Shanequa Gay
Shanequa Gay (born 1977) is a visual artist and activist from Atlanta, Georgia.[1] Her work has been exhibited in countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, and South Africa.[2][1] Gay's artwork is included in major collections, such as Michelle Obama's and Samuel L. Jackson's.[1]
Her art has a focus on social justice.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Gay was born in 1977.[2]
In 1999, she graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta with an Associate of Arts in Graphic Design and Fashion Marketing.[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in painting at SCAD in 2015,[3] then later graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Georgia State.[2][1]
Career
[edit]Gay’s installation piece Marginalized and Mythological has been displayed at Augusta University.[4]
Gay started her residency at Baldwin's Room, located in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015.[5]
In 2019, Shanequa Gay's work the unnameable, unspeakable divine ascension was exhibited at the Zuckerman Museum of Art in an exhibition titled Fruitful Labors. Her piece surrounded two photographs also created by her, titled metanoia and delos.[6][7]
In 2019, Shanequa Gay was part of a committee of eleven artists for the Off The Wall initiative, a mural project made to highlight Atlanta's involvement in the Civil Rights movement and social justice history while connecting with current day social issues, which was led by the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee.[8][2] The murals were featured in multiple locations across Atlanta.[9] Gay's mural, titled Excuse me while I kiss the sky, is shown on the walls of the Vine City station at Atlanta’s MARTA.[8][9] The mural was inspired by a conversation at Convenant House, with the mural being about homeless people in Atlanta who sleep under vegetation.[8][10]
On August 1, 2019, Gay’s artwork La Pieta (2015)[11] was acquired by Oglethorpe University's Museum of Art and was a gift of the Student Government Association.[1][11] La Pieta uses oil paint on a 48 by 48 inch wood panel. This marks the start of Gay’s association with the museum, along with the first painting of hers be to acquired by the university.[1]
During 2020, the Hudgens Center for Art & Learning displayed one of Gay's murals titled Sweet Sacrament Divine, which showcased a mythical creature she created called "devouts", which have human bodies and animal heads. The piece also depicts Jim Jones. The piece reflects Gay's experiences of growing up in Dallas and Atlanta, with it intending to commentate on the treatment of women in southern Christianity, as Gay describes her own piece as “a kind of satire on the cult-like following of Christian religion in the South...” The mural exclusively uses shades of green and coral pink.[12]
In 2021 Gay’s work was shown at the exhibition Le Monde Bossale in Montreal, Canada.[1][2]
In 2022, Shanequa Gay's artwork Hey Slim was acquired and put on display permanently at the Oglethorpe Museum of Art, located on the campus of Oglethorpe University. The piece was on display at the Beloved Community: African American Artists in Atlanta Collections and Beyond exhibition in spring of 2022.[1] In September of 2022, she started her residency at Oglethrope University.[13][1]
Gay’s artwork Ancestral Chorus (2025) was featured at the exhibition Y3K: Black Quantum Futures.[14]
In Media
[edit]Gay's work has been featured in both movies and television shows.[3]
Movies
TV Shows
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Shanequa Gay named artist-in-residence at Oglethorpe University". Oglethorpe University. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Shanequa Gay". Atlanta Contemporary. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Past Exhibitions". Augusta University. 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ Esparrago, Tate (2018-02-02). "Marginalized and Mythological". The Offing. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ Sabisch, Leigh (December 15th, 2017). "Interview with Shanequa Gay on the occasion of New Painting at The Southern". The Rib. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kaitlynn Redell". kaitlynnredell.com. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ Brantley, Rebecca (2019-09-26). "Review: Coping strategies, from absurd to healing, in Zuckerman's "Fruitful Labors"". www.artsatl.org/. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 3 "New murals near Super Bowl venue highlight Atlanta's civil rights legacy". NBC News. 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- 1 2 Saliby, Sophia (2019-01-30). "Super Bowl Murals: Shanequa Gay Wants To Show Another Side Of Homelessness". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- ↑ Diaz, Andrea (January 25, 2019). "These giant murals will share Atlanta's civil rights history with Super Bowl visitors". CNN. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 Utter, Grant. "La Pieta - Shanequa Gay". OUMA. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ Brantley, Rebecca (2020-03-13). "Review: In "Southern Values," three artists find beauty, value and something deeper". artsatl.org/. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Oglethorpe museum debuts new work from acclaimed artist Shanequa Gay". Oglethorpe University. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- ↑ Genis, Leia (2025-04-09). "Review: New Shanequa Gay work a standout at 'Y3K: Black Quantum Futures' - ARTS ATL". ARTS ATL. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)