Monica J. Beasley is a mixed-media artist and art educator currently serving as a teaching artist at the Mobile Museum of Art. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from Northwestern University in 2002 and has since developed a dual career in art and education. As a practicing artist, Beasley’s work blends collage and mixed media to explore themes rooted in Southern identity and feminine strength. Her vibrant creations have been showcased in venues like the Mobile Museum of Art, which hosted her solo exhibition Feminism and Magical Thinking in 2018–2019 For over two decades, Beasley taught visual art in Mobile’s public schools, including a long tenure at Old Shell Road School of Creative and Performing Arts. There she inspired a generation of young artists, becoming a role model for creative youth. Her excellence as an educator was recognized when she was named Alabama’s Elementary Art Educator of the Year in 2023. Reflecting on her impact, Beasley says, “When I was a child, I didn’t know I could be an artist, now my students say they want to be an artist when they grow up because they see me and know it is possible.” In her current role, she continues to nurture creativity in her community through both her teaching and her artistic practice, effectively bridging her roles as an educator and a professional artist.