J.E. Azmi, based in Philadelphia, PA, is the Founder & Creative Director of Visible Life (VZBLYF), a curatorial design studio producing institutional exhibitions.
His previous roles include Interim Chief Curator at the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, SC, and Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) in Brooklyn, NY. Azmi’s curatorial approach merges historical and contemporary culture, creating ‘curatorial contrafacts’ by juxtaposing 19th and 20th-century artifacts with modern artworks.
This method fosters a dialogue between past and present, highlighting overlooked artists and histories and posing questions about our connections to each other and the world.
Shanté Cozier is an exhibitions project manager with experience in libraries, galleries and museums.
Currently, working with VZBLYF, Cozier leads the design and installation teams to materialize the curatorial vision of the International African American Museum.Cozier is invested in helping organizations implement innovative structure and creative ideas through exhibitions using archival material, visual art and new media. She has a personal interest in the space where exhibition best practices meet excellent and innovative design.
Cozier has traveled throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean in order to gain a global perspective on exhibition design, installation technique, and how to create environments where art and visual culture can be utilized as a vehicle for transformation.
Cultivated for over 15 years, Cozier has worked with TRANSART & Cultural Services, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the International African American Museum.
Exhibition design is a central channel of her creative work. She collaborates with museums and cultural institutions to shape immersive storytelling spaces that invite thoughtful engagement with creativity, histories, and cultures. Previously, Isissa served as Exhibitions Director at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and as Exhibitions Manager and designer for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Over the past fifteen years, Isissa has designed, curated, and produced over twenty exhibitions.
Her practice has been honored with fellowships, grants, and residencies from Penland School of Craft; Artists’ Literacies Institute; the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA); Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts; Township 10; and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally.
Isissa earned her A.B. in africana studies from Brown University. She currently lives and works in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she enjoys meditating, woodworking, and spending time in nature — practices that nourish presence, foster attunement to beauty, and continually return her to what truly matters.
Dr. LaShaya Howie is a writer, researcher, and educator. As a former museum educator, LaShaya is committed to accessible and engaging experiential learning for all audiences. She is currently working on a book that examines contemporary Black funeral practices in the United States. LaShaya earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, MA in Africana Studies with a concentration in Museum Studies from NYU, and a BA in Afro-American Studies from Howard University. Her teaching and research background consists of a range of topics and methodologies including archival work, ethnography, Black/Africana Studies, and museology.