Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper-cut and silhouette designer from Richmond, VA. She graduated from VCU with a BFA in Fashion Design and was a children's wear designer for 12 years. While designing, she found interest in paper cutting after being presented with an opportunity to display other artistic talents during a company show-and-tell presentation.
Through the simplicity of paper, Janelle creates images that showcase African Americans' courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. In addition, her work explores Black culture, history, identity, family, and feminine beauty themes.
She has commissioned silhouettes housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and art installations at the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond. In addition, Janelle's silhouettes have been published in Oprah magazine's September 2020 issue for the #SayHerName campaign featuring Breonna Taylor. She was also interviewed and featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper by the 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Michael Paul Williams. In 2022, Janelle gave the December VCU Arts commencement address to the graduating School of the Arts class.
Janelle debuted as a picture book illustrator, winning the 2023 Caldecott Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for Choosing Brave. Her first author-illustrator book, Heart of the Home, will come out in the Fall of 2026. Janelle lives and works with her husband in her hometown, Richmond, Virginia. She enjoys reading sci-fi and fiction books from the library and researching new paper-cut ideas.