Desiree Thaniel was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She loved art for as long as she can remember and has been painting since she was 13 years old. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) between 2017 and 2019 and after a break, started attending Morgan State University (MSU) in 2022 to receive her Bachelor's in Multi Studio Arts. Desiree uses oil and acrylic paint, fabric for weavings and quilts, and now dry and soft pastels to tell her story. 

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 She has met amazing people along the way showing her work and painting murals alone and with other artists and organizations such as 901 Arts, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), Busboys and Poets, and more. Her work has significantly changed over the years and since coming to MSU, she has seen life through a new lens to create work that encourages her identity, development,  and spiritual journey. This inspires her to go deeper within herself to honestly communicate what it’s like to be and inspire others to tell their stories as well.