ABOUT OUR JURORS

Shanna Aberle is a Virginia-based artist whose practice is driven by an inherent curiosity about the possibilities within diverse materials. Her work spans an array of mediums, including charcoal, mixed media sculpture, oil paint with wax, watercolor, wire, and wood. Her technique, characterized by meticulous attention to detail, incorporates elements such as pointillism, obsessive line work, and the precise craftsmanship of dovetail joints—skills she refined during her studies at the University of Mary Washington (UMW), where she graduated summa cum laude in 2024 with Studio Art Departmental Honors, as well as minors in Contemplative Studies and Business Administration. Shanna’s work has been exhibited at the UMW Galleries and Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, where it has earned multiple Honorable Mentions and awards. Her sculpture Coopered Stand, crafted from poplar wood with coopered legs and dovetail joints, received the Award of Excellence at the 2022 Annual UMW Student Art Exhibition.

Janathel Shaw is a ceramic sculptor, a pencil portrait artist and educator. She earned an Associates of Arts degree from Prince Georges Community College, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Art from George Washington University. Janathel is a member of Touchstone Gallery in DC, a member of the Black Artists of DC, and NCECA (National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts). She has exhibited at Northern Clay Center in MN, Crawford Museum in Sacramento, CA, the D’Amour Museum in Springfield, MA, the McLean Project for the Arts, VA, the Washington Sculptor’s Group, Joan Hisaoka Gallery, WDC, the Cosmos Club, WDC, The Society for Contemporary Art, Pittsburgh, PA, the Manchester Craftsman Guild, Pittsburgh, PA, to name a few. Ms. Shaw has also been cited or published in the following: Contemporary Confrontational Ceramics by Judith Schwartz; East City Arts, The Washington Post, Ceramic Review, Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter, and Afro News.

Debra Wright is an artist and curator based in Northern Virginia. Her work as a found object, installation, and avant-garde artist explores themes of social justice, human rights, and personal identity. Wright’s art has been exhibited internationally in traditional venues, as well as in public art installations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. As a curator, Wright brings her artistic vision and community engagement to the forefront. She served on the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts, where she chaired the Public Art Committee from 2021 to 2024. In 2025, she was selected as the Curator of The Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Wright is actively involved in the art community through her roles as Regional Coordinator Chair of The Feminist Art Project, Artist Member of The Museum of Modern Art, Supporting Member of The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D. C., and Ally of 5célula Arte y Comunidad, an alliance of artists and collectives from Mexico, Latin America, Asia, and the rest of the world.

Carter Wynne is a self-taught painter and curator, raised and based in Washington, D. C. Her work explores the emotional weight of entrenched inequity, tracing how personal and collective experiences are politicized, obscured, or transformed into sites of resistance. Rooted in a decade of organizing and a former career in civil rights, Carter uses painting as visual rhetoric: a means of bearing witness, challenging hegemonic systems, and insisting on relational clarity in an age of desensitization. Her curatorial work investigates the potential of play as an insurgent force. Drawing from her lived experience, Carter’s practice affirms that art and justice are not separate pursuits but entangled partners. She holds a B. A. in Art History and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Colby College. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout the Washington D. C. metro area and Baltimore, including Hillyer Gallery and Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery. Her curatorial work “Intrinsic Tool” has most recently been exhibited at the DC Arts Center.

“I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU” POSTCARD PROJECT

Anne Labovitz is a contemporary artist known for her immersive, participatory artworks that challenge isolation, loneliness, and disconnection. Through color, movement, and light, her work activates emotional and visceral experiences for viewers.

Labovitz is also the founder of the I Love You Institute, an artist-led, site-specific project working urgently with communities to address today’s challenges through art, social justice, and radical kindness. The Institute’s mission includes normalizing the phrase “I Love You” as an alternative to division and conflict. labovitz.com

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The “I am Grateful for You” project is a year-long collaboration and partnership between Anne Labovitz’s I Love You Institute and WCA.

This durational, nomadic intervention prioritizes socially engaged practices, centering on acts of kindness as a radical act. The project launched on Valentine’s Day 2025 at the College Art Association Conference and will continue throughout the year with outreach to WCA chapters and communities.

THE WCA COLLABORATION

This initiative is a special year-long outreach project between the Women’s Caucus for Art and Anne Labovitz, bringing together art and activism through acts of gratitude and connection.

HOST AN EVENT WITH YOUR CHAPTER!

Artist Anne Labovitz is available to speak with your WCA chapter or caucus about hosting an “I am Grateful for You” event.