Photo credit: Dillon Meyer
About
Joana Stillwell (she/her/hers) is an artist and archivist born in the Philippines, raised around the Pacific, and currently based in Washington, DC. She graduated with a BA in Art History and a BFA in Photomedia from the University of Washington, earned an MFA in Kinetic Imaging from Virginia Commonwealth University, and received her MLIS from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Her work has been written about in the Washington Post and Hyperallergic. Exhibitions and installations include the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA), VisArts (Rockville, MD), DLECTRICITY (Detroit, MI), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Greenville, SC), 1708 Gallery (Richmond, VA), and SOIL (Seattle, WA). Residencies include Mildred’s Lane (Beach Lake, PA), Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), Sirius Arts Centre (Cobh, Ireland), The Studios at MASS MoCA, (North Adams, MA), VisArts (Rockville, MD), and the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (Arlington, VA).
Artist Statement
Photographs, documents, and material fragments are artifacts of their time. These artifacts continually inform and reconstruct our memories as we keep, revisit, and move through our lives with them. The temporary and fleeting nature of my work speaks to that constant reforming happening in and around us. I refine selected elements into their essential forms to piece them together and create different wholes. I investigate the collapse of virtual and physical spaces, as well as the growing overlap between memories, lived environments, and digital interfaces.
In my work as both an artist and archivist, I consider the roles of memory and perception, asking what stories get to be told, who gets to tell those stories, and what ultimately gets preserved.
CV (PDF)
Contact
Upcoming and recent news
December 15, 2025 - June 15, 2026 Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington Residency, Arlington, VA
September 11 - December 12, 2025 DC Art Now at 200 I Street Gallery SE, Washington, DC
November 9, 2024 Photography Preservation Workshop drop by 1pm-3pm at IA&A at Hillyer in Washington, DC
November 1, 2024 Opening reception 6pm-8pm for travel lightly at IA&A at Hillyer and on view through December 1
October 27, 2024 Artist Talk 5pm at the University of Mary Washington Galleries in Fredericksburg, VA
September 5, 2024 Opening reception 5pm-7pm for the scent of rose as it was described to me at the University of Mary Washington Galleries on view through October 20
September 8, 2023 Opening reception 7-9pm for all the windows in my mother’s house at VisArts on view through October 22
July 15, 2023 16MM DRAW-ON-FILM WORKSHOP with Emily Francisco and Joana Stillwell 12-3pm at VisArts 155 Gibbs Street, Classroom 4. This event is free, please register here.
January 2023 - July 2023 VisArts Fellowship Residency, Rockville, MD
September 9-10, 2023 Pittsburgh Art Book Fair with Huner Francis Publishing
May 7, 2023 Rockville Arts Festival/VisArts Open Studios 12pm-4pm 155 Gibbs Street, Floor 2
May 6, 2023 Artist talk 3pm at DCAC with Amy Reid, Imka, and Joana Stillwell in Washington, DC
April 21, 2023 Opening celebration for A Shared Sense of Time at DCAC featuring works by Sara Dittrich, Ledah Finck, Imka, Amy Reid, Davis Salisbury (Dais Queue), Joana Stillwell. On view through May 21, 2023 with a closing reception at 6pm.
January 2023 - July 2023 VisArts Studio Fellowship Residency in Rockville, MD
October 29, 2022 16mm Film Loops Workshop 2pm-4pm at Fou Gallery in Brooklyn, NY
Artists Emily Francisco and Joana Stillwell will guide participants through a lecture and workshop on 16mm filmmaking. After analyzing some classic 16mm film examples, participants are encouraged to take inspiration from the current exhibition and create their own film loops under the instruction. As a result, their works will be projected as animations for everyone to view. The workshop will include a drawing toolkit for every participant.
September 25, 2022 16mm Film Loops Workshop with Emily Francisco and Joana Stillwell 1pm at STABLE in Washington, DC
June 4, 2022 Opening reception, dance party, and artist workshops for Exhibiting Practice at STABLE in Washington, DC
March 17 and April 7, 2022 Virtual artist talks
March 5, 2022 Opening reception for Small Scale Site Specific Sculpture Show // SSSSSS at but, also on view through April 8 in Washington, DC featuring Anika Todd Cartterfield, Brian Michael Dunn, Emily Francisco, Yan Jin, Kevin Kao, Emma Rossoff, J. Alex Schechter, Hannah Spector, and Joana Stillwell.
September 24-25, 2021 DLECTRICITY 7pm - Midnight in Detroit, MI at Kirby Street between Cass Ave and Woodward Ave
JUNE 26, 2020 Tiger Strikes Asteroid is pleased to present YARDWORK. TSA GVL members in Greenville (SC), Charleston (SC), and Asheville (NC) are sharing work from local and non-local artists with their respective communities through public art installations that are visible from a distance. This three-city initiative serves to share art while practicing responsible citizenship, specifically social distancing. Works are installed on porches, lawns, balconies, mailboxes, and exterior walls. With the aid of a map, people may walk, bike, or drive to view each installation.
For specific location information and an ongoing list of artists and projects, go to tigerstrikesasteroid.com/tagged/yardwork
My work will be located in Greenville (SC) at 5 Traction St
(4 pm - midnight)
JUNE 20, 2020 Happy to be included in the inaugural exhibition SUPERDOMESTIC. This exhibition explores how contemporary art is created, performed, and perceived in the home space.