Quiet Terrors, Quiet Joys

A solo exhibition by Janelle Washington

OPENING RECEPTION - August 17, 2023 6 - 8 pm

Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper-cut artist from Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Fashion Design and afterward found interest in paper cutting. Through the simplicity of paper, Janelle creates images that showcase African Americans' courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. Her artwork explores Black culture’s history, identity, and feminine themes through cut paper.

Janelle’s work can be found in many public and private collections, including commissioned silhouettes at the Smithsonian National Museum of African America History and Culture in Washington Dc., and the historic St. Pauls’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, Janelle’s silhouettes have been published in Oprah magazine’s September 2020 issue for the #SayHerName campaign featuring Breonna Taylor. In 2022, Janelle made her debut as a picture book illustrator, receiving six starred reviews, The Randolph Caldecott Honor Award, The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent/ Illustrator Award, and multiple other prestigious awards for the biography book Choosing Brave, using her paper cut art with the author of Black is a Rainbow Color, Angela Joy.

Janelle is a member of The Guild of American Papercutters, Artist/Scholars of Color Collective, Art Impact USA, Inc., Ikouii, SCBWI, and ArtLifting.

See more of Janelle’s artwork on her website and Instagram

The exhibition is on view in Gallery 194 from July 26, 2023 - September 4, 2023.