Artist Statement/Bio
Art is the act of self-proclamation—a radical assertion of identity, presence, and truth. As a Black artist, I create portraiture that reclaims narrative power and resists the historical erasure of people of the African diaspora. My paintings serve as counter-archives, capturing the beauty, complexity, and humanity of individuals who have often been excluded or misrepresented in Western art traditions.
Trained in classical oil techniques, I use the language of the old masters to build a visual practice rooted in care, inquiry, and dignity. Each figure I paint is rendered with attention to light, surface, and symbolism—mirrors, natural elements, and compositional choices that speak to protection, reflection, and transformation. These are not passive representations; they are living embodiments of memory and becoming.
My studio practice is deeply intertwined with community and pedagogy. Based in Washington, D.C., I am committed to creating access to the arts through teaching, public programming, and collaborative spaces that affirm identity and cultural preservation. I see painting as both a personal ritual and a social practice—one that bridges the gaps between past and future, image and spirit.
Through my portraits, I offer a space where Black and brown lives are not only seen, but honored—where beauty is expansive, where identity is self-determined, and where the act of looking becomes an invitation to witness with respect.
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Selena “NOIR” Jaquesun Jackson is a Washington, D.C.-based visual artist whose work explores identity, beauty, and the Black experience through portraiture and figuration. A graduate of Montgomery College with an AFA in Studio Art, Jackson is currently pursuing her BA in Art Studies at Arizona State University. Her paintings often serve as intimate counter-narratives, centering marginalized bodies with nuance, reverence, and power.
A resident artist at Red Dirt Studio since 2021, Jackson’s work has been exhibited widely throughout the DMV area, including recent shows at the Washington National Cathedral, Hamiltonian Gallery, and Joe’s Movement Emporium. Her pieces are also part of public and private collections, including through the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Art Bank Program.
In addition to her studio practice, Jackson is an educator and curator committed to community engagement. She has led workshops and public talks on topics such as Yoruba aesthetics, Orientalist representation, and racialized beauty in art, and has curated exhibitions at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery and Girls Who Paint Gallery. She is a two-time recipient of the DC Artist Humanities Fellowship and was awarded a 2024 Tour de Force Grant for her contributions to the local arts ecosystem.
With a practice grounded in storytelling, care, and cultural inquiry, Jackson continues to develop a body of work that invites reflection, honors legacy, and reclaims visibility for the historically overlooked.
Resume/CV
EDUCATION
Arizona State University, Tempe, A.Z.— Art Studies, BA
January 2024-
Montgomery College, Rockville, MD — Studio Art, AFA
August 2014 - May 2018
Studied Under:
Katherine Knight
Darryl Smith
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
Divine Women by Reginald Cunningham: Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington D.C., March-May 2024
HerStory Juried Exhibition: Girls Who Paint Gallery, Kensington, M.D., August-October 2023
GRANTS
Tour De Force, Washington D.C, 2024
Commission of the Arts and Humanities Washington DC: Artist Humanities Fellowship Program, 2023-2024
Commission of the Arts and Humanities Washington DC: Art Bank Program, 2023-2024
Commission of the Arts and Humanities Washington DC: Artist Humanities Fellowship Program, 2022-2023
LECTURES/WORKSHOP
Drop-In Figure Drawing: Montgomery College, Takoma Park, 2025
Strathmore Arts & Social Justice Fellowship Class of ’25 (Mentore)
Color of Skin (Adult Workshop), 2024
Research: Effective Ways to Focus on One’s Artistic Voice, 2024
Ori: Discussion of Yoruban Art, 2024
En Profile: Viewing Oneself with a Critical Gaze, 2024
Color of Skin (Children’s Workshop), 2023
Africans in Orientalist Art, 2023
RESIDENCIES
Red Dirt Studios: Resident Artist, 2021-
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop: Gallery Resident, January- February 2023
DC Art Studios Studios: Resident Artist, 2016-2019
EXHIBITION HISTORY
Artdromeda Collective, Baltimore, M.D., April-June 2025
“Art of The Attempt”, Bacchante Art Gallery and Events, Online, May 2024
“Sacred Spaces”, Washington National Cathedral, Washington D.C., April 2024
“Hamiltonian WIP”, Hamiltonian Arts Gallery/ Woolly Mammoth Theater, Washington, D.C., November 2023- January 2024
“FREEDOM”, Joe’s Movement Emporium, Washington, D. C, August 2023
“Everyday Every Day”, Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville, M.D., July 2023
“DUALITY”, Red Dirt Firehouse Gallery, Mount Rainier, M.D., May 2023-June 2023
Shanklin Hall, Washington, D.C.- May 2023- Present
ScotchXScissors, Washington, D.C.- March 2023-Present
“Atelier Noir” Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, D.C- November 2022- December 2022
“2022 Fall Salon” Target Gallery, Alexandria, V.A.- November 2022- December 2022
“Evolution Through Retrospection” The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington, D.C.- September 2022- November 2022
Sitar Arts Center: Spring Showcase, Washington, D.C.- May 2022-June 2022
“The Common Bond” Friendship Gallery, Chevy Chase, MD- January 2022- February 2022
Prizm Art Fair: Virtual, Miami Art Week- November 2021- December 2021
“Women in the Arts” Latela Curatorial x NO KINGS COLLECTIVE: UMBRELLA, Washington, D.C.- October 2021- December 2021
“Autumn Serenade” Friendship Gallery, Chevy Chase, M.D.- September 2021- November 2021
“Women in the Arts” Latela Curatorial x ARTSY, Washington, D.C- October 2020- November 2020
“Isolation: Inspiration” Wellfleet Public Library Virtual Art Exhibit, Wellfleet, MA— May 2020 - July 2020
“10th Annual Patricia Sitar Juried Exhibition”, Washington, DC — August 2019- October 2019
“Unframed”, Washington, DC — September 2018- October 2018
COMMISSIONS
The Edge: Bethesda, M.D- March 2021