Stephanie J. Woods
Born: 1990, Seneca, NC
Biography and Information
Biography
Stephanie J. Woods (b. 1990) draws on cultural, personal, and ancestral histories to preserve and celebrate her heritage in her artwork. Each image comprises handmade props such as hand-dyed fabrics, cast porcelain objects, and produce from her mother’s garden, each of which is equally as important as the photograph itself. The Shake Em series refers to the joyful act of shaking hair beads inspired by Shekere instrument aesthetics, Senegalese fashion, and the early hair styles of Serena and Venus Williams. In “we making gumbo” Woods draws a correlation between her personal connection to okra and the connection to the substantive life source of her ancestors who were brought to America during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Stephanie J. Woods has received prestigious awards such as the artist residency Black Rock Senegal in Dakar, Senegal; the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art by the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina; 2022 Harpo Prize; the Fine Arts Work Center fellowship; ACRE Residency; the McColl Center for Art + Innovation; Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists Residency; and Penland School of Craft. Her work is featured in collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the Gibbes Museum of Art, and the Mint Museum, among others. She has been featured in BOMB Magazine, Art Papers, Lenscratch, Burnaway, and the Boston Art Review. Woods currently lives and works in Albuquerque, where she is assistant professor of interdisciplinary art at the University of New Mexico.
During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, African women, particularly rice farmers from West Africa, braided rice seeds into their hair to preserve their heritage and ensure survival. Okra seeds, among other things, were also believed to be braided into the hair.
During my artist residency at Black Rock Senegal, while learning to cook Supa Kanja, a traditional Senegalese dish, I asked, “we makin’ gumbo?” The cook held up a piece of okra, locally known as ki ngombo or gumbo in West Africa.
In my upbringing, okra is a familiar ingredient, often harvested from my mother’s garden, and gumbo is a cherished dish. However, my time in Senegal underscored the profound connection I maintained with my African heritage despite being raised in the American South. — Stephanie J. Woods
Education
2015 MFA, Studio Art, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
2013 BFA, Sculpture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Solo Exhibitions
2024
the genius of play, CVA Gallery, Kent State University Art Department, Kent, OH
2023
my papa used to play checkers, Sarasota Art Museum, Ringling College of Art +
Design, Sarasota, FL
where the sun shines, Harvey B. Gantt Museum for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, NC
2021
nine years of detangled afro hair, Wesleyan College-First for Women, Macon, GA
we drank from a well, and it was good, Oakwood Arts, Richmond, VA
2020
FALSE ILLUSION, Tiger Strikes Asteroid NY, Brooklyn, NY
2020
Protection Politics, Power Plant Gallery, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, Durham, NC
2019
Lavender Notes, Fine Arts Work Center, Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2018
A Radiant Revolution, Augusta University, Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art, Augusta, GA
2018
Bed Notes, Waterworks Visual Art Center, Salisbury, NC
Group Exhibitions
2025
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today, Washington, DC
CICA Museum, Experimental Film & Video, Gimpo, South Korea
Celebrations, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2024
The Whole World is Churning: Then and Now/Now and Beyond, Barry University, Miami, FL
Celebrating the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Layer Play, Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, NM
2023
Of Dawn, Columbus State University, Illges Gallery, Columbus, GA
Artist as Knowledge Carriers, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM
2022
Black Rock 40, Maison de la Culture Douta Seck, Biennale de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
Fashion for Bank Robbers, Maximillians Forum, Munich, Germany
Depth of Identity, Green Space Miami, Miami, FL
Identity Politics, A.I.R Gallery, Brooklyn. NY
(de) construction, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
In Residence: 15th Edition, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX
Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC
MORE OF YOU, Anya Tish Gallery, Houston, TX
2021
with, all, & in-between, Candela Gallery, Curated by the Afrikana Independent Film Festival, Richmond VA
A Collection of Changes, Block Gallery, Raleigh, NC
