Jo Birdsell is a queer, nonbinary artist and essayist from the American Midwest. Their work deals with issues of queer and feminine liberation, life and sobriety in subculture, and rest and recovery in the face of trauma. Birdsell utilizes their formal background in journalism and sociology to create personal and documentary works that speak both to their experience and to the societal trends that reach beyond them. Through their work, Birdsell aims to dismantle false dichotomies of experience by delving into the nuances of gender, sexuality, use, safety, and love. They hope their body of work can serve to dismantle queer and recovery stigma and speak truth to power. 

Birdsell is a previous resident of 100W Artist and Writer's Residency in Corsicana, Texas and Rigahouse in Columbus, Ohio. Their work has been exhibited at Urban Arts Space, Blockfort Gallery, Fresh AIR Gallery, Dream Clinic Project Space, Wild Goose Creative, Open AIR Gallery and The Columbus Museum of Art. Their creative writing has been featured online in Halfway Down the Stairs and in print in 266 Magazine and three university anthologies at The Ohio State University and Denison University. 

While in residence at Scope BLN, they will work with their artistic partner, Elias Jolie, to study current and historical manifestations of queer resistance and queer expression in Berlin.