About the Artist
Jessy DeSantis (they/them) is a Baltimore based queer self-taught artist, educator, and mother of the Nicaraguan diaspora. Their art blends magical realism, ancestral history, and social activism through vibrant and bold paintings that explore what it means to be human, to migrate, and to heal. Inspired by nature, food, family, and their Central American roots, Jessy reclaims cultural and ancestral teachings lost to colonization and displacement. Through their research, they hope to pass down these complex stories and truths to their children and future generations. In art and in life, Jessy speaks out against social injustices, highlighting how our struggles are interconnected, within the Latine community and across marginalized groups around the world. Today, Jessy is organizing and raising mutual aid funds for immigrant families facing systemic discrimination.
Jessy’s career began with unique academic roots. They earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting before their dedication to arts and activism. Since then, their work has been in programs like Morgan State University's CRC Popol Vuh Retelling Fellowship and a permanent display at The Walters Art Museum, alongside recognition in The Baltimore Sun, BmoreArt Magazine and international publication. As an experienced artist and educator, Jessy curates community exhibitions, showcases art in galleries from San Francisco to Massachusetts, and serves as a keynote speaker and guest lecturer at universities and cultural institutions across the region.
Education
Florida International University, Miami, FL, Masters in Accounting, 2014
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Bachelors in Accounting, 2012
Selected Publications
2026 “Issue 11” by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
2025 Malflora Magazine “Issue 1: Latina/e Lesbian Lives and Legacies”, by Malflora Collective
2025 “The Spirit Within / El espíritu inherente: Art and Life in Latin America / Arte y vida en Latinoamérica” by Ellen Hoobler and Patricia Lagarde, The Walters Art Museum
2024, "Issue 10”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
2023 “Revolutionary Love” by Ellen Hoobler, Ph.D., Bmoreart Magazine issue 15
2023 “Latin-X-Equis Art, Latinx Artists Today: Baltimore Vol 1. featuring Jessy DeSantis”, by Hoesy Corona, Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries’ Special Collections Archive
2022 “Migrantes, Fronteras esquivas: arte, pensamiento y cultura desde las migraciones” Discriminaciones, Publicación de la Fundación Heinrich Böll Oficina San Salvador para Centroamérica
2021 "Reconnecting with, passing along heritage", front page spread, by Stephanie Garcie, The Baltimore Sun
2021 “En Los Tiempos de Cuarentena", Issue 8”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
2019 “Verano, Issue 6”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
Residencies & Fellowships
2023 Morgan State University's Center for the Study of Religion and the City, Popol Vuh Retteling Fellowship Baltimore, MD. USA
2021 McDonogh Artist Residency, Owings Mill, MD. USA
2021 Maryland Institute College of the Arts, CP22 Artist Fellowship, Baltimore, MD. USA
Exhibition History
2026 Riverfront Art Gallery, “Dreams Cannot be Contained”, Yonkers, NY USA
2026 Harold Stevens Gallery, “Inherited Echoes”, Worcester, MA USA
2026 The Crow’s Nest Gallery “Holding Each Other While Pushing Back”, Baltimore, MD USA
2025 Cecil College Milburn Stone Gallery, “En Raices y las” Solo Exhibition, Cecil County, MD USA
2025 - Present, The Walters Art Museum, "Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano" Permanent Display, Baltimore, MD USA
2025 The Crow's Nest Gallery, "Ecocide", Baltimore, MD USA
2024 Unity Hall Gallery, "Unity in Full Bloom", Baltimore, MD USA
2023 Central Baltimore Partnership & Motor House, Curator Jessy DeSantis, “CNTRL BMORE”, Baltimore, MD USA
2023 Usdan Gallery, "Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media", Benington, VT USA
2023 Motor House Gallery, Curator, "Return to the Land", Baltimore, MD USA
2023 Touchstone Gallery, "People and the Planet", Washington DC USA
2023 Homme Gallery, "The Awakening: Transforming Experiences", Washington DC USA
CV
Exhibition History Continued…
2022 Davenport Gallery, "Ancestral Medicine" Baltimore, MD USA
2021/2022 BWI International Art Gallery , "Complex Latino" Anne Arundel, MD USA
2021 Motor House , "SPOTLIGHT" Baltimore, MD USA
2021 Dupont Underground , "Somewhere Between" Washington DC USA
2021 SOMArts Cultural Center, “CARAVANA: Mobilizing Central American Art (1984–Present)” San Francisco, CA USA
2020 University of Maryland Stamp Gallery,“Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media”, College Park MD USA
2020 Jubilee Arts, Gallery, "Works by Jessy DeSantis, Window Exhibition", Baltimore MD USA
2020 Duke University Fredric Jameson Gallery, “Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media”, Durham, NC USA
2019 Baltimore City Hall Gallery, “Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration” Baltimore, MD USA.
Lectures, Workshops & Speeches
2026 Morgan State University Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Guest Speaker on Intercultural Practices for Honoring our Ancestors, Baltimore, MD USA
2026 Arts Education in Maryland Schools, Guest Speaker, Harford County, MD USA
2026 Maryland Art Association Education, Guest Speaker, the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD USA
2026 St. Casimir Private School, Guest Speaker, Baltimore, MD USA
2026 Morgan State University Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Guest Speaker, Baltimore, MD USA
2025 University of Maryland Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication, Immigration Appreciation Day Keynote Speaker, College Park, MD USA
2025 University of Maryland Department of American Studies, Guest Lecturer, College Park, MD USA
2025 Baltimore City College High School, Talk and Tour of The Walters Art Museum, Latin American Exhibition, Baltimore, MD USA
2025 Arts Every Day, Bmore Youth Arts Advocacy Council Guest Art Instructor, Baltimore, MD USA
2024 Walters Art Museum and BmoreArt, “ Artists Inspired by Place and the Past, Connecting to the Present” Presentation, Baltimore, MD USA
2024 Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, Guest Art Project Critique, Baltimore, MD USA
2023 University of Baltimore and National Alliance on Mental Illness, Community Art Instructor, Baltimore, MD USA
2023 Baltimore Museum of Art, “Raúl de Nieves: And imagine you are here” Community Art Instructor, Baltimore, MD USA
2022 Goucher College, Guest Lecturer, Towson, MD USA
2022 Baltimore City Community College LatinXUni2 Art Lesson Instructor, Baltimore, MD USA
2021 Towson University Latinx Graduation, Keynote Speaker, Towson, MD USA
2021 Archbishop Borders School, Guest Lecturer, Baltimore, MD USA
2021 Walters Art Museum, “Dia de los Muertos” Lecturer, Baltimore, MD USA
2020 University of Maryland, “Connected Diaspora” Panel discussion, College Park, MD USA
2020 Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Guest Speaker: “Migration Stories", Baltimore County, MD USA
2020 Baltimore Design School, Guest Art Instructor, Baltimore, MD USA
Contact Me
Interested in my artwork or are looking for a lecturer, teacher or public speaker? Fill out some info and I will be in touch shortly. Can’t wait to hear from you!