CV

Aliana Grace Bailey
info@alianagracebailey.com

Summary

Aliana Grace Bailey is an interdisciplinary fiber artist, designer, and care worker with an MFA in Community Arts and a BSW. Since 2014, she has built a career rooted in color, intimacy, arts activism, trauma-informed programming, and community healing, from grassroots campaign work with The Sanctuaries and Roberta's House to long-term projects like Hammock Grove at the 11th Street Bridge Park and Soft Gather™, fiber gatherings for Black communities. She has taught across early childhood through older adult communities, managed workforce development in textile production, and exhibited at the Walters Art Museum, The Phillips Collection, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Her work is held in public collections including the US Embassy in Chiang Mai.

EDUCATION

Master of Fine Arts in Community Arts
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland

Bachelor of Social Work / Summa Cum Laude
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 

Bachelor of Art in Visual Arts & Design / Summa Cum Laude
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC

RESIDENCES, PROGRAMS, & COMMUNITY

2026-2027, Art-Play-Practice: Teaching Artist Cohort, Phillips@THEARC. Washington, DC

Facilitates artist-led public programs and after-school partnerships inspired by Sam Gilliam to foster creativity, experimentation, and community through hands-on art experiences.

2026, Teaching Artist Cohort, Center for Craft

Member of a six-month fellowship for mid-career craft artists, providing mentorship and community to support artistic and teaching practices.

2023 - now: Co-Teacher, Art with a Heart. Baltimore, MD

Facilitates instruction across Baltimore City schools and community settings, working with early childhood through elder populations.

2022 - now: Lead Artist, Designer, Facilitator, and Seamstress, vibrant grace studio. Baltimore, MD

Creates vibrant design, surface patterns, and textile products while supporting health, wellness, and social justice initiatives. Facilitates wellness and fiber-based art workshops for all ages.

2023 - 2025: Community Care & Studio Manager, Lifting Labels. Baltimore, Maryland

Managed operations and workforce development for formerly incarcerated employees in textile production.

2025, Open Studio Residency, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Deer Isle, Maine

Explored cross-disciplinary installation techniques combining traditional fiber methods with digital fabrication.

2025, WEAVE: The Artist in Residence Program, GIST Yarn, Remote

Developed Soft Gather™ presents Quiet Flame—intimate fiber art gatherings for introverted Black women exploring quiet power, coordinating venue logistics, participant communications, and facilitation of skill-sharing workshops.

2023-2024, DIG Maker Fellow. Baltimore, Maryland

Expanded digital fabrication access for underserved Baltimore communities by supporting member projects, assisting in technical skills, and building confidence with new tools among seniors and ethnic minorities.

2023, Post-Grad Resident, Torpedo Factory Art Center. Alexandria, Virgina

Developed new installation techniques and refined research methods through studio visits and critique.

2022-2023, Artist-in-Residence, Studio House. Baltimore, Maryland

Engaged in live-work space among Black artists in Baltimore City

2022, Industrial Sewing Trainee, Baltimore Sewn Trades Training Program. Baltimore, Maryland

Completed 200+ hours of technical training in industrial cut-and-sew production methods.

2022, Artist-in-Residence, Abstract Sisterhood. Washington, DC

The Sisterhood seeks to promote abstraction, conceptual art, and community-driven social practices.

2022, Artist-in-Residence, The Studios at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. North Adams, MA

Lived and worked in international artist community while advancing experimental approaches to fiber mediums.

2022, Resident Artist, Black Artist Research Space. Baltimore, MD

Three months of producing new bodies of work activating the downtown gallery with conversation and creations.

2021, Apprentice, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA

Developed advanced screen printing techniques for large-scale fabric patterns, engaged the public in art-making to demystify professional tools and processes, and participated in public-facing educational programming.

2019-2020, Artful Minds Educator& Fellow, Keswick Multi-Care Center. Baltimore, MD

Created fiber art curriculum teaching technical skills including weaving, sewing, and pattern design to older adults community, adapting tool use and instruction methods for participants with varying abilities, integrating art history, color theory, and hands-on skill development.

