About the Artist
Raised in a Nicaraguan household in Miami, FL and now residing in Baltimore City, Jessy DeSantis is a self-taught artist creating meaningful, vibrant work. Their painting's stark contrast of vibrant color and white space draws the viewer into their subjects. They are inspired by their connection to nature, food, family, and their Central American roots. Their paintings, often depicting birds, are more than just visually beautiful, many carry in them intention with a story to be told. They seek to pass on these stories of heritage and truth with all of it's complexities to their children and future generations. The artist states that as they grow and evolve through life, that their art will evolve and shift with them. They are currently mastering the art of portraiture and storytelling through a cultural and historical lens.
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Photographed by Bricemyfoto
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Florida International University, Miami, FL, Masters in Accounting, 2014
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Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Bachelors in Accounting, 2012
Selected Publications
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2024, "Issue 10”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
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2023 "Revolutionary Love", by Ellen Hoobler, Ph.D., Bmore Art Magazine, issue 15 "Migration"
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2022 "DiscrimiNaciones Migrantes, Fronteras esquivas: arte, pensamiento y cultura desde las migraciones". Por Heinrich Böll Oficina San Salvador, San Salvador, ELSL
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2021 "Reconecting with, passing along heritage", front page spread, by Stephanie Garcie, The Baltimore Sun
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2021 “En Los Tiempos de Cuarentena", Issue 8”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
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2019 “Verano, Issue 6”, by Veronica Melendez and Kimberly Benavides, La Horchata Zine
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2019 “Arches and Access Light Art & Parade”, by Tap Druid Hill
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2019 “This is My Baltimore” by Morgan State University
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Residencies & Fellowships
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2023 Morgan State University's Center for the Study of Religion and the City, Fellowship Baltimore, MD. USA
​2021 McDonogh Artist Residency, Owings Mill, MD. USA
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​2021 Maryland Institute College of the Arts, CP22 Artist Fellowship, Baltimore, MD. USA
Exhibition and Curatorial History​
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2025 The Walters Art Museum, "Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano", Baltimore, MD USA
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2025 The Crow's Nest, "Ecocide", Baltimore, MD USA
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2024 Unity Hall Gallery, "Unity in Full Bloom", Baltimore, MD USA
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2023 Usdan Gallery, "Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media", Benington, VT USA
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2023 Rhizome DC, "Existence as Protest", Washington DC USA
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2023 Motor House Gallery, Curator, "Return to the Land", Baltimore, MD USA
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2023 Touchstone Gallery, "People and the Planet", Washington DC USA
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2023 Homme Gallery, "The Awakening: Transforming Experiences", Washington DC USA
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2022 Davenport Gallery, "Ancestral Medicine" Baltimore, MD USA
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2021 - 2022 BWI International Art Gallery , "Complex Latino" Anne Arundel, MD USA
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2021 Motor House , "SPOTLIGHT" Baltimore, MD USA
2021 Dupont Underground , "Somewhere Between" Washington DC USA
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2021 SOMArts Cultural Center, “CARAVANA: Mobilizing Central American Art (1984–Present)” San Francisco, CA USA
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2020 University of Maryland Stamp Gallery,“Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media”, College Park MD USA
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2020 Jubilee Arts, Gallery, "Works by Jessy DeSantis, Window Exhibition", Baltimore MD USA
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2020 Duke University Fredric Jameson Gallery, “Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media”, Durham, NC USA.
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2019 Baltimore City Hall Gallery, “Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration” Baltimore, MD USA.