Auttrianna Ward is an independent curator, director, publisher, cultural producer and founder of the creative agency Auttrianna Projects. A multigenerational San Francisco native, Ward has spent the last 15 years between New York, Baltimore, London, Brazil, and Los Angeles. She seeks to use her positionality as a Black American to decenter American narratives and uplift the work of Black, Asian and indigenous artists throughout the world. Auttrianna’s writing has been featured by the MoMA, Studio Museum Magazine, Saint Heron, Elephant Magazine and Sugarcane Magazine. Her work has been featured in Frieze Magazine, Sugarcane Magazine, Artnet, Miami Herald, Vogue Mexico, Rolling Stone Africa, Forbes, Cultured Magazine, New Art Examiner, LA Times and more.
Auttrianna holds an MFA in curatorial practice from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BA in History from Manhattanville College. Her programming, curatorial, publishing and production work focuses on the exploration of global Black experiences, the overlooked legacies of colonial violence and the transformative potential of art.
In 2019, Ward founded the Mare Residency program which was hosted in 3 locations over 4 years providing support to artists: Jerrell Gibbs, Raelis Vasquez, Taina Cruz, Jazmine Hayes and biarritzzz. Most recently, she co-curated Invisible Luggage at the Historic Hampton House Museum of Culture & Art. Recent awards include the Critical Minded Grant for Critics of Color, Leslie King Hammond Graduate Fellowship, MICA Intercultural Development Grant, MICA/MFA Graduate Merit Scholarship, and the MICA Graduate Research Development Grant. Ward serves as the creative director of Auttrianna Projects, overseeing its wide array of programs and services.