About

Duncan Richards, LMSW (she/they) is a NYC-based interdisciplinary artist, folk witch, and social worker alchemizing through pixilated psychodynamic creation. She earned her bachelor of arts from Sarah Lawrence College (2019) and went on to acquire her master’s in social work from New York University (2023). 

As an artist, her surrealist creations are a visual séance that conjures vibrant iconography and meditative symmetry. Inspired by pre-colonial ways of being, activism legacies, and traditional folk magic practices she strives to create work that traverses beyond imagination.

Her spiritual practice is rooted in traditions of animism and ancestral veneration that she uses in the pursuit of collective liberation and belonging. Her spiritual paths are intertwined with her values as a social worker to uphold the dignity, integrity, and worth of individuals. With her diverse range of skills and mediums, Duncan Richards is committed to transmuting the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Artist’s Statement 

My work is as varied as I am. It is an expression of years of interdisciplinary study of spiritual and artistic traditions that have shaped the way I interact with the world. For me, art is an alchemical process in the same way that magic. My practice, at its base, is creative assemblage through an animist lens. Both are for everyone and if you choose it and it chooses you back, it’s a part of you forever. My best artwork is synonymous with my best spiritwork, both come from good relationships with the elements around me and understanding their language of resourcefulness. Anyone can create if you’re ready to listen.