in Art & Design Education from Pratt Institute and is currently pursuing her MFA in Socially-Engaged Studio Art at Moore College of Art and Design. Ashley has exhibited her work in New York City, the Washington Metropolitan area, and Prague, CZ, among other locations. She is a former member of the D.C. Arts Center Sparkplug collective, an aggressive bike rider, a Black cat owner/pal.