Marissa's academic focus is the contemporary art and culture of the Caribbean Basin. She sees this region as malleable and expansive, not just limited to the Antilles but including locales in South America such as Cartagena de Indias, Colombia and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, not to mention the Caribbean coast of Central America as well as metropolitan areas in the continental United States such as New Orleans and New York City. Her particular interest is in representations of queerness, race, and gender within contemporary Caribbean art and literature, not only observing the obvious commonalities that tie these cultures together but also taking a critical look at what makes the artistic production of each Caribbean locale unique in its own right.
