About Me

My Story

Grounded in Afrofuturism, Juanita's work treats the future not as a distant concept, but as something we actively shape through storytelling, ritual, design, and collective care. She is deeply interested in how Black people preserve memory—through images, objects, movement, sound, and shared space—and how those practices inform visions of liberation.

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Juanita holds a degree in Digital Media and Design from the University of Connecticut, a foundation that informs her multidisciplinary approach to curatorial work. This training supports her use of immersive storytelling, multimedia installation, and experimental exhibition formats across both traditional gallery environments and nontraditional community spaces.

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She has curated projects in museums, galleries, colleges, and grassroots settings, navigating the flexibility and constraints of each while maintaining a commitment to accessibility, cultural integrity, and experimentation.

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Juanita is currently a curatorial fellow at NXTHVN. She has been accepted as a MFA candidate at the Maryland Institute College of Art for curatorial practice and will be attend Fall 2026. She also received the competitive Leslie King Hammond Graduate Award upon acceptance.

Accolades

My work has been recognized and supported through fellowships and awards that honor cultural leadership, innovation, and community impact. Alongside curatorial work, I am available to speak on Afrofuturism, Black visual culture, alternative exhibition models, and cultural strategy—supporting institutions, artists, and communities in thinking critically about how art functions in the world.

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​Leslie King Hammond Graduate Award (MICA)

Cohort 07 NXTHVN Curatorial Fellow (2025-2026)

2025 Artist Excellence Award - Connecticut Office of the Arts

2024 Connecticut Arts Hero for New Haven County

2024/2025 Norwalk Artspace Korry Fellow

CEIO Seeding Conscious Co-Creation Fellow

Creative Community Fellow of New England

2023 Arts Award from the Arts Council of New Haven