Dion J. Pollard (DionJa'Y)

Visual Artist | Painter | Mixed Media Artist

Professional Name: DionJa'Y

Business: The Art of DionJa'Y LLC

Studio: Home Studio

Based in the United States

 

EDUCATION

Academy of Art University

Independent Fine Arts Study
Painting, Mixed Media, and Visual Storytelling

Self-Directed Studio Practice

 

 

PROFILE

Dion J. Pollard, professionally known as DionJa'Y, is a contemporary American visual artist whose work explores themes of African diasporic heritage, cultural identity, music, ancestry, spirituality, and storytelling. Working primarily in painting and mixed media, DionJa'Y blends figurative realism with symbolic abstraction, often incorporating African visual motifs, layered textures, and expressive color palettes.

His work functions as both cultural preservation and contemporary narrative, reimagining historical figures, everyday life, and spiritual symbolism through a modern artistic lens. DionJa'Y’s paintings frequently celebrate the resilience, beauty, and complexity of Black cultural experience while honoring ancestral memory and legacy.

Through exhibitions, festivals, and gallery representation, his work has been shown in cultural institutions and art events throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

 

 

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is rooted in storytelling.

Through painting and mixed media, I explore the cultural threads that connect the past to the present within the African diaspora. My art often draws from ancestral symbolism, music, spiritual imagery, and everyday moments that hold deeper meaning within Black culture.

Many of my pieces are visual narratives—portraits of resilience, celebration, and reflection. I frequently incorporate African motifs, color symbolism, and textured surfaces to create layers that represent both memory and history.

My goal as an artist is to create work that resonates emotionally while honoring cultural heritage and identity. Each painting becomes a conversation between the past, present, and future.

 

GALLERY REPRESENTATION

Arts'tination Gallery-Resident Artist

Wellspring Manor & Spa Fine Art Collection

 

Art Shows and Festivals

Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival

Harlem Fine Art Show

Takoma Family Festival

BowieFest

Richmond Jazz Festival

The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival

Savor Bowie Spring Food, Wine and Music Festival

Delta National Convention

 

 

Art Exhibitions

Creative Black Baltimore, Baltimore Times

Harriet Tubman: A taste of freedom at the Harriet Tubman Center

Sebrof Forbes Cultural Arts Center

1. Celebrating Black Mermaids from Africa to America exhibition

2. Simply Blacktastic exhibition

Black Art Today Inc.

1. KUUMBA V — Sankofa: The Art of Remembrance at Tysons Neiman Marcus Galleria

2. Turning Tides: Action, Resilience, and the Mental Landscapes of Black and Brown Voices

3. The Art Factory "Free to Be Me" art exhibit

Notable Collectors

• Harlem Fine Arts Show Collection

• The Herb Gray Collection

• Roland Martin & Jacquie Hood Martin

•Tracie Braxton

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Arts'tination Gallery – Resident Artist

Black Art Today Inc. – Exhibiting Artist

Harlem Fine Arts Show

PG COUNTY ARTS AND HUMANITY COUNCIL