Shannon Wright (illustrator)

Shannon Wright (born 20 January 1994) is an American cartoonist and illustrator from Massaponax, Virginia who is known for political, feminist, and racial discussion in her work of arts.

Shannon Wright
Born (1994-01-20) January 20, 1994
Virginia
EducationVirginia Commonwealth University in Richmond
Awards2015 Certificate of Merit from the Virginia Press Association in illustration
2016 Bobbi Braun Award from the Society of Illustrators
Websitehttp://shannon-wright.com/

Early life

Shannon Wright grew up in Virginia, and shared many interests with her brothers, Kevin II and Travis,[1] due to her status as the only girl among the siblings. She cites this as an original reason she was exposed to anime and cartoons so extensively as a child. When deciding on which college to attend, Wright was denied from the Governor's School for the Arts; this was an obstacle, along with others such as finances, gender and race.[2]

She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a degree in communication arts in 2016. [3]

Career

After graduating in 2016, Wright became known for her illustrative political statements and representations of the black community. She has made work for companies including TIME, BBC,[4] The Guardian,[5] Bitch Media,[6] Boom Studios, The New York Times, Eater,[7] The Baffler,[8] The Nib,[9] and Mother Jones. Wright was the Editor-in-Chief for the VCU comics anthology, Emanata, and an illustration editor for The Commonwealth Times.

Wright's artistic representations include the depiction of natural black hair and traditional hairstyles, responses of the black community to Donald Trump's rhetoric, and more. Wright's illustrations originated from an assignment to illustrate the meaning of being a knight; she created a black female warrior with Bantu knots.[10]

Her comic 'Eight Ways to Resist Donald Trump'[11] catalogues a response to the Trump presidency, with an emphasis on unity, wellness, and resistance. While Wright does catalogue much social commentary in these areas, she also supports causes such as environmentalism, as seen in "Hate Mowing Your Lawn? Good! Don't Do It".[9]

In 2016, Wright contributed to Bitch Media's group show, No Feminism, No Future.[12]

Artistic themes

Illustrative themes in Wright's works include intersectional feminism, politics, and environmental issues. She also illustrates images to accompany texts discussing cultural issues such as racism in politics and technology, lack of access to medical resources in the black community, and gentrification of black neighborhoods.

Illustrated works
  • Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz; book cover illustration by Wright
  • Kaboom Adventure Time #57 comics cover for Boom Studios[13]
  • My Mommy Medicine. Written by Edwidge Danticat; picture book illustration. Roaring Brook Press, 2019.

Awards
  • 2015: Certificate of Merit from the Virginia Press Association in illustration
  • 2016: Bobbi Braun Award from the [[Society of Illustrators|Society of Illustrators]]

References
  1. Carrington, Ronald E. (2020-09-24). "Illustrator Shannon Wright brings skills to Richmond Folk Festival official poster". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  2. "SHANNON WRIGHT". WEEKLY ARTIST INTERVIEWS. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  3. Carrington, Ronald E. (2020-09-24). "Illustrator Shannon Wright brings skills to Richmond Folk Festival official poster". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  4. "Black Americans waiting for organ donations". BBC News. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  5. Davis, Lisa Selin (2017-04-03). "For 18 years, I thought she was stealing my identity. Until I found her". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  6. "Kids These Days". Bitch Media. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  7. "What Americans Ate During 2016's Biggest Moments". Eater. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  8. "Get Thee to a City of Ladies | Jessa Crispin". The Baffler. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  9. Wright, Ted Steinberg,Shannon. "Hate Mowing Your Lawn? Good! Don't Do It". The Nib. Retrieved 2017-11-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Rising Illustrator and Cartoonist Turns Black Hair into Pop Art". www.ebony.com. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  11. Mirk, Shannon Wright,Sarah. "Eight Ways To Resist Donald Trump". The Nib. Retrieved 2017-11-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. "No Feminism, No Future: Celebrating 20 Years of Bitch Media".
  13. Hastings, Christopher (2016-10-12). Adventure Time #57. Boom. ISBN 9781681599212.
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