Felicita “Felli” Maynard is a first generation Afrolatinx genderqueer interdisciplinary artist, student and educator. They received their BFA from Brooklyn College, with a concentration in photography. They use the medium to tell the untold stories of people of color. Their work bridges the hands-on process of photography and the digital technologies of today. They focus on telling the stories of their subject without altering their realities. Maynard has focused on topics such as Black female spirituality, gentrification in Brooklyn, and identity issues that plague communities of color. Maynard has shown work at Bushwick Open Studios in NYC, Brooklyn College and Westchester Community College. Their current medium is working in different methods of alternative photography, specifically wet plate. Felli lives and works in Brooklyn NY.

I create artwork to further understand myself, and help others understand themselves. I focus on themes revolving around the African diaspora, the Black body and issues concerning gender and sexuality. I use Black bodies to challenge institutional stereotypes. I work across film photography, alternative photography processes, digital art, altar work and an exploration of organic materials. My images are a way of bridging the past with the present. My work is not only about the image created, but about the process that goes into it.

Currently I am interested in creating a positive imagery regarding how the Black body has been portrayed by methods of early photography, specifically wet plate photography. With each photographic plate, I am reaffirming that Black bodies should be represented in a positive way in this aesthetic of photography.