Artist Talk

December 19, 2025

Join us for a special conversation between Woolly Mammoth Artist in Residence Sheldon Scott and Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu! Hear from these two incredible DC visual artists as they discuss Osuchukwu’s current exhibition at Woolly, “Works on Paper: In the Moment.”

After the event, head upstairs to the box office to grab a rush ticket for ho ho ho ha ha ha ha by Julia Masli at 8pm!

Born and raised in Pawley’s Island in the Gullah/Geechee Lowcountry of South Carolina, Sheldon Scott now lives and works in Washington, DC. His fine-art practices plays in the intersection of Race, Sexuality and Economics, while impugning mythologies of Black Male supernaturality, and includes works of Performance, Sculpture, Installation, Photography, Spoken word, Creative Nonfiction, Objects and Ephemera. Scott has exhibited at the WPA Select Auction, Arlington Arts Center, Delaware State University, Goucher University, Art Miami, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, National African Art Museum, Katzen Art Museum, David C. Driskell Center, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and has been recently acquired by the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Scott’s works has been collected by other esteemed institutions including J.P. Morgan Chase and private collections globally. He has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Blouin Art Info, Art 21 and Hyperallergic and has been recognized as by Americans for the Arts’ Best Public Art Program in 2017 and as a Finalist for the National Portrait Gallery’s 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Scott has been a featured presenter at TEDx Mid- Atlantic, ArtTable, CreativeTime Festival, College Arts Association Conference, Washington Ideas Festival, and the Smithsonian Long Conversation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Teaching for Change, Transformer Arts, and the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. Scott is the Founder of ProjectUnlearn and also currently serves as the Director of Culture at Eaton DC. Scott’s Fine-Art practice is represented by ConnerSmith Gallery.

Born to Nigerian immigrant parents, master artist and instructor Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu spent his early years between Washington, D.C. and Nigeria. A proud D.C. native, he is a distinguished alumnus of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He earned his BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, followed by an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of the Arts (MICA) in Baltimore. Osuchukwu’s work seamlessly blends his Igbo and American heritage, creating a unique artistic voice creating a conversation between two worlds.

His art, which includes sculptures, paintings, and murals, is featured in prestigious collections and museums worldwide, including the Biggs Museum of American Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem (permanent), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His work has also been highlighted in publications such as O Magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, and in Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s book, Fired Up And Ready to Go! In 2021, his art was featured in the Netflix film Really Love.

Beyond his studio, he is a respected educator, leader, and community advocate. He has served on the D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities and currently serves on the Humanities D.C. Council, which he was reappointed 3 times. His global reach is evident in his partnerships with organizations like the National Hemophilia Foundation and his influence in both Senegal and Nigeria, where he was appointed Ambassador of Arts and Culture in 2023. This same year, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden.

Osuchukwu has dedicated over two decades to visual arts education, inspiring students who have gone on to attend top art colleges like the Rhode Island School of Design, SVA, and Pratt just to name a few. Additionally, he is the founder and CEO of Gallery Osuchukwu, a private home gallery, and an arts education and portfolio development program. The mission of his programs is to empower students by providing them with the skills and techniques needed to succeed in competitive art programs and gain tools on how to become a successful artist. He has facilitated programs with the Phillips Collection (DC) and The Smithsonian American Art Museum SAAM (DC), and the Anacostia Arts Center. In 2022, he was honored with the Mayor’s Art Award for Arts Education for his work and service.

He currently resides at his studio at Jackson Arts Center in Georgetown and teaches at Washington Studio School and the University of the District of Columbia. He believes that art is a powerful vehicle for social change, and he is committed to passing his knowledge on to future generations.