Born in DC.
Education
MFA Community Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
BFA Art and Design Education, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2021 A [Non] Figuration. Curated by Oluwatobiloba "Tobi" Ajayi. Virtual.
2020 Is it Safe Here?: MFA in Progress. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2015 Affirmations: An Exhibition by Ashley Ja'nae, Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
What We Hold, We Build as part of MICA Grad Show III, Decker Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Collector's Night, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
2024
Kinetic 2025: No Place like Home. Umbrella Art Fair. Washington, DC
Takeover. Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
2023
Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty. Icebox Project Space. Philadelphia, PA
2021
All Fires Signs go to Heaven or the Emancipation of Mimi: Soul Singing and the Politics of Surrogation + Subjugation in the Age of Catastrophe. Philadelphia, PA
Black Art Sessions presents: Straight Lick. Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY
2021 MFA/MA Thesis Exhibition. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2019
Art & Advocacy: Benefit for the Center for Health and Gender Equality. Washington, DC
2018
Transformer 15th Annual Silent Auction. Corcoran School of Arts and Design. Washington, DC
Hickok Cole Art Night. Hickok Cole. Washington, DC
Heritage: Now. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
BODIES. Otis Street Arts Project. Mt. Rainier, MD
We Got Next: Young Contemporaries. D.C. Commission for Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
Washington Project for the Arts 37th Annual Auction Gala. Uline Arena. Washington, DC
Revolutionary Futures. The Stew. Washington, DC
2017
Best of the Best. Pepco Edison Place Gallery. Washington, DC
Home. Logan Fringe Arts Space. Washington, DC
DC Artists East Exhibition. Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Transcendence. Galerie Kritiku. Prague, CZ
Process & Practice. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2016
Figuratively Speaking. Gallery Underground. Arlington, VA
Cheap Thrills, Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Real People 2016, The Old Court House Arts Center. Woodstock, IL
Gen-Y: 3.0, VisArts at Rockville. Rockville, MD
Radical Re-Imaginings, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Washington, DC
Hashtags Unplugged, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2015
Pressure Points, DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
From The Root, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio. Mt. Rainier, MD
Visual Arts Exhibition Featuring 2015 Artist Fellowship Program, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
2013
Faculty Show, Art Works Studio School. Mt. Rainier, MD
Shared Minds: Art & Design Education Student Teachers and Their Students. Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
Residencies & Studio Programs
2024 Resident Artist. The Studios at Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
Awards & Grants
2025 Graduate Merit Scholarship. Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, MD
2024 November 2024 Grantee. Tour de Force Foundation. Washington, DC
2019 - 2021 Social Engagement Fellowship. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
2010 - 2013 Presidential Merit-Based Scholarship. Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
Public Engagement & Artist Talks
"What We Hold, We Build" Gallery Talk, Maryland Institute College of Art, April 22, 2025
"Creating Belonging: a Black Hair Art-Making Workshop," Creator and Facilitator, The Studios at HamiltonianArtists. Washington, DC. January 18, 2025
"Creating Belonging: a Black Hair Art-Making Workshop," Creator and Facilitator, The Studios at HamiltonianArtists. Washington, DC. December 14, 2024
“Is It Safe Here” Artist Talk, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA, October 2020
“Heritage: Now” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, November 18, 2018
“Bodies” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, Otis Street Arts Project, Mt. Rainier, MD, September 15, 2018
“We Got Next: Young Contemporaries” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC, June 15, 2018
“Process & Practice” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, March 12, 2017
“Pressure Points” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, December 2015
Press
“MFA Candidate’s Thesis Explores Response to Institutional Racism” Our Stories, October 8, 2020.
“This Art Exhibit is All About Bodies, But Not the Kind the Media Usually Shows Us” by Eliza Berkon, DCist. September 13, 2018
"DC Arts Center Presents Sparkplug Process & Practice," East City Art. February 15, 2017.
"Affirming Black Beauty Through Safe Spaces: Ashley Ja'nae," by Mikey Jakubowski and Meg Zulch, Hooligan Magazine Issue #12. October 2015.
Bibliography
“Foundation Arts: Light, Color, and Design” Ashley Gunter, Edited by Aileen Wilson and Camille T. Martin in The Art of the Art and Design Assignment: Pratt Institute. 2014.
Professional Experience
2024 Teaching Artist. Girls Rock DC
2023 - 2024 Manager of Arts Education. Ford's Theatre Society. Washington, DC
2021 - 2022 Youth Program Coordinator. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA
2020-Present Freelance Art Project Manager. Various Clients.
2020 Graduate Teaching Intern. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
2017 - 2019 Lower School Art Teacher. National Cathedral School. Washington, DC
2017 - 2018 Member, Sparkplug V. Artist Collective. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2015 - 2017 Visual Arts Teacher. Friends Community School. College Park, MD
2016 - 2017 Teaching Artist. F.H. Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center. Washington, DC
2014 - 2015 Long Term Substitute Art Teacher. National Cathedral School. Washington, DC
2013 - 2013 Teaching Artist. Art Works Studio School. Mt. Rainier, MD
2012 - 2013 Teaching Artist Assistant. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. New York, NY
2012 - 2012 Assistant Teaching Artist. Weeksville Heritage Center. Brooklyn, NY
Education
MFA Community Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
BFA Art and Design Education, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2021 A [Non] Figuration. Curated by Oluwatobiloba "Tobi" Ajayi. Virtual.
