Jennifer Axner, an energetic Hyattsville artist and official U.S. currency engraver, died on April 14. She was 44.
Axner was a journeyman-level banknote engraver for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, designing the official portraits of Treasury secretaries Jack Lew and Steve Mnuchin and President Joe Biden.
On Route 1, she was also known as an energetic member of the local arts community. In 2012, she won the city of Hyattsville’s art contest for the Route 1 Ride bus wraparound. Her design made the bus look like a piece of wood with a paint tube listing local towns.
“I wanted to refer to the artists … that have been attracted to the new Hyattsville Arts District — as to suggest that their creative processes are ‘splashing’ color all over the neighborhoods,” she said at the time.
She won another contest for a traffic box wrap with a design that made it look like a popcorn popper, served on the jury that helped select a mural for the West Hyattsville Metro station and hosted pottery and fiber arts sales by local artists at her home.
In 2016, she organized the Hyattsville Figure Drawing group, which meets regularly at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.
As leader of the group, she promoted the traditional atelier method of teaching, in which students progress through a series of tasks under the supervision of an instructor.
She was also regularly featured at Pyramid Atlantic shows, selling a graphite-on-paper portrait of rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. You can also see some of her figure drawings on the group’s Instagram page, noted as “Artist: Jennifer.”
“Jenny showed many works of art with Pyramid, served on multiple nominating panels, volunteered at events, and was a joyful presence in Pyramid’s gallery, studios, and hearts,” Pyramid Atlantic said in a statement. “We are a better organization for her involvement and grateful for the time she shared with us.”
Donations in her memory are suggested to be made to Pyramid Atlantic.
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