Transition by shanina dionna, in conversation with The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure

shanina dionna’s mural Transition was part of The Philadelphia Museum of Art and Mural Arts collaboration to create a public art series featuring work by alumni of Mural Arts’ Fellowship for Black Artists. Alumni were prompted to explore the central themes (double consciousness, our aliveness, persistence of history) of the museum’s acclaimed exhibition, “The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure” on view November 9, 2024–February 9, 2025. Transition speaks to the exhibition’s themes of resilience, solitude, and identity that align with the role of mental health in dionna’s creative process.

shanina’s diverse career spans painting, expressive movement, installation, photography, glasswork, metalwork, and filmmaking investigating their own mental health journey. Rooted in alignment, their intentional partnerships over the years have included the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, the Barnes Foundation, Penn Museum, the Philadelphia System of Care, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; as well as national brands like LIFEWTR and universities including Moore College of Art & Design. In 2018, shanina was one of 20 artists worldwide to receive the inaugural Dean Collection 20 grant from Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, and in 2023, became a Black Artist Fellow with Mural Arts Philadelphia. Recognized by Philadelphia Magazine for “creating a positive space for mental health conversations,” shanina holds a degree from Temple University and is currently pursuing a master’s in Art Therapy & Counseling at Drexel University. Their painting entitled, “Wrinkle in Time” is now permanently installed at The Colored Girls Museum in Germantown.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (temporary project).