Maya Jackson is an image based artist and photographer who was born and raised in Richmond, VA. She earned her BFA from VCUarts in 2019 and is currently pursuing her MFA degree at the University of Arizona. Her work focuses on challenging photography as documentation, “truthful” imagery, and introspection through self portraiture as a form of meditation. While focusing on making primarily image-based art, her practice also includes poetry, sculptural installation, and video. Since 2017, Jackson has been a lead mentor and class instructor at Oakwood Arts, a nonprofit whose goal is to make art and careers in creative industries accessible to everyone. She is also an active participant in Richmond’s local arts community. In addition to her artistic practice, she is an adjunct studio instructor at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and she was previously the studio manager and photographer at Dementi Studio, Richmond’s oldest photographic studio.