2018-2019, Artist-in-Residence, Roberta’s House, Baltimore, MD
2019-2023 Volunteer

Applied social work assessment methods to integrate trauma-informed arts programming for homicide survivors, mothers experiencing loss, and children.

2017-2019 Socially Engaged Teaching Artist, The Sanctuaries. Washington, DC

Educated various communities across the United States on how art contributes to community healing and social change.

2018, Exercises for Emerging Artists 15: Fibers, Transformer. Washington, DC

Explored fiber art’s relationship to identity and gender through rigorous peer critique, mentorship, and historical analysis.

2017, Artist-in-Residence, Duende District, A Creative DC, Washington, DC

Exhibited art in community dedicated to sharing books for & by people of color.

2017, Artist-in-Residence, Cross-Cultural Collaborative. Accra, Ghana

Immersed self in the culture and collaborated with neighborhood children in a Ghanaian fishing village.

2017, Artist-in-Residence, Washington Peace Center. Washington, DC
2016—2017, The Collective: Soulful Arts for Social Change Program, The Sanctuaries. Washington, DC 

Completed the seven-month training program focused on collaboration across mediums, learning about arts activism, developing spiritual practices for mindful action, and working on the front lines of grassroots campaigns.

AWARDS

2026, Making Her Mark Ascend Series Project Grant Recipient
2025, Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize Finalist
2025, Grit Fund Project Grant Recipient (Soft Gather™ presents Quiet Flame)
2024, MSAC Professional Development Grant (Upholstery Retreat)
2023, Rubys Artist Grantee (Soft Gather™ Healing Spaces)
2023, Spoonflower Small Business Grant (vibrant grace studio)
2023, Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize Semi-Finalist
2023, TILA Fellowship Finalist
2022, MSAC Creativity Grant (Weaving Connections Community Workshops)
2022, 11th Street Bridge Park, Public Art Selection (Hammock Grove)
2022, The aSHE Fund Grant (vibrant grace studio)
2022, Spoonflower Staff Pick (vibrant grace studio)
2022, MASS MoCA Fellowship
2021, MSAC Professional Development Grant
2021, Female Design Council Honoree
2020, Maryland State Arts Council Grant
2020, Red Bull Arts Baltimore Microgrant
2020, TILA Studios Above Four Fund
2019-2020, Libby Bowerman ’82 Fellowship
2019, Community Engagement Grant
2019, Graduate Research Development Grant (SAORI Weaving Course)
2018-2020, Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Foundation Fellowship
2018-2020, Leslie King Hammond Fellowship

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Reginald F Lewis Museum
US Embassy Chiang Mai, Thailand 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022, a loving home: lessons on love. Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, Baltimore, MD

DUO EXHIBITIONS

2025, Close Enough, BmoreArt Connect + Collect Gallery. Baltimore, Maryland
2022, Music that Raised Us, Black Artist Research Space. Baltimore, MD
2020, Two-Person Exhibition, Creative Grounds DC, Washington, DC

