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.
Photographed by Bricemyfoto
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Florida International University, Miami, FL, Masters in Accounting, 2014
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Bachelors in Accounting, 2012
Selected Publications
2023 "Revolutionary Love", by Ellen Hoobler, Ph.D., Bmore Art Magazine, issue 15 "Migration"
2022 "DiscrimiNaciones Migrantes, Fronteras esquivas: arte, pensamiento y cultura desde las migraciones". Por Heinrich Böll Oficina San Salvador, San Salvador, ELSL
2021 "Reconecting 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
2019 “Arches and Access Light Art & Parade”, by Tap Druid Hill
2019 “This is My Baltimore” by Morgan State University
Residencies & Fellowships
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
2021 Maryland Institute College of the Arts, CP22 Artist Fellowship, Baltimore, MD. USA
Exhibition and Curatorial History
2023 Usdan Gallery, "Connected Diaspora: U.S. Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media", Benington, VT USA
2023 Rhizome DC, "Existence as Protest", Washington DC 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
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.