Debra Priestly is a visual artist exploring themes of memory, ancestry, history and cultural preservation. Her work has been widely exhibited and is represented by June Kelly Gallery in New York City. Collections include the Albany Institute of History and Art, Francis Greenburger Collection, Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts, Petrucci Family Foundation, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The Sandor Family Collection. Awards include two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships in Painting, Art Omi Residency, The Marie Walsh Sharpe’s The Space Program Residency and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Studio Immersion Project Fellowship. She holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and a BFA from The Ohio State University. Priestly lives and works in New York City and Upstate New York and is a Professor in the Art Department at Queens College, City University of New York.