Nailah Barnes (she/her) is a recent graduate and Valedictorian of her class at Spelman College. She double majored in International Studies and French with concentrations in Cultural and Curatorial Studies. Currently, Nailah is a Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the High Museum of Art in the Folk and Self-Taught Art Department and is interested in race, gender, and nationality and how these spheres of identity mingle in global cultural affairs. She traces this passion to research and curatorial experiences throughout the U.S., France, Tanzania, and the Caribbean and training in diplomacy as a Charles B. Rangel Scholar.
In October, Nailah will report on the 59th Venice Biennale as a Pulitzer Reporting Fellow. Following that post, she will continue curating and researching in Senegal as a Fulbright Research Grant recipient. Merging her commitment to arts and education, Nailah is the founder of The Brains with Beauty Project (www.brainswithbeauty.org) which facilitates workshops, book clubs, and mentoring engagements with Black girls ages 8-18.