visual artist. dancer. curator.
graphic designer. photographer. improvisor. cloud collector.
scenographer. director. teacher. poet. beauty queen. hairdresser. chef. film maker. gardner. projection designer. friend. lighting designer. mess maker. lover girl. texan living in california. performance artist. choreographer. website designer.

A person with curly hair singing into a microphone, wearing makeup with drawn eyelashes and lines on their face, and holding a plastic bag. The scene is illuminated with red light, giving a dramatic, intense atmosphere.
A performer balancing on their hands with legs extended upwards, wearing red shoes with pink feathers and a red and beige outfit, on a black box against a dark background.
Blurred image of a woman with long curly hair in front of a white background, wearing a colorful, floral patterned shirt.
Person with blue eyes holding a large disco ball, wearing a black sequined hat and a red jacket, against a dark background.
A woman with curly hair posing in a kitchen wearing a red shirt, red shorts, and red high heels, with a large red tomato-shaped purse on the floor.
A woman with bright pink hair lying on a stage floor, holding a knife, with a man in black behind her. The stage has a rustic wooden wall with peeling paint and a hexagonal window, illuminated by red lighting.

ainsley e. tharp’s work is too much, feminine but not very ladylike, fixated on failure as protest, and informed by improvisation as play, impermanence as study, and mess making as necessity. She is an introvert who likes attention, an interdisciplinary artist and witch working in between and with fringe subcultures rooted in the Bay Area. Her work is inspired by antiracism, proto feminism, and anarchist principles and community based practices. ainsley’s artistic background is in the field of experimental dance, visual art, video art, photo art and projection design. She works towards creating and organizing low-income accessible art access spaces in the Bay Area.
She makes money doing a lot of different things, if you like something you see please reach out. I am available for bookings, consultations, teaching, tours, and others things.

She is a Co-Director of ROT (formally known as FRESH) a festival the centers queerness, QTBIPOC, and also prioritizes donation based access to workshops and performances.She is currently organizing and teaching with the ˈɡaT͟H(ə)riNGs with her collaborator gizeh muñiz and Emily Hansel a community run donation based dance class series. She is the Director of Body Language a Pre-Porfessional Youth Dance Company based in Marin CA.

She has performed internationally and worked with various artists such as Sara Shleton Mann, nathaniel moore, gizeh muñiz, Keith Hennessy, Kathleen Hermsdorf, Kim Ip, estrellx supernova, Stephanie Hewett, Juliet Paramor, Clarissa Rivera Dyas, NAKA Dance Theater, and Tori Lawerence & Co.

ainsley most recently was awarded the Impulstanz DanceWeb Scholarship(2023), the ARC seed residency at CounterPulse, and co-recipient of The Community Engagement Residency with Bridge Live Arts with collaborator gizeh muñiz for their project ˈɡaT͟H(ə)riNGs. ainsley was the co-reciepient of Rainin New and Experimental work grant with collaborator Clarissa Rivera Dyas back in 2023. 

A colorful arrangement of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and candles on a rustic wooden table.

email me at ainsleytharp12@gmail.com

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Colorful blurred lights creating a vibrant, swirling pattern with streaks of red, blue, yellow, and other colors, resembling a long-exposure photograph of fireworks or neon lights.

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  • photo: Robbie Sweeny

    rage room

  • A person with tattoos on their arm leaning over a surface, with colorful purple and yellow lighting, and a white box or panel above their shoulder with a small cross hanging from it.

    funfetti

  • Two women in patriotic outfits embracing at night, with bright colored lights illuminating the scene and a dark background.

    forever failing

  • A person in a checkered shirt holding what appears to be a box, standing over a woman with long hair in high heels, on a stage with red lighting and a black background.

    gag

  • A person wearing a luminous, futuristic helmet with bright blue and purple lights, looking down in a dark environment with minimal background detail.

    a door way becomes borh

watch videos here
Person in red dress and high heels doing a Yoga pose with their head and arms on the floor and hips raised, sitting on a wooden stool in a kitchen.
A woman dressed in red is doing a backbend with her head on the floor, legs on a chair, in a kitchen decorated for Christmas with a small poinsettia plant and Christmas ornaments on the cabinet.

lighting + projection design

A dimly lit indoor event with a group of people dancing and socializing. There is a large window with green reflections, and a man standing against the wall in the background.
A person with glasses and a face mask examining a 3D geometric shape with a person visible at the bottom right corner.
Children playing and crawling on the floor in a dark room with a lit wall, casting shadows of their figures.
Ceiling with orange lighting, visible wires, and a metal structure with purple accent lights.
Two children sitting on the floor watching an art exhibition with photographs displayed on black grid walls.
Two individuals sitting on the floor with a colorful abstract projection on the wall behind them.
People practicing yoga in a dimly lit room with a large projection of a cityscape on the wall behind them.
People sitting at tables in a darkened indoor space, possibly a theater or cinema, watching a performance or movie. The background is blurry with some people paying attention to something off-camera.
A woman with dark hair in a black strap dress holds a small image of a woman with platinum blonde hair, wearing lingerie, in front of a blue background.
A digital screen displaying a poetic message about floating and brewing, with purple and white star-like background patterns, located in a dark room.
A silhouette of a person with curly hair dancing on stage with colorful lighting, with a digital display showing the temperature as 50°F in the foreground.
Room with purple and blue lighting, a table with snacks and drinks, and shadows of people projected on the wall.

graphic design

Promotional poster for 'Autorepecting' event presented by Gravity, scheduled for May 28-30, 2026. The poster features a mirrored image of a person sliding down a waterslide, with a blue background and event logos at the bottom.
A promotional poster with a red background featuring a slice of watermelon on the right side. The poster includes white and gray text about an event happening on January 14 from 12 PM to 2 AM at Counterpulse. The event involves invocation, dance, prayer, poetry, music, chanting, care, teach-in, call bank, and alter build.
Colorful poster with a background of pink, purple, orange, and yellow watercolor blends. Features repeated silhouettes of a dog with a bun hairstyle, and the word "CHU" repeated in large letters. Text on the poster reads "DANCING+MAKING, June 23 - July 14, 2024."
Abstract digital artwork with lemon slices, colorful scribbles, and the text "Gravity XR 2026" and dates "May 18 - June 6, 2026" in bright green and black fonts.

photo credit
(left to right then down)

page 1:
- Kiki King
-kevin lo
-Robbie Sweeny
-Robbie Sweeny
-Robbie Sweeny
-ainsley tharp

page 2:
-Robbie Sweeny

carousel:
-rage room: Robbie Sweeny
-funfetti: Cayla Sharp
-forever failing: Hilary Goidel
-gag: Kiki King
-A Doorway Becomes Both: miggymagic

page 3:
-ainsley tharp

page 4 (lighting design)
line 1: mari.ged, mari.ged, mari.ged, ainsley tharp
line 2: Robbie Sweeny, Robbie Sweeny, Justin Ebrahemi, Justin Ebrahemi
line 3: ainsley tharp, Robbie Sweeny, Robbie Sweeny, ainsley tharp

Pink neon line drawing of a cat with one paw raised, on a black background.
Line drawing of a woman taking a selfie with her phone, holding it in front of her face, and standing in profile. She has long hair, and is wearing a sleeveless top.