Ashton Phillips

Ashton Phillips is a Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, affiliated with Creative Action and Interdisciplinary Studies. He is a socially and ecologically engaged artist and writer who prioritizes collaboration, play, and embodied research in his trauma-informed teaching.

• MFA in Studio Art, Maryland Institute College of Art
• JD, George Washington University Law School
• BA, University of Maryland, College Park
• Post-Bac, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art

Phillips works with materials like dirt, water, pollution, and plasticity, exploring interspecies agents of (dis)repair. His practice integrates ecological and trans praxis, maintaining a living colony of polystyrene-metabolizing beetles and a plastic-fertilized garden. Recent exhibitions include: solo shows at Tiger Strikes Asteroid (LA), Torrance Art Museum, and Maryland Institute College of Art. His work has been published in Antennae - The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture and Trans Studies Quarterly.

He serves as a creative consultant and trauma-informed art teacher for survivors of adverse childhood experiences at the SHARK Clinic and curates at Monte Vista Projects. His residency at Angels Gate Cultural Center underscores his commitment to trans ecological praxis.