Mygenet Tesfaye Harris is an Ethio-African American Artist and Educator who is an inter- and multi-disciplinary artist. Her artistic journey flourished with her undergraduate/graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her imagery is based on her story of migration, adaption, and motherhood fueled by her birthplace of Ethiopia and her Eritrean bloodline. She came to the US as a child to escape the war in Ethiopia. Her work embraces her story and the plea of mothers to protect their children from war, death, and suffering. The Ethiopian phrase "Wax and Gold" is a metaphor that signifies hidden deeper meanings below the surface. Mygenet continues to dig below the surface in her art practice to amplify and reflect on Mothers' sacrifices. The question, “How many mothers did it take for my existence? Mygenet is a proud mother and a recent bird-birth launcher. Her ocean of inspiration are her two brilliant daughters, who are part of the growth and practice of her work.
Mygenet has been a productive and prolific visual artist & educator for over thirty years and has an extensive list of exhibitions and awards, including being named a “Local Hero” by Congressman Jamie Raskin. Mygenet is a US Presidential Scholar in the arts, one of two artists chosen by the White House Commission for the Arts & The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. She received this award During President Clinton's Era. Her most important work at MICA was her curatorial apprenticeship with Curator George Ciscle for the influential community exhibition of Elizabeth Talford Scott quilts and fiberworks. Mygenet has showcased her work at MICA, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art Smithsonian, and many Galleries in the DMV Compass Art Center, Glenview Mansion, and Yellow Barn Studios, Artomatic, to name a few. These exhibitions have provided her a platform to share her artistic voice and collaborate with fellow artists. For 26 years, Mygenet has dedicated herself to teaching emerging artists in the DMV. As a co-coordinator and instructor for the MCPS Visual Art Center at Albert Einstein High School, she fosters aspiring young artists' growth and artistic development.