2020 Is it Safe Here?: MFA in Progress. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2015 Affirmations: An Exhibition by Ashley Ja'nae, Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
What We Hold, We Build as part of MICA Grad Show III, Decker Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Collector's Night, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
2024
Kinetic 2025: No Place like Home. Umbrella Art Fair. Washington, DC
Takeover. Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
2023
Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty. Icebox Project Space. Philadelphia, PA
2021
All Fires Signs go to Heaven or the Emancipation of Mimi: Soul Singing and the Politics of Surrogation + Subjugation in the Age of Catastrophe. Philadelphia, PA
Black Art Sessions presents: Straight Lick. Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY
2021 MFA/MA Thesis Exhibition. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2019
Art & Advocacy: Benefit for the Center for Health and Gender Equality. Washington, DC
2018
Transformer 15th Annual Silent Auction. Corcoran School of Arts and Design. Washington, DC
Hickok Cole Art Night. Hickok Cole. Washington, DC
Heritage: Now. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
BODIES. Otis Street Arts Project. Mt. Rainier, MD
We Got Next: Young Contemporaries. D.C. Commission for Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
Washington Project for the Arts 37th Annual Auction Gala. Uline Arena. Washington, DC
Revolutionary Futures. The Stew. Washington, DC
2017
Best of the Best. Pepco Edison Place Gallery. Washington, DC
Home. Logan Fringe Arts Space. Washington, DC
DC Artists East Exhibition. Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Transcendence. Galerie Kritiku. Prague, CZ
Process & Practice. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2016
Figuratively Speaking. Gallery Underground. Arlington, VA
Cheap Thrills, Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Real People 2016, The Old Court House Arts Center. Woodstock, IL
Gen-Y: 3.0, VisArts at Rockville. Rockville, MD
Radical Re-Imaginings, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Washington, DC
Hashtags Unplugged, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2015
Pressure Points, DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
From The Root, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio. Mt. Rainier, MD
Visual Arts Exhibition Featuring 2015 Artist Fellowship Program, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
2013
Faculty Show, Art Works Studio School. Mt. Rainier, MD
Shared Minds: Art & Design Education Student Teachers and Their Students. Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
Residencies & Studio Programs
2024 Resident Artist. The Studios at Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
Awards & Grants
2025 Graduate Merit Scholarship. Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, MD
2024 November 2024 Grantee. Tour de Force Foundation. Washington, DC
2019 - 2021 Social Engagement Fellowship. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
2010 - 2013 Presidential Merit-Based Scholarship. Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
Public Engagement & Artist Talks
"What We Hold, We Build" Gallery Talk, Maryland Institute College of Art, April 22, 2025
"Creating Belonging: a Black Hair Art-Making Workshop," Creator and Facilitator, The Studios at HamiltonianArtists. Washington, DC. January 18, 2025
"Creating Belonging: a Black Hair Art-Making Workshop," Creator and Facilitator, The Studios at HamiltonianArtists. Washington, DC. December 14, 2024
“Is It Safe Here” Artist Talk, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA, October 2020
“Heritage: Now” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, November 18, 2018
“Bodies” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, Otis Street Arts Project, Mt. Rainier, MD, September 15, 2018
“We Got Next: Young Contemporaries” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC, June 15, 2018
“Process & Practice” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, March 12, 2017
“Pressure Points” Artist Talk and Panel Discussion, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC, December 2015
Press
“MFA Candidate’s Thesis Explores Response to Institutional Racism” Our Stories, October 8, 2020.
“This Art Exhibit is All About Bodies, But Not the Kind the Media Usually Shows Us” by Eliza Berkon, DCist. September 13, 2018
"DC Arts Center Presents Sparkplug Process & Practice," East City Art. February 15, 2017.
"Affirming Black Beauty Through Safe Spaces: Ashley Ja'nae," by Mikey Jakubowski and Meg Zulch, Hooligan Magazine Issue #12. October 2015.
Bibliography
“Foundation Arts: Light, Color, and Design” Ashley Gunter, Edited by Aileen Wilson and Camille T. Martin in The Art of the Art and Design Assignment: Pratt Institute. 2014.
Professional Experience
2024 Teaching Artist. Girls Rock DC
2023 - 2024 Manager of Arts Education. Ford's Theatre Society. Washington, DC
2021 - 2022 Youth Program Coordinator. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA
2020-Present Freelance Art Project Manager. Various Clients.
2020 Graduate Teaching Intern. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
2017 - 2019 Lower School Art Teacher. National Cathedral School. Washington, DC
2017 - 2018 Member, Sparkplug V. Artist Collective. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2015 - 2017 Visual Arts Teacher. Friends Community School. College Park, MD
2016 - 2017 Teaching Artist. F.H. Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center. Washington, DC
2014 - 2015 Long Term Substitute Art Teacher. National Cathedral School. Washington, DC
2013 - 2013 Teaching Artist. Art Works Studio School. Mt. Rainier, MD
2012 - 2013 Teaching Artist Assistant. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. New York, NY
2012 - 2012 Assistant Teaching Artist. Weeksville Heritage Center. Brooklyn, NY