About

Juana Williams is an art curator and writer based in Detroit, Michigan. She previously served as the Associate Curator of African-American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Prior, she was the Director of Exhibitions at Library Street Collective, Adjunct Faculty in Art History at Wayne State University, and the Exhibitions Curator at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. She has also held multiple positions at various art institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Wayne State University Art Department Gallery, and the Elaine L. Jacobs Gallery.

Juana’s curatorial practice centers on intersections of cross-border intellectual history, cultural memory, and identity formation. She's interested in exploring impacts of colonial modernity through art from Africa and its diasporas.

Through these avenues, she utilizes her curatorial practice to deconstruct cultural and social issues, transgress traditional boundaries of art criticism and curation, and counter anti-blackness within the arts.

Juana is passionate about engaging communities, elevating diverse voices, and giving a platform to artists for innovative expression. She also persistently advocates for supporting artists and preserving art-centered spaces.

Juana has guest-curated exhibitions at several galleries and museums nationally, featuring a roster of artists at various stages of their careers. She has also presented lectures at numerous venues and contributed to multiple exhibition catalogues.       

She holds a Bachelor degree in Art and a Masters in Art History, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Notable Professional Experience

Guest Curation

2023 Palm Beach Biennial, Palm Beach, FL

2022 Asymmetry, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI

2022 Manufactured Narratives: Chronicles of Textile Artists, UICA, Grand Rapids, MI

2021 Historic Futures, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI

2021 RELEVANT, Playground Detroit, Detroit, MI

2021  Mirror in the Dark, Visionary Art Collective, Virtual

2021  Breathe, Art Mile Detroit, Detroit, MI

2021 Elevating Diverse Voices Residency, Good Hart Artist Residency, Good Hart, MI

2020  28th International Open, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL

2020 Multifaceted Narratives: An Exploration of Black Figurative Art, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

2020 SHOWFIELDS, New York, New York

2020 Paint: medium as Power in a Time of National Crisis, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

2019 Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 107th Annual Exhibition, Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Seton Hill University, Greensbugh, PA

2019 Relevant, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

2019  MICHIGAN NOW, Crooked Tree Art Center, Petoskey, MI

2018 HUMAN | NATURE, Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, Detroit, MI



Publication Contributions

2024 “Cultural Diplomacy through Detroit Art,” Michigan Chronicle

2024 “Detroit’s Art Renaissance: Taking Culture From the Motor City to the City of Lights,” Michigan Chronicle

2022 “A Remembering,” Tokie Rome-Taylor: Reclamation, Atlanta, GA

2022 “Broader Visions,” Jammie Holmes, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI

2021 “Introspection as a Path Toward Healing,” SHADOWBOXING, M Contemporary Art Ferndale, MI

2021 “Robert Blackburn and Modern American Paintings at the Detroit Institute of Arts,” Detroit Art Review, Detroit, MI

2021 “Mapping a More Inclusive Narrative of Western History,” Year of the Flood: White History Month Volume I & II, N’Namdi Center, Detroit, MI

2021  Up From the Red Clay,” Up From the Red Clay, M Contemporary Art, Ferndale, MI

2019 Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 107th Annual Exhibition, Westmoreland Museum of Art, Greensburgh, PA

2019 Many moons same sky, Simone DeSousa Gallery, Detroit, MI

2019 Before Words, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL



Presentations and Lectures

2024 Moderator, Joshua Rainer: Amo Ergo Sum, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI

2023 Moderator, Sydney G. James: Girl Raised in Detroit, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI

2023 Moderator, 2023 Biennial Panel Discussion, Palm Beach Cultural Council, Detroit, MI

2022 Moderator, McArthur Binion, Self:Portraits, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI

2022 Moderator, Envisions Conversations: Nayda Collazo-Llorens, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

2021 Moderator, In Conversation: Adeshola Makinde and Amos Kennedy Jr, Playground Detroit, Detroit, MI

2021 Moderator, RELEVANT with Adeshola Makinde, Playground Detroit, Detroit, MI

2021 Panel Participant, The Price of Everything, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburgh, PA

2021 Presenter, Professional Development for Artists, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

2019 Lecturer, Michigan Curation, Crooked Tree Art Center, Petoskey, MI

2019 Moderator, Kennedy Yanko: Before Words, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI

2019 Moderator, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 207th Annual Exhibition artist panel, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburgh, PA

2019 Moderator, Grand Rapids Public Library GR Reads: Changing the Narrative, Muse GR, Grand Rapids, MI

2019 Lecturer, Curatorial Career Paths, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI

2019 Lecturer, Curatorial Conceptions, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI

2017 Moderator, Art of Rebellion: Black Art of the Civil Rights Movement Panel II - Public Conversation with Mario Moore, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI

2017 Moderator, Art of Rebellion: Black Art of the Civil Rights Movement Panel I - Public Conversation with Erin Faulkner, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI

2017 Moderator, Art of Rebellion: Black Art of the Civil Rights Movement Panel Discussion with Detroit Artists, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI

2016 Presenter, “Ruin Lust: The Aesthetics of Abandoned Amusement Parks,” Advance Placement Day, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

2014 Presenter, “Framing the Black Female Body: The Hottentot Venus as a Modern Cultural Icon,” Debating Museums Seminar, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI