Juana Williams is the Associate Curator of African-American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She previously served as the Director of Exhibitions at Library Street Collective and as Adjunct Faculty in Art History at Wayne State University. Prior, she was the Exhibitions Curator at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts and 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. She was also the 2021 Art Mile and Independent Curators International Inaugural Curatorial Fellow and a Spring 2022 Black Embodiments Studio Arts Writing Intensive Fellow.
Her curatorial practice predominantly focuses on deconstructing cultural and social issues, transgressing traditional boundaries of art criticism and curation, and countering anti-blackness within the arts. Williams 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.
Williams has guest-curated exhibitions at several galleries and museums featuring a roster of artists at various stages of their careers including Wangechi Mutu, Firelei Báez, Devan Shimoyama, Mavis Pusey, and Elizabeth Catlett, to name a few. She has also presented lectures at numerous venues and contributed to multiple exhibition catalogues.
She holds a BA in Art and an MA in Art History, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
