About the Artists

LaShonda Cooks

LaShonda Cooks is a Dallas-based artist and writer who loves exploring cultural norms, identity and beauty through words and images. She received her BS from Babson College in 2010.

While there Cooks, the daughter of an art teacher, balanced her business education with her life-long interest in the arts, by working in the college’s ceramic studio and exploring color in glaze and underglaze tiles. Those color studies birthed her signature pointillist painting style that features short fluid strokes and multiple layers of colors.

Over the past decade, Cooks has partnered with local cultural centers to increase access to the arts by creating and hosting artsy workshops for all ages. Her work has been featured in the Dallas Mayor's Office, Forest Theater, 500X Gallery, Moody Performance Hall, Latino Cultural Center, St. Matthews Cathedral's Sundermann Gallery, African American Museum of Dallas, MUCE Miami Campus, Hollister Gallery at Babson College, Beacon Gallery, Boston City Hall, Illamar Galeria in Peru and the Chateau D’Orquevaux Residency in France. She is thrilled to be a 2025 Carter Community Artist for the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. Cooks is honored to be an inaugural 2024-2025 Dallas Museum of Art Junior Associates McDermott Fellow.

Her work is part of the Chateau d'Orquevaux International Artists & Writers Collection, Jennifer Cowley Collection, Missy Burton and Greg Young Collection, Meshack Collection, Gillespie Collection, Bass Family Art Collection and a growing part of private and public collections across the U.S.

Jalon Isabell

Instagram- @jalonisabell

Work- Carousel Series

Hello, my name is Jalon Isabell. I am a printmaker and graphic designer from Denton, Texas. My work explores the experience of growing up African American in predominantly white spaces, highlighting the unwanted attention that often came with it. I also examine the performative behaviors expected in these spaces. To present these themes, I use the imagery and setting of the carnival and circus as symbolic backdrops.

Kelli Wright

Instagram- @wrld.of.king.k

Work- Feminus Anima

Kelli Wright is an enthusiastic and innovative designer pushing the boundaries of the meaning of clothing and what it represents. In her opinion, fashion transcends past just clothing, it is a way to express your identity, culture, and beliefs through wearable art. With a flair for blending whimsical storytelling with bold designs, I aspire to bring garments from concept to creation to celebrate individuality and spark conversations about one's beliefs. Inspired by the magic of the mundane, childhood nostalgia, and my rich heritage, I aim to create playful yet purposeful pieces merging my larger-than-life ideas with a structured silhouette.

Conrad Desire NKAMWESIGA

Instagram- @nkamwesiga_

Work- Pick Me, Pick Me Not

Conrad Desire NKAMWESIGA is a multidisciplinary artist and visual anthropologist whose work explores African cultural heritage, identity and politics of hair. Through a fusion of traditional and digital media, he creates visually striking portraits that center precolonial African aesthetics, particularly endangered hairstyles and grooming practices. His practice often incorporates unconventional materials such as hair waste, blurring the line between painting and sculpture. Rooted in research and personal narrative, his work challenges colonial legacies while celebrating the beauty and resilience of Afro textured hair.

Assandre Jean-Baptiste

Instagram- @h ueydynamite

Work- With Perfection in Mind

Assandre Jean-Baptiste (b. Essex, NJ 1994), who also goes by “Huey Dynamite,” is an acrylic painter who, through his work, illustrates the idea of just “being” and the reverence behind it by using mostly black individuals as his subjects. With his designs coming in various color combinations and vibrant schemes, he hopes to invoke something amazing within each viewer of his work. Concepts tackled in his work include identity, creativity, introspection, and exploration with black individuals.

Based in Dallas, Texas he has shown in several gallery exhibitions including: 500X’s Member Show, ART214, the annual Texas juried exhibition with Artspace111, and the 27th Carroll Harris Simms National Black Competition at the African American Museum Dallas. Focusing on portraiture, Assandre does his best to make his subjects as rich in personality as in color. His artwork is heavily influenced by animation including both cartoons and anime, music, pop culture, books, and things that encompass everyday life. His pieces also act as manifestations of the world that he wants to view through his lens.

Currently attending a residency at Cedars Union in the DFW area, Assandre is working on several other mediums such as woodworking and sculpting to find new ways to translate the idea of creativity and imagination.

Nitashia Johnson

Instagram- @nitashiajohnson

Work- A men

To care about stories is to care about the world, and understanding our own gives us purpose. As a multimedia artist and educator, I use art to inspire, heal, and connect, focusing on stories that uplift marginalized voices. From my time at Booker T. Washington High School to earning a BFA at Texas Woman's University and an MAT at the Rhode Island School of Design, I've fully embraced learning and creativity.

I believe creativity is a lifeline. This belief led me to found The Smart Project, a nonprofit empowering North Texas teens through creative expression. Watching young people grow through art reaffirms my commitment to its transformative power. This is why being an educator in my career has been so very important as well.

My Self Publication Series challenges stereotypes surrounding the Black community, and I’m expanding it into a documentary series capturing participants' journeys. The Beauty of South Dallas documents a historic neighborhood’s transformation, preserving its essence and resilience.

My work has been featured in The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, and D Magazine, and I’ve received honors like the Sony Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence program. These experiences have shaped me as an artist, mentor, and leader.

Through storytelling, I push creative boundaries and strive to make a lasting impact. Doing so helps me understand my very own story before it ends.

As a multidisciplinary artist and educator in Dallas, Texas, my journey reflects a rich blend of life experiences and artistic exploration. From my time at Booker T. Washington High School to earning a BFA at Texas Woman's University and an MAT at the Rhode Island School of Design, I've fully embraced learning and creativity. Currently, I serve as a Digital Media Specialist while nurturing my freelance photojournalism career. My passion for sparking positive change is evident in initiatives like The Smart Project, supporting North Texas teens. Through projects like The Self Publication Series and The Beauty of South Dallas, I challenge stereotypes and capture societal shifts. My work is strengthened by the support of those I have the privilege of working with. As I continue to evolve and inspire others, I remain committed to pushing boundaries and leaving a lasting impact on the world through my art. My work as a photojournalist workin with the stories in this world has only confirmed the need for visual storytelling in a world so massive.

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