Sukenya Best was born in New York City, where her origins in

visual art, faith in God, dance, and cultural community festivals began. In the 90s her family moved to Richmond Virginia, which has been her home for over 20 years. She took art lessons in all of her schools to eventually receive a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2001. As an undergraduate student she studied Baroque art history in London, Europe. During that trip she observed first-hand paintings by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Frans Hals; which sparked her current practice of portrait painting. She also traveled to Zimbabwe, Africa, to study drawing and batik making. There she experienced a rich culture and an appreciation for fabric designs. When she attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (earned a M.F.A in 2007) she continued to explore printmaking on fabric with the combination of dance and music.

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In between and after her studies, Sukenya has always enjoyed working with the youth. She taught art classes to various ages for her local faith community, the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Richmond’s Department of Parks and Recreation afterschool program, Art 180, Reynold’s Community College, and Virginia Union University. 

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Sukenya was an art Instructor at Virginia Union University, where she taught visual art courses in the Fine Arts Department. As faculty, she attended a college tour-abroad trip to Italy and France, and afterwards published a cartoon book called Chocolate Bella. Her book is available for purchase through Lulu, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Currently she works at the VMFA as an On the Road Coordinator, where she travels around Virginia on an artmobile.

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