Kamaria Shepherd, M.F.A.
Instructor + Visual Artist + Writer
Houston, Texas, USA | www.kamariashepherd.com
FORMAL EDUCATION
2025 M.F.A. in Image Text, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2018 M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2015 B.F.A. in Painting, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
2026–28 Alternative Teacher Certification Program, Rice University, Houston, TX — Art (Early Childhood–Grade 12), in
progress
M.F.A. in Image Text: Thesis Dissertation: “Life of a So Called Texas PreacHer.” Faculty Mentors: Nicholas Muellner and
Catherine Taylor.
M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing: Thesis Dissertation: “Record of Creative Work: Through the Mirror for a Quarter of a
Century and a Year.” Faculty Mentors: Roger Herman, Silke Otto-Knapp, Lari Pitman, Patty Wickman.
B.F.A. in Painting: Literary Arts Concentration; European Honors Program (EHP), Rome, Italy; EHP Critic: Henry
Horenstein; Graduated with Honors in Painting. Faculty Mentors: Marina Adams, Dike Blair, Dennis Congdon, David
Frazer, and Holly Hughes.
Alternative Teacher Certification: Faculty Mentors: Dr. Christal Burnett-Sánchez and Dr. Meredith Austin.
TEACHING AND RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2025–Present Adjunct Instructor of Studio Art & Art History, Houston City College, Houston, TX
2022 Visiting Researcher, Un-Writing Nature II, The Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research (CAD+SR), Spoleto,
Italy
2022 Juror in Poetry, Vermont Studio Center Writing Program, Johnson, VT
2022 Printmaking Instructor, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, South LA Art Center, Los Angeles, CA
2021–2022 Teaching Artist / Curriculum Writer, Altadena Arts, Aveson School of Leaders, Altadena, CA
2019–2022 Printmaking Instructor, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, San Pedro Art Center, San Pedro, CA
2021 Commissioned Installation Artist, Possible Productions, The L Word GQ, Showtime, Los Angeles, CA
2017–2018 UCLA Teaching Assistant, Advanced Printmaking, Los Angeles, CA
2017 UCLA Teaching Assistant, Beginning Drawing, Los Angeles, CA
2016 UCLA Teaching Assistant, Beginning Painting, Los Angeles, CA
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2026 Whitford/Winkler Family Endowed Scholarship
2026 Artist Publishing Grant and Cohort at Louis Place
2024 Cornell Council of the Arts (CCA) Grant
2023–2025 Cornell AAP Partial Tuition Scholarship
2022 Lecky Foundation Scholarships, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
2022 Un-Writing Nature II Scholarship, The Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research (CAD+SR)
2022 Writers on the Rise Honorarium, Rona Jaffe Foundation, Vermont Studio Center
2021 Jay Macpherson Literary Arts Endowment; Fiona Mee Foundation Endowment
2021 City Speaks 4 Honorarium, NewTown Pasadena Foundation
2020 UCLA Toby Fund Prize
2018 Swan Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center
2018 John Baldessari Family Foundation Scholarship
2017 Westfield Scholarship for Emerging Artists
2015–2017 Resnick Scholarship
ART EXHIBITIONS + ARTIST TALKS + READINGS + INTERVIEWS
2026 Southeast Faculty Show, WEDGE gallery space, HCC Eastside, Houston, Texas
2026 Book Reading Event, Life of a So-called Texas PreacHer, HCC Spring Branch, Houston, Texas
2026 Guest Appearance, Up 2 the Minute, Houston City College (HCC) Television, Houston, Texas
2026 Pretty. PreacHer. Hypocrite?, Houston City College Spring Branch Campus Art Gallery, Houston, Texas
2025 Collective Study, Microscope Gallery, New York, NY
2025 Reading, ALL A PART, Argos Warehouse, Ithaca, NY
2025 Iya, Arthur Rose Museum, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC
2025 Reading, allapart x Dear Giulia, After 8 Books, Paris, France
2024 Image Text Ithaca Reading, Experimental Gallery, Tjaden Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2024 Bert Long, Jr. Gallery Spring Survey Exhibition, Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC), Houston,
TX
2024 Artist Talk & Panel, Bert Long, Jr. Gallery Spring Survey Exhibition, HMAAC, Houston, TX
2023 Image Text Ithaca Reading, Experimental Gallery, Tjaden Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2023 New Beginnings, Olive Tjaden Gallery + Experimental Gallery, Tjaden Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2023 No Feedback, Pop-Up Show, Elmwood Gallery, Ithaca, NY
2023 Image Text Ithaca Reading, Experimental Gallery, Tjaden Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2023 Winter Writers Residency Open Reading, Banff, Alberta, Canada
2022 Mixed Methodologies, WIRWIR gallery, Picture Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2022 Writers on the Rise reading series, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2021 She Learned Herself Awake (Solo), Bermudez Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Frogtown Art Walk, The L Word GQ (Showtime), Los Angeles, CA
