Ya La’Ford (born in 1979 in Bronx, NY) is a versatile artist, educator, muralist, and above all, a conduit between the visual realm and the intricate complexities of human communities. Working across a wide range of media including paint, sculpture, installation, video, and sound, she weaves layered meanings to engage with the universal language of art and create transformative experiences that inspire communal growth.

La’Ford holds a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from The Art Institute of Boston, and she also earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. As a first-generation American of Jamaican heritage, she gracefully navigates between her cultural roots and marginalized communities, utilizing the power of art as a medium of connection. Central to the artist’s mission is the creation of art and spatial experiences that profoundly revolutionize the social, cultural, and historical contexts of creative expression within the human journey.
(read Ya La’Ford’s full biography)

Impenetrable Cosmos, 2022
Acrylic, ink, pigment, glue,
alcohol, egg, bleach, heat, resin
& natural weathering on canvas, 21 x 12″
Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis

CBS Saturday Morning Show, May 3, 2025
Video: Artist Ya La’Ford opens up about her career

Artist Ya La’Ford’s work spans mediums. Her prints, sculptures and installations have been featured in the Venice Biennale and in private collections like the Gates Foundation. Michelle Miller met with her to see how it all takes shape. watch full segment