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026, ALL AMERICAN: Contemporary Perspectives from HBCU Artists, Artspace. Raleigh North Carolina
2026, Phillips 2026 Juried Invitational, The Phillips Collection. Washington, DC
2026, Dia[spora] A Garden in Dialogue, HeartbeatInk Gallery. Athens, Greece
2026, afield, Tabernacle White Box Gallery. College Park, Maryland
2026, Mending: The Female Narrative Through Fiber, Museum of Eastern Shore Culture at Salisbury. Salisbury, Maryland
2026, Familiar Threads, Betty Mae Kramer Gallery. Silver Spring, Maryland
2025, Clovis Lane: The Exhibition, Miami Beach, Florida
2025, The Janet & Walter Sondheim 2025 Art Prize Exhibition, Walters Art Museum. Baltimore, Maryland
2025, Emergence: Stories in the Making. Galerie Myrtis. Baltimore, Maryland
2024, Unity in Full Bloom. Unity Hall Gallery. Baltimore, Maryland
2024, Hickok Cole x WPA. Art Night 2024. Washington, DC
2024, Artscape Best of Baltimore 2024. Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, Maryland
2024, Sprung. Waller Gallery. Baltimore, Maryland
2024, This is Not Your Grave. Eubie Blake National Jazz and Cultural Center. Baltimore, Maryland
2024, BLACK WOMAN GENIUS: Elizabeth Talford Scott, Tapestries of Generations, Reginald F Lewis Museum. Baltimore, Maryland.
2023, NC A&T Alumni Art Exhibition. University Galleries. Greensboro, North Carolina
2023, Growing a Village. Our Art Room Collective. Nomunomu. Baltimore, Maryland 
2023, (be)longing. Latela Curatorial. International Online Exhibition.
2023, The Sondheim Semi-finalist Exhibition. Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, Maryland.
2023, Materiality, The Yard. Washington, DC 
2022, Body Talk. Target Gallery. Alexandria, Virginia.
2022, Innervisions: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture. Brentwood Arts Exchange. Brentwood, Maryland.
2022, The Ties That Bind. IA&A at Hillyer. Washington, DC
2022, All Together: a convening of contemporary Black women artists. MLK Library. Washington, DC
2022, Manufactured Narratives, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI
2021, Body Language, Frampton Co, Bridgehampton, NY
2020, Latela Curatorial x Artsy: Women in the Arts Online Exhibition
2020, New Constellations: Contemporary Neon Art, Public Art, Baltimore, MD
2019, Identity: Smashing Labels, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2019, MAT & MFACA First Years Juried Show, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2019, NASAD Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2019, Our Words Will Still Be Heard, Jubliee Arts Gallery and MICA PLACE Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2019, Black Women in Power, Arena Players Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2019, Evenings at the Edge: Wonder Woman, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
2018, A Body to Follow, Transformer, Washington DC
2018, We Got Next: Young Contemporaries, I Street Galleries, Washington, DC
2018, Bluebird Sky Yoga x Latela Art Gallery, Bluebird Sky Yoga Studio, Washington, DC
2017, ______hood, Group Exhibition, The Carrack Modern Art, Durham, NC
2017, Synergy: Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP), Visual Arts Exhibition, I Street Galleries, Washington, DC
2017, Collage Group Show II, Latela Art Gallery, Washington, DC
2016, Alumni & Friends: Can we be different, but equal?, H.C. Taylor Gallery, NC A&T State University, Greensboro, NC
2016, Carnaval: Celebrations of the African Diaspora, Pepco Edison Place Gallery, Washington, DC
2015, At War With Ourselves/Exclusive Selection, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at University of Maryland College Park, MD
2015, At War with Ourselves: The Battle for the Black Face Boy, Brentwood Arts Exchange, Washington, DC
2015, 10x10 Invitational: Benefit Exhibition, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Silver Spring, MD
2014, In The Moment: A group exhibition of four artists born since 1989, DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
2014, Alumni & Friends: The Art of Music, The Artist Bloc Fine Arts Gallery, Greensboro, NC
2014, We Join Spokes Together in a Wheel, Gatewood Gallery, Greensboro, NC
2013, The Rebirth, H.C. Taylor Gallery, NC A&T SU, Greensboro, NC
2012 Juried Art & Design Student Exhibition, CVA – Center for Visual Artists, Greensboro, NC

PUBLICATIONS & PRESS

SELECT WORKSHOPS, TALKS, & COMMUNITY TEACHING

  • 2026, Phillips@THEARC, Washington, DC — Textile workshop for middle school students in partnership with Higher Achievement, inspired by the work of Sam Gilliam

  • 2026, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, MD — “Art as Ancestry: Memory & Legacy,” fiber arts workshop in collaboration with the Rich in What They Can’t Measure exhibition program

