our collective counsel
Sibyls Shrine began in 2019 as a visionary project led by artist Alisha B Wormsley. Developed with administrative support from the program's Administrative Director Jessica Gaynelle Moss, who has over 12 years experience with artists residency programs, and Community Artist Liaison Naomi Chambers, a Pittsburgh-native who has had an extensive visual arts career, Wormsley brought this dream to life.
Wormsley, Moss and Chambers are all Black artists who m/other with rigorous creative practices and Pittsburgh-roots. With additional support from our administrative assistant, our digitial media intern and our organizational partners, Shiftworks Community + Public Arts, our team is here to serve you.
Alisha B Wormsley
Founder + Creative Director
Alisha B Wormsley is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural producer. Her work is about collective memory and the synchronicity of time, specifically through the stories of women of color. Wormsley’s work has been honored and supported with a number of awards and grants to support projects: The People Are The Light, afronaut(a) film and performance series, Homewood Artist Residency (recipient of the mayor’s public art award), the Children of NAN video art series, There Are Black People in the Future body of work. These projects and works have exhibited widely, including at the Andy Warhol Museum, Octavia Butler conference at Spelman University, Carnegie Museum of Art, Johannesburg SA, HTMLES in Montreal, Project Row House, the Houston Art League, Rush Art gallery in NY, and the Charles Wright museum in Detroit.
In the last few years her work in public art installation has grown with her design of art in several parks, afronaut(a) film series in public spaces, and Streaming Space, a 24-foot tall pyramid with video and sound installed in Pittsburgh's downtown Market Square. Wormsley has an MFA in Film and Video from Bard College and was recently awarded the Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University.
Photo credit: Njaimeh Njie
Jessica Gaynelle Moss
Managing Director + Curator
Jessica Gaynelle Moss (b. 1987) is an artist, independent curator, custodian of Black art, and consultant to institutions and private clients. She has an extensive background in program management, production and fabrication, nonprofit leadership, grant writing, community engagement and education. Jessica is committed to developing innovative, ethical and responsible solutions that advance the lives and work of black queer trans indigenous people of color women m/other and elder artists.
As an arts worker and consultant, Jessica has experience with a diverse roster of institutions including The Joan Mitchell Center, The City of Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowment, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, The National Portrait Gallery, The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture, The Center for Craft, Rebuild Foundation and DreamWorks Animation.
Jessica received a bachelors in Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon University in 2009; a masters in Arts Administration, Policy and Management from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015; and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2018.
Photo credit: Njaimeh Njie
McKenzie Grant-Gordon
Administrative Assistant
McKenzie is a Jamaican-American artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised in Maryland, McKenzie is a passionate and driven artist whose practice is rooted in liberation and love. Her work explores a sense of nostalgia infused with fantasies of the future by speaking to notions of heritage, community, and transformation. McKenzie’s art practice embraces a soulful vibrancy and beauty in the multiplicity of Black thought, identities, and experiences. She hopes her imagery cultivates space for herself and others to be reflected, respected, and empowered for generations to come. McKenzie Grant-Gordon lives/works: Brooklyn, NY | Education: Howard University, Washington, DC | Selected Exhibitions: Black Cherry, Brooklyn, NY, 2023; Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC, 2022
Photo credit: McKenzie Grant-Gordon
Shawna Carter
Digital Marketing Intern
Shawna is a rising entrepreneur balancing the requirements of her business with the responsibilities of motherhood...AND EMBRACING IT! She aims to inspire women to find power in femininity and support each other while rising to the fullest potential.
As a woman of color, Shawna Carter strived to find a safe space to allow her creativity to blossom. She found her home in various cohorts hosted in her home town of Pittsburgh, PA. One of the organizations, When She Thrives, provided a program aimed at helping single mothers recognize their full potential as well as Shawna's first opportunity to make a difference in her community. Following 10 months of preparation, she achieved the honor of the S.O.A.R.(Successfully Overcoming Adversity with Resilience) Pitch Competition Winner for her initiative to help women and mothers achieve overall wellness through her self help journal, the Back To You Booklet. The self-help journal was met with support from individuals who identified with her vision leading to the booklet’s main component, a village of support for users, becoming a brand of its own and in late 2024, Back To You Branding LLC was created.
In addition to being a small business owner, Shawna also provides a variety of services to her clients, including modeling, social media management and editorial writing. She has also maintained full-time employment with Progressive Insurance for 7 consecutive years.
Photo credit: Shawna Carter
Thank you to our partners, supporters and funders.
The Office of Public Art at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
The Office of Public Art provides additional support as the Sibyls Shrine collaborating organization. Working mothers make up the entirety of the project team.
Thank you to our Funders:
The Heinz Endowments
POISE Foundation
Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE)
The Ford Foundation
The Opportunity Fund
The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Office for Public Art
Neighborhood Allies
Arts, Equity, & Education Fund