Gail Shaw-Clemons

BiographyGail Shaw-Clemons, born in Washington, DC, received her MFA in printmaking from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied under Thaddeus Lipinski, David C. Driskell and Martin Puryear. Though printmaking is her passion, stone lithography was her first love, and through the years she has worked in mixed media and three-dimensional one-of-a-kind prints. Her imagery consists of printing overlapping colors, textures, patterns and stencils to create depth and illusion. She has abandoned the rectangle shape of the print, creating more drama and interest. Shaw-Clemons is fascinated by West African Adinkra philosophy and symbols of the Akan people, often incorporating them into her work. The Adinkra symbols are not just decorative objects or drawings, but actual messages conveying ancient traditional wisdom relevant to aspects of life or the environment. Shaw-Clemons’ continued inspiration for creating is based on her developing knowledge of her history and ancestry. The more she learns, the more she is able to comprehend the strength and resilience of the African American spirit against all odds. This knowledge gives her the courage and the freedom to create.

Shaw-Clemons has exhibited extensively, with many works included in public and private collections in the United States, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, China and Ireland. A selected list includes: the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Anacostia Community Museum and the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Banneker-Douglass Museum, Annapolis, MD; Ballinglen Museum, Ballycastle, Ireland; and the Bob Blackburn Collection, NY. Shaw-Clemons recently retired as an art instructor from the United Nations International School in New York, Manhattan Campus. She currently resides in Washington, DC, and is an adjunct professor at Bowie State University.

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