Amani Williams (b.1999 Columbus, Ohio) is a drawer and painter who lives in Brooklyn, NY and works in Manhattan. She got her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and is currently in Graduate school working towards her MFA at the School of Visual Arts. Her anticipated graduation is in 2026. Using mainly oil paint and oil pastels to produce her work, she is interested in human behavior and disrupting cultural norms. In August of 2021, she curated a group exhibition Snickers That Turn Into Livable Joy in the Student + Alumni Gallery at the Cleveland Institute of Art Her work has been exhibited in a number of group shows including On Intimacy, at Abattoir Gallery and Discover the Promise at Cleveland City Hall. Along with a solo show as a result of a print residency at Deep Dive Art Projects, Coming at You Red, Hot and Full of Desire. In 2023, her work was acquired into the collection of the Cleveland Art Association, winning the Eterovich Award for emerging artists. She recently was awarded the Alumni Scholarship Award at the School of Visual Arts. She has been featured in CAN Journal, Canvas Magazine and Link Magazine, of the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is a member of the Waterloo Arts Gallery Committee helping to select exhibitions at the local gallery. She previously worked at the Cleveland Institute of Art as the Exhibitions and Collections Specialist. During her time there she’s worked on over 60 exhibitions of museum quality, and 45 public programs. Her position has connected her with dozens of contemporary artists such as Jacolby Satterwhite, Alexandra Noel, Josh Macphee, Puppies Puppies, Hepp Maccoy, Raùl Romero, Drag Historian Dr. Lady J, Lorraine Lynn, and more.
CV
amanifrwilliams@gmail.com
Education
2021, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
2026, Master of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Selected Professional Experience
2021 - 2024, Exhibitions and Collections Specialist, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH 2019 - 2021, Teacher’s Assistant, Pre College Program at Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
2018 - 2019, AmericaReads Tutor, Cleveland, OH
Committee Experience
2024 - Present, Black Alumni Association Council Member, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH 2021- Present, Gallery Committee Member , Waterloo Arts Gallery, OH
2022 - Present, Alumni Council Member, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
2022 - Present, Alumni Exhibition Committee Member, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
Bibliography
2024, On Intimacy: An interview with Carmen Winant, Ang Zhang, and Julia Callis 2024, Link Magazine, Spring Issue
2023, Link Magazine, Fall Issue
2022, Amani Williams at Deep Dive Art Projects: Returning the Gaze, CAN Journal, Fall 2021, STAFF PICKS, Canvas E-News Cleveland
2021, Link Magazine, Vol. 24, Issue 1 Fall
Invited Talks + Lectures
2023, Artist Talk about Professional Practice, Cleveland Institute of Art
2024, Artist Talk about Being Working Art, Cleveland Institute of Art
2024, TRI-Conversation, Identifying Microaggressions and Navigating Blackness in the Classroom , Cleveland Institute of Art
2021, Where We Overlap Panel Discussion, Museum of Creative Human Art x Morgan Conservatory, OH
Curatorial Projects
2022, Print Residency, Deep Dive Art Projects, OH
2022, Printmaking Pop-up, Deep Dive Art Projects, Cleveland Museum of Art, OH 2021, Curatorial Assistant, Internship, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
2019, Volunteer Preparator, SPACES, Cleveland, OH
Awards
2026, Alumni Scholarship Award, School of Visual Arts
2024 -2026, Merit Scholarship, School of Visual Arts
2023, Eterovich Award, Emerging Artist Award, Cleveland Art Association
2021, Honorable Mention, Waterloo Arts Juried Exhibition, Waterloo Arts Gallery
2017 - 2021, Dean’s Scholarship, Cleveland Institute of Art
Selected Exhibitions
2025, Desire Lines, SVA Galleries, NY
2024, A Look Amongst The Stars, Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery, Ursuline College, OH
2024, Discover the Promise: Impact, Legacy & Perspective, Cleveland City Hall x Artists Archives, OH 2024, On Intimacy, Abattoir Gallery, OH
2022, We Want More, Mid-American Print Conference x CIA, Reinberger Gallery, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH 2022, CAN Triennial, Morgan Conservatory and, Cleveland State University Galleries, OH
2021, Snickers That Turn Into Livable Joy, Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
Collections
Cleveland Art Association Collection