This is the work I do. This is The Diahann Project.
At The Diahann Project (TDP), we believe storytelling is an act of reclamation—a way to honor the legacies of our ancestors while affirming our lived experiences in the present. Through immersive activations like The People’s Living Room, Midwifery + The Black Birthing Family, and my Artist Residency with Art In The Antilles, I invite Black and Brown communities to step into spaces designed for deep listening, connection, and collective remembrance.
Whether we’re gathering stories of Caribbean grandparents, honoring Black midwives and birthing families, or transforming public spaces into living archives, TDP activates photography, oral history, and embodied storytelling as tools for narrative justice. Each portrait and personal account we capture becomes part of a larger archive—one that celebrates our resilience, restores ancestral memory, and reclaims the right to tell our own stories.
Explore these offerings below and discover how we are building spaces that center joy, healing, and belonging across the diaspora.
Stefanie D. Belnavis | Art In the Antilles Artist In Residence
The Art In The Antilles(AITA) Artist in Residence will host "In Ernest" co-curated by Romy Saint Hilaire and Stefanie D. Belnavis, BC-DMT, LMHC—a differently-abled Black and Indo-Jamaican American interdisciplinary artist, kinesthetic storyteller, photographer, therapist, educator and spatial justice practitioner. This creative residency is a heartfelt tribute to Caribbean elders of the Diaspora and is inspired by her maternal grandfather, Ernest Mills.
The People's Living Room
The People’s Living Room is a dynamic, community-led installation that merges storytelling, spatial justice, and portraiture into an immersive experience. This initiative invites participants to celebrate their inner storyteller by sharing oral histories and personal narratives while engaging in liberating portrait sessions. Through these intimate exchanges, The People’s Living Room creates a collective space that uplifts diverse voices, fosters connection, and honors lived experiences.
"Midwifery + The Black Birthing Family" by The Diahann Project (TDP) & Birthlooms is An intergenerational visual and oral history project documenting the experiences of Black birthing families, perinatal practitioners, birth justice advocates, and community elders in Massachusetts Led by The Diahann Project (TDP) and our perinatal storytelling collective Birthlooms.