JILL WELLS, BFA, CADC

VISUAL ARTIST | ADVOCATE | MENTOR

Iowa based artist Jill Wells is best known for her
dynamic and colorful narrative paintings
investigating race, history, stereotypes, accessibility
and human experiences. Born 1980, in Des Moines,
Iowa, Wells was raised in Indianola, Iowa.
She studied at Drake University (BFA 2005). An
award-winning artist, Wells has been in practice
for more than 20 years, with public and private
works in Iowa, California, Mississippi, Arizona and
New Orleans. Her artwork is represented in the

permanent collections of: The Center of Afro-
futurist Studies at Public Space One, The City of

Iowa City and The University of Iowa,
Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families,
Disability Rights Iowa, Iowa Lutheran Hospital,
The Annette Nature Center, Blank Park Zoo, Polk
County Jail (west wing) and Creative Visions
Human Development Center.

In 2021 Wells was the recipient of the Iowa Arts &
Culture Resilience Grant for the development of
her mentorship program, Artist X Advocacy [A.X.A].
Additionally in 2021, Wells was selected for ARTIST
Inc. Fellowship and was a TEDx speaker on the
powerful impact of public works of art. In 2020,
Lavender and Lime profiled Wells in an online
published portrait manifesto series, Black Lives
Matter Portrait Manifesto and gained a fellowship
in the Iowa Creative Incubator at Mainframe
Studios. Currently Jill Wells serves on the Board of
Directors for The After School Arts Program and
works as a full-time Artist.