Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud is an artist, writer, and environmental advocate.
She creates art about geography, mapping, space, and nature. She studied Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has participated in exhibitions and residencies throughout the Americas, including the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Recent awards include the Texas Women in Conservation – Terry Hershey 2025 award through the Texas Audubon; Rachel’s Network 2024 Catalyst awardee for mid-career environmental leaders of color; the BIPOC Arts Network and Fund in 2023-24; and an Artadia finalist in 2023. She was a 2023-24 Artist Studio Program at Lawndale Art Center and has had recent solo exhibitions at Lawndale in 2024, the College of the Mainland Gallery in 2025, and a group show at DiverseWorks Artspace in 2024.
She also leads in environmental policy. Since 2021, she has served as the Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, where she leads collaborative efforts on water quality, wetland protection, and flood resiliency, with a focus on environmental justice and climate resilience. Through her leadership, the organization has scaled up its work with first-time milestones, including the creation of the first policy agenda; the development and adoption of a 3-year strategic plan; the launch of community engagement across all programs; new strategic partnerships with universities and national coalitions; a new communications plan, brand, website; first-time language justice; an artist-in-residence program; and new research and advocacy on wetlands, flooding, and water infrastructure investments.
A native of Houston, Ayanna enjoys adventuring around the city, making art, and writing.
