Ceirra Evans is a Kentucky (US) based painter depicting Appalachia and rural narratives. Ceirra’s work has been reviewed by Hyperallergic, The New Yorker and other publications. Her work has been exhibited in 21c Museums in Louisville, Kentucky and Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2023, Ceirra had a solo show “Come Home With Me” at Virginia Tech’s Perspective Gallery (Blacksburg, VA) and a solo show “A Wild Weed” at Gallerie Geraldine Banier (Paris, France). Her most recent show “Come Rain or Shine” was held at Institute 193 (Lexington, KY). Her work is held in multiple private collections in the United States and UK. Ceirra has a degree in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies from Spalding University (Louisville, KY).
Lives and works in Frankfort, KY
Born 1999, Owingsville, KY
Education
2021
Spalding University, Louisville, KY
BA, Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies: Art and History
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Come Rain or Shine, Institute 193, Lexington, KY
2024
Be Careful Out There, Moremen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2023
A Wild Weed, Perspective Gallery, Paris, France
Come Home With Me, Perspective Gallery, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Meet Me Somewhere Quiet, Gateway Regional Art Center, Mt. Sterling, KY
Outcasts & Outlaws, Moremen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2022
It’s Okay to Go Home, Moremen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2021
Folklore, Moremen Gallery, Louisville, KY
Group Exhibitions
2025
Notations on Ritual, The Carnegie, Covington, KY
2025
Crosscurrents: Contemporary Art from the Speed Art Collection and Beyond, The Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
2024
Still Life! Mourning, Meaning, and Mending, 21c Museum, Lexington, KY
Queer Art | Queer Archives, Bolivar Gallery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Purple Reign, Julia Martin Gallery, Nashville, TN
2022
KMAC Triennial: Divided We Fall, KMAC, Louisville, KY
2021
Still Life! Mourning, Meaning, and Mending, 21c Museum, Bentonville, AR
Still Life! Mourning, Meaning, and Mending, 21c Museum, Louisville, KY
Artsy Mood, Boomer Gallery, London, UK
2020
Emerging Artist Exhibition, Appalachian Artisan Center, Hindman, KY
Awards & Residencies
2026
Artist in Residence, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, KY
2024
Artist Enrichment Grant, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Louisville, KY
Artist Respond Grant, Rural-Urban Exchange, Louisville, KY
2023
Peacock and the Worm, Artist-in-Residence, Aberdeen, Scotland
Emerging Artist Award, Louisville Visual Art, Louisville, KY
Loretto Motherhouse, Artist-in-Residence, Loretto, KY
2022
Firestarter Award, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Louisville, KY
2021
Artist Professional Development Grant, Great Meadows Foundation, Louisville, KY
Media & Publications
- Arnold, S. (2026, March) Claiming the Story: Painter Ceirra Evans on the future of Appalachia, YNST magazine
- Owen, M. (2025, July 25). In Conversation with Ceirra Evans. IMPULSE Magazine. https://impulsemagazine.com/symposium/in-conversation-with-ceirra-evans
- Hendrickson, N. (2025, June 26). A Hillbilly Elegy to Climate Collapse, Kudzu Jelly
- McCrary, E. (2024, November 14). She used to guard the Speed Museum’s galleries. Soon, her painting will hang in one. The Courier-Journal. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2024/11/14/why-a-kentucky-museum-bought-a-painting-from-one-of-its-security-guards/75736000007/
- Painting Appalachia (Bath Co, KY), Kentucky Educational Television, April 2023
- LVA Honoree Ceirra Evans talks about her work and emerging career as an artist, Waits, Keith, Louisville Visual Arts, March 2022
- Catte, E (August 2022)“The Power of Place,” KMAC: Divided We Fall Exhibition Catalogue
- Wilcox, C. (2023, September 1). Great Meadows Foundation uplifts Queer artists alongside Queer Kentucky: Ceirra Evans https://queerkentucky.com/great-meadows-foundation-uplifts-queer-artists-alongside-queer-kentucky-ceirra-evans/
- Gierhart, B. (May 2022) “Ceirra Evans Q&A,” Ruckus.
- Greenwell, G. (2022, February 15). Ceirra Evans paints a complex portrait of Appalachia. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ceirra-evans-paints-a-complex-portrait-of-appalachia
- “An Artist Goes Home to Her Appalachia,” Weis, Natalie, Hyperallergic, February 2022
- Weis, N. (2022, February 4). An artist goes home to her Appalachia. Hyperallergic. https://hyperallergic.com/708864/an-artist-goes-home-to-her-appalachia/
Museum Collections
2023
Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Artist Lectures
2025
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Kentucky College of Art + Design, Louisville, KY
2024
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
2022
Global Appalachia, IKT International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art conference, Louisville, KY
Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Professional Experience
2023-2025
Studio Art Teacher, Francis Parker Middle School, Louisville, KY
2023
Artist Guest, IKT International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art conference, North Wales, UK
2022-2024
Rural-Urban Exchange Program, Louisville, KY
Ceirra Evans 