A.v Wayans

A.V. Wayans is a New York native and Brooklyn-based visual artist, anthropologist, and oral historian whose work bridges the disciplines of illustration, ethnographic writing, and griot tradition. Her practice foregrounds the challenges of her community, highlighting socio-economic disparities, class, gender, race, faith, and health.

Through this interdisciplinary approach, she invites viewers to join her in spaces of empathy, dialogue, and deep cultural reflection, aiming to foster community through shared stories and the arts.

With a B.A in anthropology from SUNY Purchase and a M.A. in oral history from Columbia University her methodology is rooted in field note documentation and visual arts practice using contour line drawing to create images depicting her narrators and subjects. Sharing a nuanced perspective of the world around her, she pairs her visual arts with academic writing. A.V.’s work integrates ethnographic methods and interview-style reflections to center the voices and experiences of her narrators.

A.V offers services as a narrative strategist to craft language that best support the identity and mission of her clients.

Programming & Communications Fellow at Oral History M.A. Program (OHMA), Columbia University (2024-01 – Present)

• Designed and delivered communications and public programming materials for a graduate-level oral history program at Columbia University. Created communications via Mailchimp, event emails, and promotional materials for students, alumni, faculty, and the broader oral history community.
• Coordinated public-facing events, workshops, and panels, including Zoom hosting, Eventbrite listings, and follow-up communications.
• Designed graphics and social media materials, updated website calendars, and developed content across Instagram and Facebook. Updated website, digital archives, and maintained faculty updates.

Visual Arts Educator & Teaching Artist at KIPP Freedom (2024-01 – Present)

• Designed curriculum for grades 6 to 8, instructing visual arts programming and creative writing curricula for elementary and middle school students.
• Integrated culturally responsive pedagogy, storytelling, and social-emotional learning into arts instruction. Instructed students in project-based learning, implementing project management principles. Teaching students to work in sprints with weekly deliverables. Required grading material includes an artist statement essay and a reflection paper documenting their process and challenges.
• Instructed Portfolio Club, a fall semester after-school program guiding students in developing competitive art portfolios as materials for specialized arts high school applications.

Creative Consultant / Brand & Storytelling Strategist at Freelance (2019-01 – Present)

• Facilitates and processes interview material to identify a clear, cohesive narrative used to design mission statements, brand values, pitch decks, and creative treatments for brands and cultural organizations, including Visionary Society, Trap Genius NYC, NSD New York, and Wales Gallery. Advising clients on narrative clarity, audience engagement, and visual identity.
• Creates visual and written content for social media, marketing campaigns, and public-facing storytelling initiatives. Proficient in Adobe Premiere Pro, TikTok, Capcut, and audio editing.

M.A in Oral History – Columbia University (2026-05)

B.A. in Anthropology – SUNY Purchase (2022-05)

Certification in Foundations of Project Management – Google (2023-08)