Janelle Washington

Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper cut artist from Virginia who creates detailed silhouettes. She is a member of the Guild of American Papercutters, and her work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and the Downing-Gross Community Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Her first picture book, Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement (2022), written by Angela Joy, uses dimensional cut-paper artwork to tell the story of a mother's fight for justice after the murder of her son. The book received a 2023 Caldecott Honor and a 2023 Sibert Honor and won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

Washington has also illustrated Melodies of the Weary Blues: Classic Poems Illustrated for Young People, bringing her paper art to poetry for young readers.