History, art, and activism converge in the works of Urban Arts Space’s newest Community Artist-in-Residence, Tyiesha Radford Shorts. The UAS Community Artist-in-Residence program is now in its third year of connecting local artists with the community. Artists chosen for the residency are awarded a $25,000 stipend to fund their personal artistic practice, along with a $5,000 budget to allocate toward community programming. Urban Arts Space is thrilled to collaborate with Tyiesha on creating dynamic and engaging arts programs for the Columbus community.

Tyiesha is a writer, educator, and artist whose work bridges archival research and creative expression. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Franklin University and a Master of Art in Art Education from The Ohio State University. A former Artist-in-Residence at the Columbus Museum of Art, her work spans multiple disciplines and has been showcased throughout the Columbus arts community. She contributed to the anthology A Love Letter to This Bridge Called My Back as well as the accompanying show at Urban Arts Space. Her work was also featured in Thank God for blood-memory, a group exhibition curated by previous Artist-in-Residence Ajanaé Dawkins.
 

As the Education Coordinator for the Maroon Arts Group, Tyiesha designs dynamic programs that illuminate Black history and literature, exploring topics such as the legacies of Black Ohioans, maroon societies in the West, and the writings of Angela Davis. Her collaborations extend across Columbus, involving organizations like the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Public Health, United Way of Central Ohio, Bexley Public Library, the Lincoln Theatre, and now Urban Arts Space. Through her work, she invites the Columbus and larger Ohio community to engage with the humanities in ways that are both thought-provoking and deeply personal.

As a multimedia artist, Tyiesha’s work connects the historical and contemporary experiences of Black communities through photography, essays, and poetry. Her work as an educator reflects her deep commitment to what Toni Morrison calls literary archaeology—the art of uncovering the past through literature, using archaeological and scientific evidence to bring the past to life. In her application, she explained, “By the end of the residency, I hope to have compiled an Ohio Black History reader—a collection of readings, film, music, and artifacts—that will move the lives of 19th Century Black Ohioans from the margins to the center of historical consideration.”

Tyiesha’s residency will begin in June 2025, with a large-scale exhibition in September. Keep an eye on the Urban Arts Space events page for information about her future programming!