Reshada Pullen-Jireh

About the Artist

My interest in art began to develop when my 10th grade art teacher required us to maintain a sketchbook of our own original ideas.  It was the first time I was given space to communicate my love and observations of my own black girl experience in public spaces.  I found that visual art gave me a space to express myself, while everywhere else required my silence.  I earned my BFA at Virginia Commonwealth University, and pursued my Masters at Maryland Institute College of Art. I have exhibited throughout Virginia, Metro D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and Illinois. In 2003 my performance sculpture piece, “The Revolution Don’t Pay No Rent” received shocking reviews from the Virginia Commonwealth University Sculpture community. My first Solo exhibit in 2004, Three Fifths Remained Silent, explored images of black women, stereotypes, commerce and slavery. Shortly, after Haiti’s devastating Earthquake in 2010, I began painting live for fundraisers and other events around the metro D.C. Area. I transitioned the focus of my work from pain to connectivity and joy.  I was the resident artist for Wednesday Verses from 2010-2017.  I am currently the resident artist for Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville and Columbia.  I am an inaugural fellow in the Infinity Arts Collective.  Presently, I continue to exhibit in museums and galleries, I teach art for public and private organizations throughout Metro DC; I create arts education content for &Paint, my paint party business; and provide opportunities for communities to learn and create together.​​