Gloria Davis
Gloria Gammage Davis is a mixed-media artist who first recognized her artistic abilities in elementary school. She was inspired by carving a lamb from a bar of soap and by observing her seamstress aunts as they created clothing. As she made doll clothes alongside them, they shared sewing tips and techniques, nurturing what would become her first artistic skill. This early encouragement sparked a lifelong desire to explore a wide range of artistic techniques and ultimately led her to earn a BFA from Cheyney University.
During this time, Davis also studied at institutions such as Fleisher Art Memorial and Schuylkill Academy and trained with master artists. Art was—and continues to be—her therapy. As an educator, she encourages students to create work that inspires continued engagement long after class has ended.
Her story quilts, created with scrap fabrics, photographic images, found objects, and embroidery, have been published in We Are the Story, Black Pioneers, The Calling, and As Long As I Have Breath in My Body. Her work has been exhibited at the African American Museum in Detroit, Philadelphia City Hall, North Carolina City Hall, the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, the Textile Center, the James Museum, the Colored Girls Museum, Moody Gallery, and other venues. She has participated in several recent solo and group exhibitions and has been featured by ABC News, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Germantown Courier, and Wolf Nation.
As a dedicated teaching artist, Davis has taught at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Johnson House, Wynnefield Residents Association, the Nile Swim Club, Germantown Friends School, Emelen Elementary School, Fleisher Art Memorial, and Peters Valley School of Craft.