Visual Vanguard: An Exhibition of Contemporary Black Carolina Artists, Harvey B, Gantt Center for African American Arts+ Culture, Charlotte, NC
Inter|Sectionality: Diaspora Art from The Creole City, Miami Design District, Miami, FL
2020
Bound up together: On the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
InLight 2020: Safety and Accountability, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Inter|Sectionality Diaspora Art from The Creole City, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, NC
At, For, By, Of, About – ACRE, Hyde Park Art Center, Artist Run Chicago 2.0, Chicago, IL
Weighing In: An Exhibition Inspired by Black Lives Matter, C24 Gallery, New York, NY
UNBOUND9!, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
2020 North Carolina Annual Artists Exhibition, CAM Raleigh, Raleigh, NC
TROUBLESOME PRESENCE, The Arts Council of Fayetteville, Fayetteville, NC
2019
COINED IN THE SOUTH, Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, NC
Disrupting Domestic, ACRE Projects, Chicago, IL
Foreword, Halcyon Arts Lab, Washington, DC
Double Exposure: Investigative Film Festival & Symposium, Washington, DC
Pool Party, C24 Gallery, New York, NY
SOLSTICE, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
UKNOWHOWWEDU, Winston Salem State University, Diggs Gallery, Winston Salem, NC
Black on Black V3, VAE Raleigh, Raleigh, NC
2018-2019 Visual Arts Fellows at PAAM, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
2018
Relax.Relate.Release, Pop Up Exhibition, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, NC
Artists’ Residency Exhibition, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Charlotte, NC
Black Blooded, The New Gallery of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC
NC Arts Council Artist Fellowship 2017 Award Exhibition, Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
2017
Wet Paint, Goodyear Arts, Charlotte, NC
2016
Current Elements Satellite Show, Richmond, VA
2015
Show #28: Impossible Geometries, Field Projects, New York, NY
ANWS Present Tense, Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts: Womble Carlyle Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
After “The Girl Made of Butter,” Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
Todo Bajo Control/ Vernal Equinox, Old Brewery, Providence, RI
Collections
Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, NC
Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
Awards
2024
Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Visual and Performing Arts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
FaST Grant, University of New Mexico
PERC Grant, Weaving Interdisciplinary Research – TC2 Digital Jacquard, University of New Mexico
2022
Harpo Foundation, Grants for Visual Artists
UNM Research Allocation Committee Grant
2021
1858 Prize Winner for Contemporary Southern Art, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
2019
Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Grantee, New York, NY
2017
South Arts State Fellowship Recipient, Atlanta, GA
2016
N.C. Arts Council Fellowship Recipient
Arts Greensboro Regional Artist Project Grant Recipient, Greensboro, NC
2014
Australia Graduate Research Fellowship, UNC Greensboro
2012
Penland School of Craft, Summer Higher Education Scholarship, Screen Printing on Clay, Spruce Pine, NC
Press
2023
New American Paintings, West #168, Newsstand Dates, October / November Monica Roman Gagnier, “Multimedia artist brings eye-popping installation to Sarasota Art Museum,” Your Observer, June 6
2022
Amanda Rosa, “I want to raise questions about my work. Artist of color take spotlight in Miami show” Miami Herald, August 24
Jenna Farhat, Under-represented artists explore personal legacies in ‘Depth of Identity,’ ArtBurst, August 11
Greg Banks, “Interdisciplinary Approaches in Photography: Stephanie J. Woods,” Lenscratch, May 16
Megan Gleason, “UNM Professor, artist amplifies need for Black representation,” Daily Lobo, February 1
2021
David Menconi, “Block Gallery: A Collection of Changes’ Showcases Diverse Art and Artists,” visitRaleigh Insider, October 11
2020
Hallie McNeill, Protection and Resistance: Stephanie J. Woods Interviewed by Hallie McNeill, BOMB Magazine, November 23
Sarah Higgins, Art of the New Civil Rights Era, Art Papers 43.04, Spring
Karen Newton, Lights in the Dark, Style Weekly, November 3
Carline Kipp, Social Distancing Studio Visits, October 13
2019
Laura Neal, Poeric Response: Stephanie Woods’ Art Challenges Racial Perception and Performance, Boston Art Review, February 4
Ashley Mahoney, Stephanie J. Woods Exhibit Shines in ‘Coined in the South Showcase, The Charlotte Post, October 10
2017
Southern Prize Spotlight: Stephanie J. Woods of North Carolina, Burnaway, July 8th
Lynn Trenning, Salt and tassels, weaves, and clay-and $10K each, The Charlotte Observer, January 8
Press Release
2025 Celebrations at Richard Levy Gallery