Recent exhibits include the Harlem Fine Arts Show via Moody Jones Gallery; Touchstone Gallery, “District 51 Show”, Washington, DC; Ubuntu Gallery, Philadelphia; Woodmere Museum Annual 82nd Juried Exhibition, during which she won Hugh and Marian Scott Prize; Montclair Art Museum’s Juneteenth Exhibit, and the Philadelphia Magic Gardens. She was also a 2024-2025 Black Artist Fellow with the Philadelphia Mural Arts.
Statement
Susan Ragland is a self-taught artist whose focus has been to unwaveringly create joyful images of Black people affirming their human connections. Amidst bursts of color and intricate designs, her paintings seek to examine the humanity of Black subjects while paradoxically depicting the ordinary: African Americans as regular folk, sans the presence of historical trauma. Her work aims to imbue majestic feelings in viewers who have experienced a questioning of their being and beckon others to identify universally-shared joy.