Photography By Tieshka Smith

08/15/2026

What happens when you return to a photographic project ten years later—not simply to revisit it, but to ask new questions of it?

Germantown Info Hub reporter Pryce Jamison takes a thoughtful look at , the participatory portrait project I created at G-Town Radio in 2015, and , the four-month residency that has brought the work back to where it began.

The story traces the project’s origins, the ideas behind the masked portraits, its journey through Philadelphia, and the new installations and community engagement I’m developing through November.

I’m grateful to Pryce for spending time with the work and documenting this next chapter with such care.

Read the full story from Germantown Info Hub.

Tieshka K. Smith returns to G-Town Radio with a four-month residency revisiting her 2015 project and its legacy.

08/10/2026

A little highlight reel from last night’s opening reception at G-town Radio/WGGT-LP 92.9. Thank you to everyone who showed up in support of the work!

I also want to thank Jill Saull and Tom Casetta for making me feel at home (again). It’s going to be an exciting four months!

G-Town Radio is a 24/7 community radio station based in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, broadcasting on 92.9 FM (Wednesday noon–Sunday midnight) and streaming online every day. Dedicated to local voices, community news, and diverse music, G-Town Radio provides a platform for neighbors to share stories and discuss issues that matter. Through artist residencies like mine, the station continues to invest in creative work that brings people together.
If you value that mission, please consider making a donation to support their work at https://gtownradio.com/donate.

08/06/2026

Friends and family,

I'm grateful to the Chestnut Hill Local for featuring "All Roads Lead Back to G-Town Radio," the window installation that marks the public launch of .

https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/stories/racism-is-a-sickness-returning-to-g-town-radio,41736

The article offers a closer look at the installation, its connection to the original project, and the larger reboot that continues inside the Green Room through archival materials and reimagined portraiture.

If you're planning to join us for the opening reception this Saturday, I invite you to read the article, then come experience the installation for yourself. I'd love to welcome you to G-Town Radio and continue the conversation.

A special thank you to G-Town Radio for creating space for artists, dialogue, and community through its artist residency program. More about this remarkable place in the comments!

During the summer of 2015, 14 individuals from neighborhoods across Philadelphia traveled to G-Town Radio in Germantown to take part in the creation of is a Sickness.

08/04/2026

Friends:

If you're in the Philadelphia area, I'd love to invite you to something that's been quietly taking shape over the past several months.

This Saturday, August 8, from 6–9 PM EDT, G-Town Radio will host the opening reception for my new window installation, "All Roads Lead Back to G-Town Radio". The evening also marks the beginning of my four-month artist residency and the public launch of , the reboot of the 2015 art and community engagement project, Racism Is A Sickness.

Whether you followed the original project or are encountering it for the first time, I hope you'll stop by and celebrate with me.

Event page >> https://www.facebook.com/share/1KpgUES2mK/

About the residency >> https://www.10yearsofracismisasickness.com/2026-residency

07/30/2026

It's finally time to share this.

Earlier this year, I received word from G-town Radio that I had been selected as an Artist-in-Residence.

For the past several months, I've been quietly working with Beth Miner on a new window installation, "All Roads Lead Back to G-Town Radio," which invites us to consider how place shapes memory, how communities shape public conversation, and why returning to where a story began can reveal new ways of understanding the present.

This residency and window installation marks my return to the place where was created in 2015. It also marks the beginning of the official public phase of , which revisits the original project and creates space, online and off, for new perspectives, deeper reflection, and ongoing community engagement.

I would love for you to join me on Saturday, August 8, from 6–9 p.m. EDT, for an opening reception and the public kickoff of the residency.

For more info:

https://www.10yearsofracismisasickness.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RMUS2015/
https://www.instagram.com/racismisasickness

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged, supported, and followed this project. I look forward to beginning this next chapter with you.

05/27/2026

Indeed. 📷

that’s why it’s always worth bringing your camera, some moments only happen once! 📸💫

05/20/2026

Thoughts?

05/10/2026

Over the years, the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival in Germantown has offered numerous opportunities to capture moments of Black motherhood in motion — protective, joyful, stylish, patient, watchful, loving, and deeply human.

Not posed. Not manufactured. Just real moments unfolding in community.

Documentary photography has taught me that mothers are often the emotional center of public gatherings. Even in celebration, they are still tending, organizing, carrying, encouraging, checking in, and making space for others to feel safe and seen.

This Mother’s Day reel is a visual thank-you to the women who do that work every single day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and mother figures. ❤️

05/07/2026

At 9:56 am EDT this morning during the 111th commencement exercises for Georgia State University undergraduates, I watched my daughter walk the stage to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree.

I’m incredibly proud of her hard work, persistence, and determination.

If you’d like to celebrate her accomplishment, she has created an Amazon graduation gift registry here: http://bit.ly/4uTRRzd

BA earned. New chapter loading...

05/01/2026

Five photographs from my ongoing documentation of the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival in Germantown have been selected for "Stronger Together: Family — Community — Connection", presented by the National Council on Aging.

This work reflects years of returning to this community celebration—witnessing elders, families, and neighbors in moments of continuity, care, and connection.

The exhibition is now live. View and vote: https://ncoagallery.org/link/2026-NCOA-StrongerTogether

Voting open through May 30. People’s Choice announced June 4.