Jessica Tefft

Jessica Tefft is an artist, photographer, and local nonprofit leader. Through her work, she explores trauma and healing, using art as a language through which personal and collective histories can be told, remembered, and sometimes reimagined with better endings.



As a photojournalist in Washington, D.C., Tefft’s assignments took her from Cuba and the Alaskan wilderness to the presidential campaign trail. She assembled and edited a Pulitzer Prize entry for coverage of the D.C. sniper attacks that was named a finalist in the competition. Her work has been widely exhibited and recognized with numerous awards.

Tefft holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Wake Forest University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the founder of The Art SHAC, where she cultivates an inclusive space for artists of all backgrounds to connect and create. She also serves as Campaign and Projects Officer for Creative Corridors Coalition, advancing artful public green spaces that connect communities.

She lives in Winston-Salem with her husband, two children and two poorly behaved dogs.