I’ve been at NIAD for about 30 years and I want to go down in NIAD history. NIAD is a nice quiet place to work at and you can choose your materials and teachers. You can focus on your art. Andres Cisneros-Galindo is like a father at NIAD. Andres is a cool teacher who asks me to do prints in his class. Me and him know about history at NIAD. 

I think I am a painter and a drawer. I love all materials but pencils and crayons are my favorites. I love putting flowers and suns in the background of my drawings.

Wrestling and Seth Rollins are a big influence for me. In wrestling you can see about their clothes and their style which I like. I like all kinds of jewelry too. I love how you can make it, wear it on your wrist or your neck. I just love jewelry. I used to make hanging pieces in fiber arts way back at NIAD, years ago. 

I love printmaking because you can do all different kinds of colors and it’s fun to work with different teachers. I love getting my hands dirty in clay and doing my wrestling sculptures. When you have your break you can go outside and sit in the garden at NIAD.

 // Deatra’s available work //

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recent exhibition history

A Year Through the Windows // A Retrospective of NIAD’s 2021 Windows Exhibitions // December 2021

Faces in the Crowd, selected by Elizabeth Lalley // NIAD Online Exhibition // December 2020

Through My Eyes// organized By Scott Hewicker and Cliff Hengst NIAD Art Center 2020

Championship Belt // organized by Deatra Colbert and Ann Meade Mule Gallery San Francisco 2019

Hailing From Parts Unknown // organized By Curtis Turner May 2019 

Books, Man // organized by Mike Monteiro NIAD Art Center 2019

Redefining Contemporary Art // organized by Courtney Eldridge Depot Steamboat Springs 2019

Disability Changemakers // (traveling exhibition) San Mateo, San Francisco and San Jose County public libraries 2019-2020

Collective Memory: NIAD // organized by Hannah Mode February 2019

Together // organized by Laurie Reid NIAD Art Center December 2018

Talking Heads: Figuration From Northern California Ceramicists // Curated organized by Susan Alexander and NIAD Art Center Museum of Northern California Art (monca) Chico 2018

Exquisite Corpse: CG x CE x NIAD // NIAD Art Center November 2018

Give A Little Take A Little: Real Time & Space at NIAD // organized By Lexa Walsh NIAD Art Center 2018

The Witnesses // organized by Cliff Hengst and Scott Hewicker NIAD Art Center 2017

Affinity // organized by Tim Buckwalter Museum of Northern California Art Chico 2017

The Fourth Dimension, organized by Marja Galpin van der Loo // NIAD Art Center 2017

Handbills // NIAD Art Center 2017

Word Play // organized by Kate Klingbeil NIAD Art Center 2017

Transformation // Walt Disney Family Museum San Francisco 2016

Can You Dig It: The Drawings Of Deatra Colbert // NIAD Art Center 2015

Absence of Deliberate Silence // organized by Lacey Haslam NIAD Art Center 2015

Telling It Slant // organized by Courtney Eldridge Richmond Art Center 2015

The Wild Bunch // NIAD Art Center 2014

Ebony + Ivory // organized by Katie Johnson NIAD Art Center 2014

Yes To The Dress Pop-Up Shop // organized by Peter Gravener NIAD Art Center 2013

Spring Training // NIAD Art Center 2013 

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