Maya Jackson (b. 1997, US)
maya@mayajackson.art | http://www.mayajackson.art
Education
2026 University of Arizona, College of Fine Arts, Tucson, AZ
MFA in Photography, Video, and Imaging (anticipated)
2019 Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, Richmond, VA
BFA in Photography and Film (Graduated with Honors, magna cum laude)
2018 VCU Summer: Berlin: City and Studio Artist in Residence Program, Berlin, DE
Awards and Honors
2023 - 2024 University of Arizona’s University Fellows Award: 1 year tuition remission and $34,000 scholarship
2018 Finalist, Photographer’s Forum magazine, 38th annual College Photography Contest
2015 - 2019 VCU School of the Arts Dean’s List
Academic/Professional Experience
2024 - present Assistant to Author/Educator Mary Virginia Swanson, Tucson AZ
Conducting publishing industry research and updating shared resources, formatting
and copy for monthly newsletters, maintaining websites (mvswanson.com and
publishyourphotographybook.com).
2021 - 2022 Adjunct Studio Instructor, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond VA
Designed and instructed photography courses for teens, integrating themes from
concurrent museum exhibitions, including The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material
Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, Man Ray: The Paris Years, and Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits.
2020 - 2023 Studio Manager and Photographer, Dementi Studio, Richmond VA
Managed diverse photographic projects and retouching requests while collaborating with
clients in a professional and timely manner. Provided photography services for business
headshots, family portraits, and commercial projects. Performed color correction,
proofing, and retouching images using Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, and Lightroom.
2017 - 2023 Lead Mentor and Program Instructor, Oakwood Arts, Richmond, VA
Facilitated a monthly workshop series titled Contemporary Art Professional Practice and
assisted in curriculum design and instruction to help teens develop cohesive bodies of
work. Topics covered included digital photography fundamentals, basic editing
techniques in Adobe Photoshop, and an introduction to various photography-related
careers.
Group Exhibitions
2025 Border as Network, Pidgin Palace Arts, Tucson, AZ
2024 SOUTHWEST, Decode Gallery, Tucson, AZ
2024 Art Bridging Borders, Virtual Exhibition, The Ubuntu Project
2024 Stories Untold, Tucson Jewish Community Center, Tucson, AZ
2022 Visions, Rennolds Gallery, Turner Hall, Richmond, VA (solo exhibition)
2019 Colonial White, Great Force Participatory Project for The Racial Imaginary Institute, Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA
2019 Solstice, Oakwood Arts Annual Summer Benefit Auction, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
2019 Photo Velvet, Senior Thesis Exhibition, Richmond, VA
2019 The Art of Freedom, juried exhibition, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA
2018 Sixty-Seven, group exhibition, GlogauAIR, Berlin, Germany
2018 Solstice, Oakwood Arts Annual Summer Benefit Auction, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
Publications
Gonzales, Victoria. Arizona Arts, “Meet Maya Jackson: A Landscape-Based, Conceptual Photographer,” March 2024.
The Commonwealth Times, The Spectrum: Art + Culture, “Student photographer addresses double consciousness in group exhibition”, February 2019.
Photographer’s Forum: Best of College and High School Photography 2018, “College Photography Contest Finalists”, vol. 38, July 2018.
Ink Magazine, Inside Cover, vol. 10, May 2018.
Ink Magazine, “Well Suited”, vol. 10, May 2018, p 54 - 63
Geen, Georgia. The Commonwealth Times, “Exhibitions explore traditional and nontraditional spaces”, April 2018.
Willis, Samantha. Richmond Magazine, “Art by All”, May 2017.
Permanent Collections
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Dominion Energy
Numerous Private Collections