Zsudayka Nzinga

local-artist-in-residence / January 20 – September 22, 2027

Zsudayka Nzinga is a fine artist, curator, and educator from Aurora, CO, currently residing in Washington, DC. Her research-based practices explore American history and the impact of textile labor. 

Nzinga began her career as a spoken word artist. She created an art festival in her hometown and began exploring visual art.  She taught art for over 20 years in diverse classroom settings, created art programs for nonprofits, and developed educator training initiatives focused on neuroaesthetics and classroom practices. She earned her MFA in painting from MICA in 2025.

Nzinga’s artwork has been showcased in museums such as the Gregory Allicar Museum, The Phillips Collection, Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, and the National Liberty Museum. She has multiple permanent works with the National Institute of Health, including an installation, and paintings acquired and commissioned by the National Human and Civil Rights Museum and the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.  Her works have been placed in law firms, investment agencies, banks, and schools around the country, and have been shown at U.S. embassies worldwide. She was voted one of the best in show at the AAKA Fair in Paris in 2024 and showed at SCOPE for Miami Art Week and the Ferrari Art Fair in 2025.  

She is a mother of three and the wife of artist James Stephen Terrell.

Learn more about Zsudayka’s work at https://www.terrellartsdc.com/

Interested in becoming our next artist-in-residence?