INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTIST

ASHANTI CHAPLIN

Ashanti Chaplin, an artist and cultural producer with roots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, currently lives and works in Greenwood, the birthplace of Black Wall Street. She earned an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chaplin served as the inaugural Curator of Public Engagement at Dia Art Foundation and is a 2021-2023 alum of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.  

Central to her practice are themes of reclamation, power, and transformation, through which she navigates institutional frameworks to forge new models of community engagement. Her dedication to social justice is evident in her efforts to dismantle oppressive systems and create spaces of embodied equity. Her multifaceted work, which spans liberatory pedagogy, cultural production, research, and material practice, reflects her connection with a broad spectrum of cultural practitioners. She creates work that invites a journey of discovery and illuminates the interconnectedness of all life. 

Chaplin has collaborated with renowned organizations such as The Lowry in Salford, Manchester, UK, International Street Theatre Festival d'Aurillac, Greenpeace France, FKA Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art Rotterdam, and the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. As a visiting artist and lecturer, she has shared her critical perspectives with institutions, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, Rush Arts Foundation, Howard University, NYU, Hunter College, Princeton University, The New School, Vassar College, and Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

She is instrumental in galvanizing innovators and champions the rich knowledge teeming at the margins. Cultivating communities of practice that embrace authentic ways of learning, creating, and living is at the heart of her work. She brings a rich tapestry of knowledge and insight into her creative process, allowing her to world-build across mediums, disciplines, and audiences.