Jessie McClanahan hails from Southern West Virginia. Growing up in forests and coalfields that surrounded her hometown, she learned to live in harmony with nature and other creatures she shared space with. This influence of vehement protection for the environment and its careless destruction by industry is the driving force behind her creative practice. Her work showcases the horizontal dialogues happening between geography, culture and economy. Jessie finds inspiration in Appalachian folkways, the beauty of its landscapes, and the connections that integrate the cultural and the natural together.
 
McClanahan is currently an MFA candidate at Syracuse University with a BA from West Virginia State University. She was an artist-in-residence at Taylor Books, Tamarack Foundation Emerging Artists Fellow, exhibited at Governors Island, solo exhibitor in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and most recently is a co-curator for of a portfolio at SGCI.