Jemima Joèl
Jemima Joèl, Separated Labor, acrylic on wood, 11x14 inches, 2024
Jemima Joèl, You Forgot This, 8 x 12 inches, acrylic on wood, 2024
Jemima Joèl, Getting to Higher Education: Come Hell or Highwater, multimedia installation, April 2026
Jemima Joèl (New Orleans, LA, b. 1999) is an interdisciplinary griot whose social practice is dedicated to telling stories about the experiences of Black Southern Americans. Her practice includes mediums such as singing-songwriting, storytelling paintings, creative writing, oral history collections, archival display, installations, and community programming. Her work has a specific focus on race and culture, highlighting unrecognized cultural traditions and unique forms of cultural resistance. In 2021, she received her Bachelor of Arts and Science (Sociology and African American Studies) at Loyola University of New Orleans, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Her artwork has been collected by contemporary Southern historical folk artist, Andrew Lamar Hopkins and she has been an exhibiting member of The Front Gallery in the 9th ward since 2024. Joèl has performed at notable music venues in New Orleans, such as the Dew Drop Inn and The House of Blues. She has also been featured on Emmy-nominated daily talk show, Great Day Louisiana. In her work, Joèl finds importance in contributing to the ongoing practice of historical preservation, providing arts education accessible to the public, and capturing physical community memory.