2020 City Speaks 4, “Inna House” poem, NewTown Arts, Pasadena, CA
2020 Black Heritage Exhibition, Gallery Azul, San Pedro, CA
2020 The Shape of Support, DAC Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Doesn’t Whine by Blue Moon (show/reading), Ochi Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Etchings, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, San Pedro, CA
2018 Soft Shadows, Chen’s, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Vermont Studio Center, Open Studios, Johnson, VT
2018 ARC I, Navel, Arts Research Collective, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Every Unlikely Story (show/reading), Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
2018 New Work, New Release Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Graduate Open Studios, UCLA Graduate Studios, Culver City, CA
2018 SoCal MFA Juried Exhibition, Millard Sheets Art Center, Pomona, CA
2018 UCLA MFA #1, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Black Light (show/reading), Otis Graduate Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Graduate Open Studios, UCLA Graduate Studios, Culver City, CA
2017 MFA 2018 Preview Exhibition, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 UCLA Academic Conference for English Students (ACES), Poetry Reading & Panel, Los Angeles, CA
FELLOWSHIPS AND RESIDENCIES
2023 Winter Writers Residency, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, Alberta, Canada
2022 Un-Writing Nature II, The Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research (CAD+SR), Spoleto, Italy
2022 Printmaking Artist Residency, Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, Belgium
2022 Picture Berlin, Hybrid Online Spring Session 2022, Berlin, Germany
2021 Poetry, Politics, and Embodiment Online, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, AB
2021 Summer Writers Residency Online, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, AB
2018 Vermont Studio Center Residency, Poetry, Johnson, VT
2012 Fellowship Student, Ox-bow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI
PUBLICATIONS
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Our flag is dirty.” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Meg Onli,
Image Text Ithaca Press,
2025, p. 237.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “I’m playing my Queen card.” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by
Meg Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, p. 239.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “My Queen’s tits breastfeed a nation.” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,
edited by Meg Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, p. 241.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “My Black card was declined.” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by
Meg Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, p. 480.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Man Not Boy!” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Meg Onli, Image
Text Ithaca Press,
2025, p. 483.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “America, the Do-bad with a Du-rag. Oh ain’t she beautiful but she wrong. And she knows it.”
In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Meg Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, pp. 237–240.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Colonizing Opportunist Violent in Deception (COVID). And she knows it.” In The Last Man, by
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Meg Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, p. 243.
2025 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Tides. And she knows it.” In The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Meg
Onli, Image Text Ithaca Press, 2025, pp. 479–482.
2025 Life of a So-Called Texas Preacher. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 2025.
2024 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Salmon in the Sky Excerpt.” Issue 3: Self as Multiple, Allapart, Image Text Ithaca, Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY,
2024.
2024 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Siddy Grls.” Issue 3: On Translation, Allapart, Image Text Ithaca, Cornell University,
Berkeley, CA, 2024.
2024 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Selfie Drawing.” Issue 2: Apart, Allapart, Image Text Ithaca, Cornell University, Mexico City,
Mexico, 2024.
2023 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Homophonous.” Issue 1: Rest, Allapart, Image Text Ithaca, Cornell University, Paris, France,
2023.
2021 Shepherd, Kamaria. “Mega Magenta’s Tortured Throne.” SKEW 03: digital hub, Level Ground, Los Angeles, CA,
November 2021.
2018 Shepherd, Kamaria. Record of Creative Work. Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2018.