ashleyjanelaird

Ashley is a muralist, sewist and pattern maker who originates from Topeka, KS and has been based in San Francisco, CA since 2015. Laird has worked on numerous public projects including the Mid-America Mural Project in Joplin, MO, Arkadelphia, AR and Waco, TX, the 2nd Annual Welling Court Mural Project in Queens, NY, a commission by Chadwick Institute in Songdo, South Korea, and the Whittier Neighborhood mural Project in Sioux Falls, SD. She has also completed restorations of community murals in Hutchinson and Lawrence, Kansas. Her most recent public work, “Kansas Women Work For Justice” can be seen at the Great Mural Wall of Topeka. Previous studio work about reproductive rights culminated in a solo exhibition, “Turning Back The C(l)ock,” at the Bourgeois Pig in Lawrence, KS, Drawings from this series have been published in The Waiting Room Projects, “things you should know about”/Speak Loudly booklet series. Printed copies are currently at the University Gallery, Groningen, the Netherlands. In addition to this, one of the drawings was showcased in the exhibition, Backlash! at the Soho20 Gallery in New York City. Ashley led women and children in a collaborative painting project for Survivor Art Night at the Topeka YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment for which she was honored with the 2012 Arts Advocate Award. She is one of the founders of Chords and Oil art collective in Topeka, KS, a springboard organization for many unique projects from 2009-2010 including a major installation at the city’s public transit hub.