Nastassja E. Swift (b. 1992, US)
nastassjaebony@gmail.com
www.nastassjaswift.com
EDUCATION
2015: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Richmond, VA
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting and Printmaking; Minor: Craft and Material Studies
SOLO + TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2023: VMFA Fellowship Program Exhibition, two person exhibition, Nastassja E. Swift and Franchell Brown, Capital One Galleries, Richmond, VA
2022: NADA Miami, two person exhibition, Nastassja E. Swift and Mildred Beltre, SPACES Gallery, Miami, FL
2022: “to hold on, to be held” two person exhibition, Nastassja E. Swift and Avery Williamson, Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA
2021: “blue/Black/baby smiles, singin’ to an old river- we hear you coming” solo exhibition, SPACES, Cleveland, OH
2021: “Canaan: when I read your letter, I feel your voice” solo exhibition, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX
2021: “Canaan: when I read your letter, I feel your voice” solo exhibition, Historical Hampton Courthouse, Hampton, VA
2019: “Remembering Her Homecoming” Installation, solo exhibition, Wa Na Wari, Seattle, WA
2019: “she was here, once” solo exhibition, Lane Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2016: “I Keep Repeating It Over and Over in My Head” solo exhibition, VCU Qatar Gallery, Doha, Qatar
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024: “Africa's Fashion Diaspora” The Museum at FIT, Elizabeth Way, New York, NY
2024: “5M” Work on Loan from The 5M Collection, United Colors Gallery, Kansas City, KS
2024: “BLACK WOMAN GENIUS: Elizabeth Talford Scott—Tapestry of Generations” Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, Baltimore, MD
2023: “STUFFED” Boston University Art Galleries, Mallory A. Ruymann & Leah Triplett Harrington, Curators, Boston, MA
2023: “To Be Held” Carl Freedman Gallery, Ronan Mckenzie, Curator, Margate, UK
2022: “Dispersed” Virtual Exhibition, Artverbium, Portugal
2022: “Salt Eaters” Raunjiba Design Center, Baltimore, MD
2022: “Like Wildflowers” World Trade Center, Cereus Art, New York City, NY
2021: “Amplify” Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA
2021: “MAKING MARKS | Figural Identity, transfiguration, and receptive tactility” Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2020: “Primordial Emanations, that which is brought forth follows the womb” 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2020: “Benediction” Eleanor and Hopps Gallery, The Contemporary Arts Network, Newport News, VA
2020: “Hello There” Quirk Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
2019: “Remembering Her Homecoming” Short Film Screening, Afrikana Independent Film Festival, Enjoli Moon, Curator and Director, Richmond, VA
2019: “Breaching the Margins” Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Juana Williams, Curator, Grand Rapids, MI
2018: “InLight Richmond” Satellite 1708 Gallery, Kimberli Gant, Curator, Richmond, VA
2017: “Urgent Care, A Social Care Experience” The Colored Girls Museum, Michael Clemmons, Curator, Philadelphia, PA
COMMISSIONS
2023: “Turning Seeds” Masked Performance, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum, Savannah, GA, April 27
2022-23: Public Art Commission, City of Richmond Public Arts Commission, Richmond, VA Ongoing
2022: “Forum Forever” Sculptural Installation, Adidas, New York, NY June 2-16
2019: “Tickled Pink” The Children’s Museum of Richmond
RESIDENCIES
2023: Winter Residency, Wassaic Project, Wassaic NY
2022: Winter Artist Residency and Fellowship, Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC
2021: Artist in Residence, SPACES, Cleveland, OH
2020: First Patron Initiative, The Contemporary Arts Network, Newport News, VA
2019: Creative in Residence, Children’s Museum of Richmond, Richmond, VA
2019: Artist in Residence, Open Merit Fellowship, Cuttyhunk Island Artist Residency, Cuttyhunk, MA
2016: Artist in Residence, Partial Fellowship Award, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
2015-16: Fellowship and Artist Residency, VCU Qatar, Doha, Qatar
2015: Artist in Residence, Full Fellowship Award, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
GRANTS + AWARDS
2024: Textile Society of America Brandford/ Elliott Award
2024: Nominated for a Joan Mitchell Fellowship
2023: Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship, Center for Craft
2022: Cultural Equity Artist Grant, CultureWorks
