Ashley Catharine Smith is a Philadelphia-based artist working in photography, video, and fibers. Through the combination of these mediums, she creates visceral representations of the complexity of intimacy in its many forms. Her work is driven by her desire to understand how feeling rules and gender roles affect our interpersonal relationships and sense of self. It also aims to construct moments of closeness with the subjects of her photographs through their printed image.
Smith earned her MFA in Photography, Video & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States at the Griffin Museum of Photography (2025), Philadelphia’s City Hall (2024), the National Liberty Museum (2020), and the Delaware Art Museum (2018) among others. From 2021 through 2022 her work was part of the group exhibition, Textile Art of Today, which traveled to museums in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. She is currently Photography Program Head at Moore College of Art & Design. A selection of her works can be purchased through Paradigm Gallery + Studio.
CURRENT & UPCOMING
Artist-in-residence
Art Quarter Budapest, Budapest, HUNGARY
Summer 2026
Take Care (of Us)
CFEVA, 3600 Market St, Philadelphia, PA
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 16, 5-7 PM
July 16 – September 4, 2026
Evolving Freedoms
Maguire Art Museum, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA
September 2 – December 13, 2026
