Artist Bio

All About Desepe

I am a Liberian-born mixed-media artist and arts educator. My artistic journey began during my time as an undergraduate at the Catholic University of America School of Architecture. It was there I was introduced to my primary medium of photography and the foundation was laid for my professional career beginning in 1993.

As a freelance photographer, I developed and mastered my unique style of portraiture. My aesthetic includes warm and sultry tones created by moments caught on film and later hand painted; an eclectic use of mixed media design that is uniquely Desepe.

I went on to graduate study at Parsons, The New School, of Art and Design. There I studied studio art, in partnership with Bank Street College of Education where I received of Masters degree in Supervision and Administration in the Arts. This led me to leadership positions in arts education including Director of School Age and Youth Development at CentroNia, Assistant Principal and art administrator at the Columbia Heights Educational Campus, and  Principal/ Interim Head of School at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts - all located in Washington, DC.

Presently, I am making art, teaching middle and high school students drawing, painting and photography, and writing curriculum for secondary school fine arts programs.

My journey has been a circuitous one however, it has landed me here -  I am an artist.

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