
Jerise is a paper artist, calligrapher, designer and teacher who lives and works in New York City. Jerise’s artwork ranges from large triptych papercut designs to wedding artwork to small graphics and artist trading cards. Jerise is an artist and teacher based in Washington Heights, in uptown Manhattan, since 1988, on and off — and has lived in Illinois, West Virginia, Nebraska, Michigan, Massachusetts, and overseas in Germany and the UK. J works by hand, sketching, papercutting, lettering in ink, and painting. J’s artwork is inspired by everyday places, people, & moments—and also heroes, literature, and imagination. J studied drawing under Mr. “Clay” Klewiada in high school in South Jersey, Elliot Offner at Smith College, and Bone of Bare Bone Studios in Lansing, Michigan, and screenprinting and Japanese woodblock printing at School of Visual Arts in NYC.

J teaches art to kids of all ages whenever possible, including with Artistic Dreams International and The Creative Center at University Settlement, as well as Montclair Public Library. J is also an adjunct professor in Classics and teaches courses in Ancient Civilization and Humanities at Montclair State University, in NJ.
Projects
- collaborating with Open Streets NYC; offered arts & crafts in my neighborhood, summer 2024

- designing and co-leading a team of artists together with Isabel Lara and Lillian Alonzo-Marin to complete a mural for La Posada del Buen Samaritano, a women’s shelter and recovery house in Hermosillo, México (summer 2024; http://posadadelbuensamaritano.com/)
- collaborating as poet, artist and plant walk leader with Rishauna Zumberg & her dance, music and poetry troupe on a celebration of local plants, “Flourish! / ¡Florecer!” in J. Hood Park, uptown Manhattan, April 2024 (https://plantas.jerise.com/)
- composing and performing music for Diane Arnson Svarlien’s translation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata at the 2024 meeting of the Society for Classical Studies in Chicago, Illinois (January 2024, https://www.archaeological.org/ )
Shows

- “Light and Shadow,” Guild of American Papercutters show of papercut artwork, Oct 28 2024 to Jan 8 2025, John O’Lague Gallería, in Hayward City Hall, Hayward, California
- “Paper Trails,” Guild of American Papercutters show of papercut artwork at View Arts Center in Old Forge, NY (June-August 2024; https://www.viewarts.org/)
- “A Celebration of Light: A Celebration of Humanity,” curated group art exhibit at Kota Alliance, Dec 13 2023 to Jan 10 2024 (https://www.kota-alliance.org/pastevents)
- Heights Perspective Collective, “Uptown Perspectives,” organized and received grant for group show of uptown visual artists portraying Washington Heights and Inwood places, in Recirculation (Bookshop and Community Center), New York, NY, fall and winter 2022-2023;
- Fireflies Studio 2nd Floor Art Gallery, Long Island, “Works on Paper” (Aug-Sept 2021);
- Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery, “Representation Matters; I See Me” (Summer 2020);
- Guild of American Papercutters National Museum, “Ex Libris” (Fall 2020 – 2021);
- Comics in the Time of Covid, Class Show at Word Up Community Bookshop (NYC), Instructor Ellen Lindner (Summer 2020).