  • 2026, Glen Echo Park, Maryland — Identity-centered fiber collage workshop for middle school girls, exploring how colors connect to our emotions—using felt, paper, and oil pastel to explore self-expression and mental health

  • 2025, Anacostia River Festival, Washington, DC — Art Journaling community fiber activation with Hammock Grove

  • 2025, Marriott Bonvoy World Pride Event, Washington, DC — Frame loom weaving activation

  • 2024, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore, MD — “Fiber Play: Ancestral Wall Hangings,” fiber art workshop for adults

  • 2024, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore, MD — “Fabric, Paint & Sip,” mixed-media workshop for adults inspired by Danny Simmons solo exhibition

  • 2024, Glen Echo Park, Maryland — Carousel Day Community quilt activation with children of all ages

  • 2023, Baltimore Museum of Art at Lexington Market, Baltimore, MD — “Exploring Fiber & Collective Weaving,” intergenerational drop-in workshop for children and adults

  • 2019, Artist Talk & Career Development at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

  • 2019, Youth Leadership Summit: Career Opportunities in the Arts at Oakland Mills High School

  • 2018, Working Artist Lecture at Montgomery College

  • 2018, Arts for Activism and Organizing Workshop at Theopoetics: A Space for Thinkers, Doers, and Makers Conference

  • 2018, Arts for Activism and Organizing Workshop at DC Social Emergency Response Center

  • 2018, Evaluator for the 2018 Arts for Social Change Program at The Sanctuaries

  • 2017, Arts for Activism and Organizing Workshop at Foundry Methodist Church

  • 2018, March for Our Lives Art Build Workshop with Church Youth

  • 2017, Arts for Activism and Organizing Workshop with Armed Services Arts Partnership

  • 2017, Mic Check! Storytelling Workshop with Asian American LEAD (AALEAD)

  • 2015, Black Lives/White Light Exhibition, Black Artist Panel Speaker

  • 2014, Art is my: High School Arts Scholarship, Judge, Brooklyn, New York

PUBLIC ART/SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART PROJECTS

  • 2023-now, Soft Gather™

  • 2023-now, Hammock Grove, 11th Street Bridge Park

  • 2020, Ambivalent Intimacy

  • 2019, Women’s March, Art Build Screenprinter

  • 2018, Foundry Methodist Church, Sanctuary Banners

  • 2017, Climate March, Art Build Designer and Painter

  • 2017, DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence & UJIMA, Collaborative Community Mural, Washington, DC

  • 2017, Women’s March Art Build, Black Women’s Health Matters Design

  • 2017, #MeantToBeLoved Installation, Femme Fatale DC Pop Up Store, Washington, DC

  • 2017, #KeepFightingDC, Washington Peace Center, Washington DC

  • 2017, Walter Reed Dreams, CulturalDC and the DC Office of Planning, Washington, DC

  • 2016, Street Soul: The Human Side of Homelessness, The Sanctuaries, Washington, DC

TRAININGS + CERTIFICATIONS

  • September 2026 De-escalation Strategies for Challenging Behaviors

  • November 2025 BLS CPR AED for Healthcare Providers & First Aid

  • January 2025 AIGA Project Management for Creatives

  • December 2024 Project Management Essentials

  • December 2024 Asana Workflow Specialist Certificate 

  • November 2023 Color Consulting

  • May 2023 Core Concepts of Childhood Traumatic Stress in a Classroom Setting

  • December 2022 Industrial Sewing Machine Operator

  • July 2020 Ethics in Victim Services

  • June 2020 Foundational Training in Victim Assistance

  • May 2020 Certificate in the College Teaching of Art.

  • January 2018 Armed Services Arts Partnership. Teaching Artist Training

  • January 2015 Advancing Youth Development

  • March 2012, Mediation Training/Conflict Management

  • January 2015, Youth Mental Health First Aid

HONOR SOCIETIES

  • Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society

  • Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society

  • Golden Key International Honor Society

  • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

  • Who’s Who Among Students