ReSOURCE
Artists
Espi Frazier
Espi Frazier (b.1951) is a visual artist and art instructor born in Chicago and currently based in Baltimore whose work has been exhibited nationally since the early 1970s. Initially drawn to fashion design, she graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA in Drawing/Fashion Illustration in 1981, and received an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1995. She is a three-time recipient of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events grants and has received the Phillip Morris Fellowship as well as Baltimore’s School 33 Mural Grant. For nearly 30 years, Frazier served as Middle School art instructor at the Friends School of Baltimore. Her work praises the inherent beauty of Black women, explores themes related to divinity and femininity, and celebrates the lifelong journey for understanding across cultural boundaries. Frazier is widely recognized for her patented “wood graphics,” a process in which she stains relief wood carvings with ink. She often incorporates mosaic designs and other found objects in these large-scale works.