Ashlee Phillips is a passionate Social Art Activist and Cultural Curator that implements her organizational and leadership skills to assist others in the learning of social justice by building cultural and creative equity. A native of Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood, Ashlee has grown from her humble roots and branched out into collaborations with major art institutions like the Speed Art Museum to bring forth her vision of multi-disciplinary art that impacts her community. In 2021, Ashlee launched a photography project entitled, “Creatives You Meet Along the Way: A West End Love Story In The Making”, which celebrated a diverse group of creatives from the 9 neighborhoods of Louisville’s West End. Ashlee was honored to become a Community Connections Artist in Residence with the Speed Art Museum. This allowed Ashlee to offer free mental health workshops throughout the community, through her “Mental Health Minute” series. Her work with the Speed Art Museum culminated in an installation entitled, “Can I Grow: The Metamorphosis of The Black Woman”, which recreated a multi-generational Black “living room” where visitors could experience the trauma, healing, and growth process of a young Black woman. Currently, Ashlee is a mentor of the inaugural cohort for the Black Film Institute at Simmons College of Kentucky, an HBCU. Going forward, Ashlee hopes to create work that goes beyond the bounds of disciplinary definition, into the iconic and institutional impact that shifts the trajectory of her people.