2022-2025: Public Art Commission, City of Richmond Public Arts Commission
2022-2023: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Artist Fellowship
2021: Artist2Artist Fellowship, Art Matters
2021: Dr. Doris Derby Award, Dashboard
2021: ArtsNEXT Grant, Ohio Arts Council
2021: Art as Activism Grant Award, Black Box Press Foundation
2021: Grace Linton Battle Seed Grant
2020: Virginia Commission of the Arts Fellowship, Craft
2018: Cultural Equity Artist Grant, CultureWorks
2016: Faculty Research Grant, Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar
ACADEMIC CONFERENCES + ARTIST LECTURES
2024: Keynote Speaker, Public Art Symposium: Finding Our Place on Campus and in Community, The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, July 27
2023: Artist Lecture, Crafting History: Deconstructing Narratives through Fiber, Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Ball State University, Visual Arts Department, March 1
2022: Artist Lecture, Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Ithaca College, Department of Art, March 3
2021: Panel Member, Richmond Racial Equity Summit: An Evening of Conversation, Institute of Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA, October 15
2019: Selected Artist and Workshop Instructor, Felted Word: A Collaborative Artist Book, Tasmeem Doha Biennial Art and Design Conference, VCU Qatar, Doha, Qatar, March 13 – 15
2018: Panel Member, Women’s Agency, Women’s Empowerment Symposium – Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Tidewater Community College, Portsmouth, VA, March 23
2017: Artist Lecture, Conscious of Being Seen, Global History of Black Girlhood Conference, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, March 17-18
COLLECTIONS
The 5M Collection, Matt and Mandi Strange, Private, Kansas City MO
Contemporary Arts Network Collection, Newport News, VA
Quirk Hotel, Charlottesville, VA
Grace Linton Battle Memorial Collection, Washington DC
The Colored Girls Museum, Public, Philadelphia, PA
PUBLICATIONS
Ebert, Grace: “Collective Ancestry Emerges in the Countless Faces of Nastassja Swift’s Portraits” Colossal, access date: July 10, 2024.
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/nastassja-swift-textiles/
Field, Corinne T. and LaKisha Michelle Simmons, The Global History of Black Girlhood, University of Illinois Press 2022, p. 111 and Cover
Swift, N. Artist. “Curate, Nastassja Swift.” WHRO Public Media. November 26, 2021
https://www.pbs.org/video/nastassja-swift-lza4un/
Copeland, Colette: “To Comfort and Consume: Nastassja Swift at Galveston Arts Center.” Glasstire.com, access date: August 18, 2021.
https://glasstire.com/2021/08/18/to-comfort-and-consume-nastassja-swift-at-galveston-arts-center/
Gregory, Casey: “Lost Time: Nastassja Swift at Galveston Arts Center.” Arts and Culture Texas, access date: July 30, 2021.
http://artsandculturetx.com/lost-time-nastassja-swift-at-galveston-art-center/
Ebert, Grace: “Figurative Wool Sculptures by Nastassja Swift Explore the Memories and Narratives of Blackness.” Colossal, access date: April 13, 2021.
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2021/04/nastassja-swift-figure-sculptures/
Holmes, Helen: “ ‘Digital Legacies 2.0’ Honors the Cultural Impact of Black Women and Nonbinary People.” Observer, access date: March 24, 2021.
https://observer.com/2021/03/digital-legacies-black-women-nonbinary-artists/
Rodriguez, Jasmine: “The Essence of Reclamation with Black Spirituals’, Nastassja Swift.” Popsecure, access date: February 20, 2021.
https://popscuremedia.wordpress.com/tag/nastassja-swift/
Drummond, Laura: “A Shared Experience.” RVA Mag, access date: September 10, 2020.
https://rvamag.com/art/a-shared-experience.html
Parker, Valerie D.: “Wool Works.” Rhome Magazine, September 2020: 26. Print
Keimig, Jasmyne: “Finding a Home in Wa Na Wari.” the Stranger, access date: August 28 2019.
https://www.thestranger.com/visual-art/2019/08/28/41207022/finding-a-home-in-wa-na-wari
Kim, Elise: “Walking to Remember.” Richmond Magazine, access date: August 24, 2018.
https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/marching-to-remember/
Talton, David: “Encounters: An Interview with Mist Gallery.” Culturescene Magazine, access date: September 23, 2016.
http://culturescenemag.com/articles/encounters-an-interview-with-mist-gallery/
Nag, Udayan: “Is This Real.” T Qatar Magazine, June 2016: 27. Print.
Gomes, Lezima: “Communicating Through Art,” Qatar Tribune, April 19, 2016: 02. Print.