Spotlight Artist

Ashley January

Midwest
Artist profile photo

In memory of Baby Roland

Three people standing in a park with a tall building and trees in the background.

oil and oil stick on unstitched linen

Kelli, Kendra, and their daughters

Three people sit and stand in a colorful yard in front of a purple house.

oil and oil stick on linen

Exhaling to remember

Four people relaxing together on a purple couch in a sunlit living room.

oil on linen

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

 I address the Black maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in America through painting and multimedia. Influenced by my own traumatic pregnancy and survival, the imagery centers the experiences of Black mothers, birthing people, and children who have suffered adverse birth outcomes but challenge the institutional modes in finding solutions. Confronting themes through quiet, often heavy motifs, the environments articulate the imposed health effects disproportionately experienced. All familial perspectives are considered after a tangential birth trauma survival. Continuing the delicately layered conversation surrounding Black maternal health, the images serve as a global call to action for more awareness, research, and the eradication of unnecessary maternal and infant deaths.

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