Boldly painted. Joyfully feminist.

Gwenn Seemel with their Kirk Reeves mural in Portland, Oregon, with their genderqueer maned lioness painting, and with the First Continental Congress artwork for 52 Weeks of Firsts in Philadelphia — photos of Gwenn in 2014, 2025, and 2026

Hi! I’m Gwenn Seemel.

Since 2003, I’ve been making brightly colored paintings that are both playful and intense. I release all my work directly into the public domain, free for use by anybody for any reason. Because of that unusual choice, I was invited to give a TEDx talk in Switzerland.

You won’t find my art on social media, but it has appeared in Newsweek as well as on the cover of an Oxford University Press book. I live in Lambertville, New Jersey, and I received a 2026 Fellowship from the NJ State Council on the Arts.

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52 Weeks of Firsts sculpture: First Zoo by American artist Gwenn Seemel — Gwenn Seemel’s *First Zoo*

Working with Mural Arts Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center, and Historic Philadelphia!

This painted sculpture of the #1 is part of 52 Weeks of Firsts, a public art exhibition that’s on display throughout the US’s first capital in 2026. Use this interactive map to plan your art tour and celebrate the city on any given Saturday this year at special firstivals.

My art will be the focus on May 30^th at the Independence Seaport Museum, August 8^th at the Zoo, and September 12^th at Carpenters’ Hall. Learn more about my work for the project here!