Makala Aayana (b. 1998, Atlanta, Georgia) is a Caribbean-American multidisciplinary artist and wellness curator based in New York City. Her work explores memory, tracing the threads that bring us back into relationship with ourselves.
She is the curator of A Concept: You, a creative wellness collective built on a simple idea that creativity is one of the most powerful tools for self-knowledge that we have, and that using it with intention is a form of care. Through essays, podcast conversations, workshops, and art, she creates spaces for the audience to return to themselves, their histories, and the act of play.
Her work is grounded in her roots and shaped by the belief that where and who we come from is a compass. In her practice, rest, memory, and creative practice are in the same conversation.
GRANTS + RESIDENCIES
2026 Incoming Artist In Residence, A to Z Wineworks, Newberg, OR
2024 Artist in Residence, Vessel Coffee House & Art Cafe, Durham, NC
2023 VAE Raleigh: The Snapdragon Fund, funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Raleigh, NC
EXHIBITIONS
2026 Group Exhibition, Black Joy: Unapologetic Celebration, Monad NYC, Brooklyn, NY
2025 Solo Exhibition, A Concept: You, Preservation Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
2025 Group Exhibition, Nuda Veritas, Thomas Stevens Gallery, Hillsborough, NC
2025 Curator, To Be Here Now Is To Be, Eno Mill Gallery, Hillsborough, NC
2024 Assistant Curator, Coalesce, Eno Mill Gallery, Hillsborough, NC
2024 Group Exhibition, Eno Arts Mill Studio Artist Showcase, Eno Mill Gallery, Hillsborough, NC
2024 Solo Exhibition, Public Spaces Art Series, Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC
2023 Group Exhibition, Scaffold: Taking Up Space, ArtSpace, Raleigh, NC
2023 Group Exhibition, The Warmth of a Conversation, Thrive Coworking, Greensboro, NC
2023 Group Exhibition, Take More Photos: The Faces of Womanhood, Outernet, London, UK
2023 Group Exhibition, AU: A Community Show, Golden Belt, Durham, NC
2022 Group Exhibition, HER Black Hand: A Conversational Piece, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
FACILITATION
2025 Facilitator, Playground Sessions: Personalized Mindfulness Journals, Orange County Arts Commission, Hillsborough, NC
2025 Facilitator, Playground Sessions: Play, Lumina Studio Loft, Durham, NC
2024 Facilitator, Playground Sessions: Mental & Emotional Wellbeing through Collage, Orange County Arts Commission, Hillsborough, NC
2024 Facilitator, Playground Sessions: Play, Private Corporate Retreat, Frontier RTP, Durham, NC
FEATURES
2025 Artist Feature, Women In Focus Summit, Ladïbug Studios & Color Co. Rentals, Atlanta, GA
2023 Guest, Emotions on Canvas: Exploring the Painter’s Process of a Multihyphenate Creative with Makala Aayana, Thoughts and Transitions Podcast
EDUCATION + PROGRAMS
National Academy of Sports Medicine, Certified Wellness Coach, in progress
Georgia Institute of Technology, MS Industrial Engineering: Health Systems
Georgia Institute of Technology, BS Industrial Engineering
