ARTIST STATEMENT:

My work is a love song to myself, my family, my community and my culture. I love exploring beauty, cultural norms and identity as well as the construction of power, privilege, memory and movement. 

 

SKILLS:

 

 

• Sketching and painting quick live drawing images in public and private venues

• Creating custom illustrations, sketches and paintings both in traditional and digital media to support client’s needs, budget and vision

• Curating timely exhibits that reflect the times and create opportunities for myself and fellow emerging artists to share our lens and stories with the world and expand cultural archives

• Host arts and crafts workshops in Dallas-Fort Worth as a form of art therapy and incubator of creativity with  community partners of all sizes and ages

 

 

 

AWARDS:

 

 

• Rising Star of Oak Cliff Fine Arts Society, August 2025

• Recipient of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture Grant, Spring 2025

• Live Painter for Dallas Arts District Party, April 2025

• Amon Carter Museum Community Artist, 2024-2025

• McDermott Fellow, DMA Junior Associates, 2024-2025 Season

• Best in Show, Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum Juried Art Show, 2024

• Denis Diderot Grant, Chateau D’Orquevaux Creative Residency, Oct 2023

• CACHR Hall of Fame Inductee, Feb 2023

• Best in Show, Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum Juried Art Show, 2021

• Recipient of Iota Phi Lambda Dorethea N. Hornbuckle Business Entrepreneur Award, April 2020

• Recipient of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs Cultural Projects Funding Grant, Fall 2018

 

 

 

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS:

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• “Seachange XIII” Tactile and Sensory-Friendly Reproduction, Amon Carter, Fort Worth, TX 76107, Nov 2025

• “New Growth” Deep Ellum Spring banner campaign, Deep Ellum, TX, 75226, Spring 2025

• “Blue Series-48 mini wooden portraits” for One Eleven Consulting, Fort Worth, TX 76102, Feb 2025

• “Blues is Truth” Mural, Deep Ellum Blues Alley Muralist Awardee, May 2022

• “We are Forest” Forest Theater soft campaign launch mural, Dallas, TX, 75215, Nov 2021

• “Mayor’s Rising Star Council DART Bus Stop Project Winner,” Dallas, TX 75210, Jan 2019

 

 

EXHIBITIONS:

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Group Exhibition:

• “Community Artists’ Salon,” Cedars Union, Dallas, TX, 75215, Feb 2026

• “DADA Tiny Art Show,” Internationally Touring, 2026-2027

• “Cowboy Noire,” 400H Gallery, Fort Worth, TX 76102, Feb 2026

• “City of Dallas Black History Month Exhibition,” Dallas City Hall, Dallas, TX 75201, Feb 2026

• “Celebration of Black Culture,” NFM, The Colony, TX 75056, Jan 2026

• “REAL F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” Hopkinton Center For The Arts, Hopkinton, MA 01748, Oct 2025

• “My Black Joy is Black Activism,” TCU Library, Fort Worth, June 2025

• “If These Walls Could Talk,” Deep Ellum Community Center, Dallas, May 2025

• Fort Worth Art Fair, Art Tooth, Fort Worth, April 2025

• “Inaugural Echo,” Perspective 6 Gallery, Dallas, March 2025

• “Spectrum” Juried Exhibition, Gallerium, Online

• Small Works Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Nov 2024

•  Fort Worth Art Fair, Sundance Square, Fort Worth, May 2024

• “Lenora Rolla Show,” 400H Gallery, Fort Worth, Feb 2024

• “Small Works Show,” 400H Gallery, Fort Worth, Nov 2023

• Mayor’s Suite Exhibition, Dallas City Hall, March 2023

• “Hue,” Msanii Hous, Dallas, July 2022

• “Respite,” Pencil on Paper, Dallas, Feb 2022

• “Constuyendo La Paz Con El Lenguaje Del Arte,” Illamar Galeria, Peru, Oct 2021

• “Tears: Weaponized, Devalued, Reconciled?,” African American Museum, Dallas, March 2021

• “Hair Story: Myths, Magic and Methods of Black Hair,” African American Museum, Dallas, Nov 2020

• “As a Matter of Black: The Roaring 20’s,” MUCE Campus Miami, Feb 2020

• “We the People,” Mosesian Center for the Arts, Boston, Nov 2019

• “Identity,” Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas, Nov 2019

• “The Masks We Wear” Community Exhibit, March 2019

• “Falling in Love with Me”, Grand Prairie, Feb 2019

• “Salute Life Miami,” WeWork Miami, Dec 2018

• “Art, Power, Respect,” Ponchavelli Studio at Drawing Board, Richardson, Sept 2018

• “100 for 100 Show,” Fort Works Art, Sept 2018

• “Four Women Art Show,” Brewing Arts Festival, Arlington, Sept 2018

• “Muses” Art Show, TVAA Gallery, Dallas, Aug 2018

• “Art Conspiracy,” Life in Deep Ellum, Dallas, June 2018

 

Two- Person Exhibition:

• “Sanctuary,” St. Matthew’s Cathedral Arts, Dallas, TX 75206, Jan 2022

• “Ownership Series,” Babson College, (with abstract artist Jamaal Eversley) Wellesley, MA, 02457, Feb 2018

• “Coming of Age Art Show,” Babson College, Hollister Gallery,(with abstract artist Jamaal Eversley), Wellesley, MA,02457, Sept 2017

Solo Exhibition:

• “Teacup to God,” Golden BLK Candle Lounge Artist Residency, Dallas, TX 75207

 

 

PUBLICATIONS:

• “Amon Carter Museum invites invites artists in Fort Worth area to curate programs, workshops.” KERAnews.org, August 2025

• “LaShonda Cooks explores identity and culture.” 360West Magazine July 2025

• “Amon Carter Museum of American Art introduces 2025 Carter Community Artists.” NBCDFW.com, Dec 2024

• “Meet LaShonda Cooks,” CanvasRebel, July 2022

• “Like father, like daughter: Pair Hosts First Joint Art Exhibit,” Spectrum News, March 2022

• “Hair Story Grabs History by the Hair,” Dallas Observer, Dec 2020

• “Hair Story Exhibit explores how Black Hair is more than mere follicles,” KERA, Dec 2020

• “Artists Explore the Roots of Black Hair Culture,” D Magazine, Nov 2020

• “From her beautiful stories to her pointillistic painting style. Meet artist LaShonda Cooks,” www.damienartsmag.com, Feb 2020

• “An artist and an Entrepreneur,” Babson Thought & Action, Sept 2019

• “Conversations with the Inspiring LaShonda Cooks,” Voyage Dallas, Jan 2019

• “Native Dallas Artist Creating Positive Impact at Babson College,” Dallas Post Tribune, Oct 2017

• “CityLine: Coming of Age,” WCVB, Sept 2017

• “Alumni Joint Exhibition: A Coming of Age,” www.blogs.babson.edu, Sept 2017

• “Alumni LaShonda Cooks, Jamaal Eversley exhibit art at Babson College, Wicked Local, Sept 2017

• “A Brush with Happiness,” Babson Magazine, August 2017