Ali Syverson is a visual artist and writer, originally from Minnesota and most recently living in Washington, DC. She is a self-taught visual artist and works in a variety of mediums but is currently specializing in acrylic paint, with both abstract and realistic subjects. Ali aims to evoke nostalgia and reverence for the natural world in much of her visual art as a way to inspire conservation, action, and stewardship. For her writing practice, she has researched and published articles on climate and environmental issues in the Pacific Islands, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, which she completed while working as a writer for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Ali's job at USAID was terminated at the beginning of 2025 with the change of presidential administration, so she is now pursuing opportunities to continue communicating about the impacts of climate change and broader activism efforts through visual arts and storytelling. Ali has shown her artwork in galleries in solo and group showings in Washington DC, New York City, Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia, Connecticut, and Minnesota; and received a climate justice art residency at the Foundation House in Connecticut. Ali holds a Bachelors in Journalism from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters in Public Policy Administration from Northwestern University, and her work can be found at @alisyversonart on instagram.
Upcoming showings:
Group Showing “A Persistent Nature: An ImagineEarth Art Exhibition” at Poplar Grove in DC, April 2025
Featured Artist at “The Unraveling of USAID: A Future Without Foreign Assistance” at Warehouse Arts District, St. Petersburg, FL
Current showings:
Group Showing “The Opening” at 600T in DC, April-June 2025
“You’re Fired” Community Showcase, Relative Positions, April 2025
Group Showing “Expressions of Community” at Hera Hub, Jan 2025-May 2024
Previous showings, residencies, and classes:
Group Showing SHE:DC, Shop Made in DC, March 2025
Foundation House Art Residency, Greenwich Connecticut, March 2025
Wearable art for sale at Metro Club Vintage, December 2023-March2025
Group showing “Golden Hours, Golden Moments” at Hera Hub, Sept 2024-Jan 2025
Group showing at Gallery Y “From the Earth to the Sky” @ YMCA Bowen, May 8-June 28
SHEDC Group Showing, Shop Made in DC, March 7-30 2024
Solo exhibition at Tryst Coffeehouse, Feb 1-29 2024
Solo exhibition at Hood College, sponsored by Mobilize Frederick’s Climate Summit, Jan 15-Feb 9 2024
Group showing at DC Bouldering Project, April 2023-Jan 2024
Group showing at Temple of Mother Earth DC, April 2023-Jan 2024
Silent Auction @ Hope Multiplied Reception Virginia, May 2023
Pointillism art class with Hope Multiplied @ Guston Middle School Virginia, March 2023
Group showing “Waves of Joy” @ YMCA Bowen art gallery DC, Dec 2022 - Feb 2023
Group showing @ Philz coffee Adams Morgan DC, Sept 2022 - Jan 2023
Group showing “Art for Gifting” @ Jo Fleming Contemporary Art gallery Annapolis Maryland, Dec 2022
Group showing “Fall Show” @ Bluebird Sky Yoga Brookland DC, August-Oct 2022
Group showing @ NBHD Brulee Harlem NYC, July-Sept 2022
Group showing @ Hole in the Sky DC, Feb 2022
Group showing @ Reverie Madison, June 2015
1st place award @ MN state fair, August 2007
Press:
Climate publications:
2024: Preparing the Pacific Islands - Suva, Fiji
2024: A Paradise Without Plastics - Suva, Fiji
2024: The Power of Community - Wa, Ghana
2024: Cleaning Up Cables - Multan, Pakistan
2024: Still Standing - Sindh Province, Pakistan
2024: Zahraa Breaks Barriers - Egypt
2023: Powering the Philippines with Renewable Energy Auctions - Philippines
2023: Shifting Gears - Islamabad & Lahore, Pakistan
2023: Making Power Smarter in Pakistan - Multan, Pakistan
2023: 3 Ways USAID Has Helped Transform Power in Pakistan - Pakistan
2023: How USAID Nepal Used Artificial Lungs to Show the Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health - Nepal
2022: Livelihoods Powered by Plastic Waste Collection - Manila, Philippines
2022: Climate Change, IUU & Geopolitics: A Triple Threat to Livelihoods in the Philippines - Philippines
contact ali
interested in a commission? email ali with a general idea of what you’re looking for and she will follow up with more information.
or, just drop a note to say hi. thanks!