About

  • Makayla Joy Castillo is a BFA Painting student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

    Through her practice, she uses art to process pivotal moments from her own life and from the lives of those closest to her. Castillo’s work serves as a space for reflection—mining memory, emotion, and experience to better understand her evolving sense of identity.

    Her paintings are deeply personal and infused with intuitive, often unexplained symbolism, inviting viewers to form their own interpretations and connections within the work.

  • Teaching Experience
    2023-25 Art Teacher, Gifted Academy Educational Center, Washington DC

    2024-25 Art Teacher, Abrakadoodle, Washington DC & Montgomery County & Baltimore 

    Art Experience

    2024-25 Studio Monitor, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

    2024 Exhibition Assistant, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

    2025 Mural Lead Designer/Painter, Montgomery College, Takoma Park, MD 

    2025 Mural Design Team, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD 

    2025 Lead Curator, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

    2025 Workshop Host for Washington, DC and Baltimore Events

    2025 Mural Lead Designer/Painter, Vienna Adventist Academy, Vienna, MD

  • 2024 Cultivate 712, Drawn Together Exhibition, Waco, TX

    2024 East Waco Library, Mini Artwork Exhibition, Waco, TX

    2024 Silver Spring Library, Youth Media Festival Exhibition, Takoma Park, MD

    2025 Rhizome DC, Montgomery College Student Exhibition, Washington, DC

    2025 Cafritz Foundation Art Center, Maze Gallery Student Exhibition, Takoma Park, MD

    2025 Montgomery Art Association, Spring Art Festival at Windridge Vineyards, Kensington, MD

    2025 Montgomery College, Art Walk How Do You Promote Change Exhibition, Rockville, MD

    2025 Montgomery College, Art Walk Gorilla Art, Rockville, MD 

    2025 Maryland Institute College of Art, Boundless, Baltimore MD

    2025 Maryland Institute College of Art, We Are Everywhere, Baltimore, MD

  • 2024 Edition Red Jacket Publication

    2024 May Edition JustLove Collection Publication

    2025 October Edition JustLove Collection Publication

    2025 Edition Red Jacket Publication

    2025 The Sligo Journal Publication