I’m excited to share my journey of resilience and creativity, transforming setbacks into opportunities. In this life, we are granted the chance to imagine boldly, inspiring others to rise, dream, and create lives that honor community, storytelling, and legacy.
LaTosha Monique Matthews is an artist, storyteller, and community builder, passionate about exploring identity, heritage, and self-expression. Through her art, she revisits and reimagines fractured cultural histories, excavating familial narratives to honor silenced voices and uphold resilience and sisterhood.
LaTosha came to Dress for Success Columbus seeking connections, growth, and a sense of sisterhood. As a single mother of three, she has consistently demonstrated resilience and determination, facing financial and logistical challenges that would deter many. Despite these obstacles, LaTosha has stayed committed to advancing her skills and supporting her family. Her involvement with Dress for Success Columbus has provided her with invaluable support, mentorship, and networking opportunities, empowering her on her journey to financial independence and self-confidence.
Through Dress for Success Columbus, LaTosha gained the tools to launch her own business, Purple Swag Flag, a brand rooted in heritage and sisterhood that’s now featured in the Columbus Museum of Art. LaTosha’s story of growth and success, deeply intertwined with the resources and community she found at Dress for Success Columbus, is a testament to her commitment to both personal growth and uplifting other women.
She earned her BFA with distinction from Ohio State in 2011, focusing on human behavior, and completed her MFA at Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2021, where she co-founded The BlackGold Collective, a support network for marginalized student artists and allies. An active community arts advocate, LaTosha has worked on projects working with creative youth such as a permanent mosaic installation in Columbus’s Short North and has collaborated with city programs like Mayor Coleman’s Applications for Purpose, Pride, and Success initiative.
Her work has been exhibited across North America, including the Columbus Museum of Art, the Colored Girls Museum, the Joyce Gordon Gallery, as well as recent exhibitions in London. She is also the founder of an online art business, PurpleSwagFlag.com, supporting women of African descent, and is a recent recipient of the National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides program through the Dress for Success Columbus organization.