Studio Artist
Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud views her creative practice and environmental advocacy as forms of stewardship. She creates art about the environment in relation to the African diaspora and examines broader themes around memory, geography, spatial studies, and materiality. Ayanna has rooted her practice in the Americas, participating in exhibitions and residencies in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America. Working at the intersection of advocacy, narrative change, and creativity, Ayanna develops frameworks for new ways of imagining and advocating for water, nature, and people in greater Houston through the lens of climate resilience and environmental justice. In her leadership at Bayou City Waterkeeper, Ayanna advances a collaborative vision for water justice in greater Houston through wetland protection, urban water management, flood mitigation, and water quality. Ayanna is a fourth-generation artist and native Houstonian and is inspired by the people, culture, ecology, and the seemingly banality of Houston and the Gulf Coast.