art and poetry journal · 2023

Debra Priestly

black vessels 5 - 14, 2023, brown stoneware, terra sigillata and glazes
Installation dimensions variable, objects measure 4 x 3 x 3 in. to 12 x 4 x 4 in.
© Debra Priestly, courtesy of the artist and June Kelly Gallery, NY
black totem 2, 2023, black porcelain slip cast, wood, lava, latex, graphite wash
9 5/8 x 6 x 5 in., © Debra Priestly, courtesy of the artist and June Kelly Gallery, NY

Debra Priestly is a visual artist exploring themes of memory, ancestry, history, and cultural preservation. Her work has been widely exhibited and is represented by June Kelly Gallery, NYC. Collections include the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Petrucci Family Collection Foundation. Two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships in Painting are among her prestigous awards and residencies. She holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and a BFA from The Ohio State University. Priestly lives and works in New York City and Upstate New York and is a Professor in the Art Department at Queens College, City University of New York.