Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Ross.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Jasmine Ross, and I am an artist based between Oakland and Los Angeles. I am a recent Yale graduate (‘25) with a degree in both Ethics, Politics, and Economics and Art (Photography). I currently work as a Part-Time Gallery Associate at SF Camerawork, a nonprofit photography organization, while learning the business of art and producing my first solo exhibition, Beauty Plus, opening at Sunset House LA on November 8th. During my undergraduate time, I explored a wide range of professional experiences—from working as an Environmental and Social Governance Intern at Deloitte to interning in the Creative Arts Department at Oscar de la Renta. Though these roles varied vastly, they each deepened my understanding of how art and commerce intersect. Ultimately, they helped me realize that pursuing life as a fine artist allows me to bridge those worlds most authentically—bringing both business insight and creative intention into my practice.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This has definitely not been a smooth road. Not even a month out of college, I was offered my first solo exhibition at a gallery in Chelsea, New York, which I humbly accepted. After working on the project for nearly two months, the gallery informed me that they no longer had the promised $10,000 budget and that if I wanted to produce the show, I would need to fund it myself. This was devastating, especially because the person who had offered me the show was deeply connected to my personal community—a hard lesson in how connections and networks don’t always guarantee integrity or follow-through. I also learned that as an artist, even the most enthusiastic verbal agreements must be put in writing.
After spending nearly $6,000 of my own funds—money I had expected to be reimbursed for—I was disheartened, but I refused to let the experience define me. Instead, I asked myself: how can I still be a creator in this moment? That question became the foundation for my next step. I launched a print presale, reaching out to my community and inviting them to invest in this next stage of my artistic journey. Through that process, I learned that asking for support or promoting your own work is not something to be ashamed of—it’s an act of courage and self-belief. The response was overwhelming: I sold 19 prints, raising enough funds to self-produce my show, taking place this November 8th at the historic Sunset House LA on Sunset Boulevard.
Looking back, I now see that initial negative gallery experience as something transformative. It allowed me the space to recognize that if others could see me as a fine artist, then I could finally see it for myself too. In a way, that moment of disappointment gave me the push I needed—to claim my identity as an artist not because someone else offered me the opportunity, but because I chose to believe in it for myself.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself a fine-arts documentary photographer. My most recent body of work commemorates the second Black-owned Beauty Supply in New Haven, Connecticut, that served as a community pillar for over 30 years. For 2.5 months, I returned weekly, sometimes daily, with my 4 x 5 film camera, to capture the store’s final chapter. In this, I wanted to ensure that owner, Mel, who had been a part of the first Black-owned Beauty store in the city, Unique Boutique, for 24 years prior, received her flowers within her lifetime.
Through fictive kinship, I engage with the stories of my ancestors, and those within their generations – uncovering the universal histories and narratives embedded within the social fabric of Black individuals, particularly the women and matriarchs I have come to know.
I think I am most proud of my dedication to really capturing the most authentic versions of the people I photograph, by following an ideology rooted in collaboration with my photographic subjects. . My work is also informed by what Audre Lorde terms “a biomythographic approach” or the concept of combining biography, mythology, and truth to express identity through the materials of everyday life. While I don’t believe that my photography fabricates reality, I do believe that this work goes beyond the factual, blurring the lines between collective, intergenerational memory, cinematic gesture, and raw documentation – reconstructing not what was mythic, but what was unspoken.
Additionally, I pride myself on working primarily with medium and large format cameras. I embrace the slow, deliberate nature of using these devices, allowing me to pause and truly see the unseen. The heavy equipment, the ritual of throwing a dark cloth over my head to view an inverted image on the ground glass—all of it demands patience and presence. In a digital-first age where images can be made and shared instantly, this process reminds me to slow down, to value intention over immediacy. While working with film can be financially precious and time-consuming, it teaches me to treat each frame as something meaningful—to approach my practice with care, gratitude, and respect for the craft.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
There are a few qualities I hold close because I know they’re what keep me moving forward: my tenacity, creativity, resourcefulness, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to collaborate and lean into my community. These traits sit at the heart of my growth as both an artist and a person. Without that mix of persistence and creative problem-solving, I don’t think I would have been able to produce my first solo exhibition.
That same mindset has guided me as I now partner with brands like PATTERN, ILIA, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and others —exploring how creative collaboration can expand my photographic community while also strengthening the business side of my work. My goal is to ensure that my exhibition isn’t just an opening, but an experience that brings people together through art.
Most importantly, I’ve learned that vulnerability is a form of strength. By being honest with my community about losing that initial funding—and by allowing myself to ask for support—I was met with generosity and belief that continue to sustain me today.
Pricing:
- Please reach out to [email protected] for all print inquiries.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jasminereneeross.com
- Instagram: jassyrennee
- Facebook: jassyrennee
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-ross-7036b8167/
- Other: https://beauty-plus-exhibition-opening.eventbrite.com
Image Credits
Jasmine Ross
All images are copyrighted unless otherwise stated.
