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Ayanah Moor

Biography

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1973, Moor earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1995 and an MFA in Printmaking from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in 1998. Her practice examines Black cultural representation, gender, sexuality, popular culture, and the construction of alternative histories.


Moor has exhibited at institutions including the Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Andy Warhol Museum, Museum of Contemporary Photography, and ONE Archives. Her work includes visual art, collaborative media projects, exhibitions, and performance.


Moor lives and works in Chicago and is an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her recent exhibitions include I Wish I Could Be You More Often (2022) and undercover (2023).


BQW Impact

Ayanah Moor's significance to BQW comes from the direct intersection of her Black queer identity and artistic practice. Her work examines Blackness, gender, sexuality, desire, and popular culture while creating space for alternative narratives about Black queer life.


Her involvement in Queer & Brown in Steeltown and work addressing the intersections of queerness, feminism, and Black art further connect her practice to queer-of-color cultural work. Through visual art and education, Moor contributes to conversations about Black identity, gender, sexuality, and representation.


Notable Works

  • Queer & Brown in Steeltown (2012 - 2013)

    Collaborative podcast and blog project created with Raquel Rodriguez exploring the experiences of queer people of color in Pittsburgh.

  • Free To Be Myself All The Time (2019)

    Individual artwork from Moor's multidisciplinary studio practice.

  • I Wish I Could Be You More Often (2022)

    Solo exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art.

  • undercover (2023)

    Solo exhibition at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis.

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