Ashley Hairston Doughty

BIO

Ashley Hairston Doughty is a visual storyteller, explaining personal experiences through verbal and visual language, utilizing several forms of media. She shares and encourages such art-making as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work is included in the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, and the Special Collections of Brown University, Smith College, and the University of Iowa. She has received awards from the Caxton Club, the College Book Arts Association, and Arion Press. Ashley’s research on BIPOC design pedagogy is published in the award-winning Black, Brown + Latinx Graphic Design Educators (Princeton Architectural Press, 2021). In 2020, she was invited to work on the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response initiative for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), funded by the national non-profit Smart Growth America, the Kresge Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Every person has a unique history—a collection of experiences that define our views of the world. For me, these collected experiences began at a young age as my family moved from one city to the next.

Throughout all the transitions, my love of art and design remained constant. By the time I completed college, I had an understanding of what it took to be a “good” designer. My diverse knowledge and techniques allowed me to see the design world from many angles of the profession.

However, it wasn’t until graduate school that I delved deeply into visual storytelling. I began to explain my experiences—the negative, the positive, and the downright weird—through language and visual expression. The methodologies I developed would shift my entire creative process.

The result was art and design that was richer—more impactful. I put great stock in learning, brainstorming, drafting, and testing. This process is applied not only to my personal work, but to projects for clients and lessons for my students. To me, there is immense value in telling each story with authenticity and attentiveness.

ARTWORK

Title: PROCREATION : FORTUNE BE MY GUIDE
2019. Printed in purple ink from the Risograph on French Poptone 70 lb. text. Lettering is the artist’s own handwriting. 5" x 5" (flat); 4" x 4" x 3.5" (assembled). Edition of 15.
An attempt at answering my own questions regarding the bearing of children.

Title: PROCREATION : PUSH + PULL
2019. Letterpress printed on French Poptone 65 lb. cover. Type set in 18 pt. Futura. 4.5" x 4.5" x 2.125". Edition of 40.
A geometric representation of the never-ending loop of pros and cons I often weigh within the topic of procreation.

Title: THE SPACE BETWEEN
2020. Cotton canvas and muslin, fabric dyes, pigments, decorative pillow, ink on paper. Machine sewn; offset printed. Various sizes. Photos by Chole Bernardo for the Barrick Museum of Art.
A physical manifestation of written pieces dealing with racial and social identity.

Title: I AM / I AM NOT
2020. Text cut from black vinyl on acrylic-painted wall corner. 9' x 12'. Photos by Chole Bernardo for the Barrick Museum of Art.
A manifesto for Black Americans.