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
2026 2026 Wind Challenge I. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA
2025 What We Hold, We Build as part of MICA Grad Show III, Decker Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2025 Collector's Night, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
2024 Kinetic 2025: No Place like Home. Umbrella Art Fair. Washington, DC
2024 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
2021 Black Art Sessions presents: Straight Lick. Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY
2021 2021 MFA/MA Thesis Exhibition. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2018 Heritage: Now. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2018 BODIES. Otis Street Arts Project. Mt. Rainier, MD
2018 We Got Next: Young Contemporaries. D.C. Commission for Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
2017 Best of the Best. Pepco Edison Place Gallery. Washington, DC
2017 DC Artists East Exhibition. Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
2017 Transcendence. Galerie Kritiku. Prague, CZ
2017 Process & Practice. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2016 Figuratively Speaking. Gallery Underground. Arlington, VA
2016 Real People 2016, The Old Court House Arts Center. Woodstock, IL
2016 Gen-Y: 3.0, VisArts at Rockville. Rockville, MD
2016 Radical Re-Imaginings, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Washington, DC
2016 Hashtags Unplugged, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2015 Pressure Points, DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2015 From The Root, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio. Mt. Rainier, MD
Residencies & Studio Programs
2024 Resident Artist. The Studios at Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
Awards & Grants
2024 Fall 2024 Grantee. Tour de Force Foundation. Washington, DC
2019 - 2021 Social Engagement Fellowship. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
Lectures, Workshops, and Public Engagement
"Artist Exchange" 2026 Wind Challenge I. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA. March 6, 2026
"What We Hold, We Build" Gallery Talk, Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, MD. 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
Teaching
Graduate Teaching Intern, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA. Course: ED 321: Art Methods & Curriculum (Fall 2020)
Research, Writing, & Publications
Hair as Method (Essay Series), self-published, 2025 - present Almost Free: The Limits of Liberation and Speculative in 'Sinners,' June 7, 202
“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.
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.
Selected Professional Appointments
2024 - Present Public Programs Coordinator, HumanitiesDC, Washington, DC
2023 - 2024 Manager of Arts Education. Ford's Theatre Society. Washington, DC
2017 - 2018 Member, Sparkplug V. Artist Collective. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
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
2026 2026 Wind Challenge I. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA
2025 What We Hold, We Build as part of MICA Grad Show III, Decker Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2025 Collector's Night, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
2024 Kinetic 2025: No Place like Home. Umbrella Art Fair. Washington, DC
2024 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
2021 Black Art Sessions presents: Straight Lick. Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY
2021 2021 MFA/MA Thesis Exhibition. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, PA
2018 Heritage: Now. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2018 BODIES. Otis Street Arts Project. Mt. Rainier, MD
2018 We Got Next: Young Contemporaries. D.C. Commission for Arts & Humanities. Washington, DC
2017 Best of the Best. Pepco Edison Place Gallery. Washington, DC
2017 DC Artists East Exhibition. Anacostia Arts Center. Washington, DC
2017 Transcendence. Galerie Kritiku. Prague, CZ
2017 Process & Practice. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2016 Figuratively Speaking. Gallery Underground. Arlington, VA
2016 Real People 2016, The Old Court House Arts Center. Woodstock, IL
2016 Gen-Y: 3.0, VisArts at Rockville. Rockville, MD
2016 Radical Re-Imaginings, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Washington, DC
2016 Hashtags Unplugged, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2015 Pressure Points, DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2015 From The Root, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio. Mt. Rainier, MD
Residencies & Studio Programs
2024 Resident Artist. The Studios at Hamiltonian Artists. Washington, DC
Awards & Grants
2024 Fall 2024 Grantee. Tour de Force Foundation. Washington, DC
2019 - 2021 Social Engagement Fellowship. Moore College of Art & Design. Philadelphia, PA
Lectures, Workshops, and Public Engagement
"Artist Exchange" 2026 Wind Challenge I. Fleisher Art Memorial. Philadelphia, PA. March 6, 2026
"What We Hold, We Build" Gallery Talk, Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, MD. 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
Teaching
Graduate Teaching Intern, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA. Course: ED 321: Art Methods & Curriculum (Fall 2020)
Research, Writing, & Publications
Hair as Method (Essay Series), self-published, 2025 - present Almost Free: The Limits of Liberation and Speculative in 'Sinners,' June 7, 202
“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.
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.
Selected Professional Appointments
2024 - Present Public Programs Coordinator, HumanitiesDC, Washington, DC
2023 - 2024 Manager of Arts Education. Ford's Theatre Society. Washington, DC
2017 - 2018 Member, Sparkplug V. Artist Collective. DC Arts Center. Washington, DC
2012 - 2013 Teaching Artist Assistant. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. New York, NY
2012 - 2012 Assistant Teaching Artist. Weeksville Heritage Center. Brooklyn, NY