Born and raised in the deep south, Judy Southerland has worked in Washington DC as an artist and art professor since receiving her MFA from American U in 1978. The artist was a dedicated teacher for 22 years at the Corcoran College of Art + Design and her practice continues to be "innovative and robust" says curator Nancy Sausser who included Southerland's work in "Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists", a 2022 regional exhibition at McLean Project for the Arts in VA. Also, in fall 2022, three of Southerland's paintings will be installed in Capital One's permanent collection at Dulles airport, curated by Tappan Collective, Los Angeles. Southerland's most recent solo show was in 2017 at Mary Baldwin U, in Staunton, VA and before that, in 2016 by invitation, at Studio Gallery in Washington DC where "History Painting for a Small Town" received a headline photo spread and review by Mark Jenkins for the Washington Post. The artist has received 3 individual artists fellowships from the DCCAH, has been a juror for the Bethesda Painting Awards and she collaborated with the Engine Room Gallery in Belfast, NI to host DC students and an exhibition of their art works done in Southerland's Corcoran preparatory in-school ArtReach class. Southerland also worked as a facilitator for 22 summers at Montorno, an artist's residency in Seravezza, Italy where the hill culture reminded her of the end of the Appalachian chain small town where she grew up. The experience had significant influence on her work. The artist's very first solo show "Links" was in a national exhibition of 4 solos under the title "Tell Tale Heart" curated by Mel Watkin at Washington Project for the Arts in DC. Southerland's work has been featured in Newsweek and on Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt on CBS. Southerland was represented by Troyer Fitzpatrick Gallery in Washington, DC and her work has been exhibited locally, regionally and beyond.