Jessica McDermott is a photographic artist and art facilitator.
Storytelling is at the heart of her creative practice.
She uses a mix of costumes and props to create performative portraits and takes inspiration from Renaissance painting by embedding symbolic objects and motifs into her images.
As a facilitator, she designs workshops and resources that give young people the tools to access their creativity and produce their own imaginative stories.
She was a Photographer on Steve McQueen Year 3, an art work comprising 3,128 class portraits of 7- and 8-year-olds by Turner Prize and Oscar-winning artist Steve McQueen, exhibited at Tate Britain until January 2021. She has worked with a number of organisations including the National Portrait Gallery, A New Direction, Scottish Opera, and The Photographers’ Gallery.
She is also the creator and producer of Scenario, an immersive photography podcast that follows photographers as their work is being made. Placed at No.1 of Best Podcasts for Photographers by Digital Camera World.