Grantees & Fellows

Co-Owner, Tri-Phoenix Media

My creative professional journey began as a youth. I am a creative professional and community and cultural advocate. In 2010 My company Tri-Phoenix Group, LLC was created and have since worked on a number of solo and collaborative projects. I use visual art to express my work. I am also a writer/poet/speaker and mixed media artist. I started the business to assist Independent artists and DJ’s with branding, social media, promotions, personal/professional development, artist management and PR. The company was also a platform for me to perform poetry and speaking skills. I have had the pleasure of writing blogs, newsletters and plays. In addition to my work I own and operate an internet radio station, and host a weekly YouTube show.

From small, solo projects to creative collaborations, I’m always looking for the chance to explore new techniques and learn something new that I can apply to my work. When I learn and cultivate something, I want to share with others. I believe in being a service to people. I can serve with artistic expression and skill.

Abigail Gómez is a Latine visual artist, teaching artist, arts advocate, nonprofit founder, and the owner and artist at Pretty Girl Painting, LLC. She earned a BFA from Virginia Tech in 2007. She studied at Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy in 2003. In December 2015 she was awarded an MFA in painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco CA.

Abigail teaches art in the community through Pretty Girl Painting, Fremont Street Nursery, and Arte Libre VA. She is also a Professor of Art and Design at Shenandoah University. At SU she is developing a BA program in Art and Design within an equity framework. She is also a COIL Fellow, Shenandoah Conversations Fellow, recipient of the 22/23 Faculty Development Grant, and leads study abroad trips for students to countries in Latin America.

Recently Abigail founded Arte Libre VA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that empowers Latinx/e, Black, and Youth of Color through equitable access to quality arts education and programming. At Arte Libre VA, Abigail serves as the Executive Director and Chief Visionary, Maestra Principal. She facilitates and runs the visual arts-based programing offered tuition-free. She manages paid internships for Youth of the Global Majority, as well as the management and training of Teaching Artists and Assistant Teaching Artists, all of whom are paid. Through Arte Libre VA, Abigail has managed and facilitated over 30 collaborative and participatory public art projects and murals in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Education Manager, The Steel Yard

Adam Chuong is a Teochew American artist and educator whose work explores objects as containers for identity, grief, and care. As a child of refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia, the act of making heals their relationship to their cultural identity, once estranged by displacement and trauma.

Through the production of Taoist & Buddhist ritual and domestic objects, they seek to gain a deeper understanding of cultural practices and make new meanings from traditional forms. Queerness⁠—the agency to reinvent and rebirth⁠— mediates the recovery of their cultural identity; traditional patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist values are eschewed in favor of calls for softness, care, and intimacy.

Having been estranged from knowledge bearers of Asian culture, access to traditions is often through the lens of white appropriation and reinterpretation. Thus, publishing and circulation of zines is integral to their practice, in order to reclaim, circulate, and archive marginalized knowledges.

Writer, Performer, Comedian

Adonis Holmes is a Writer, Performer, and Comedian out of Chicago. Adonis graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and has been featured in several sketch shows throughout the city, including Chicago Sketch Fest and the Best of Annoyance sketch show. Adonis was a featured performer and writer for the Second City’s Black Excellence Revue, ‘Dance Like There Are Black People Watching’ and is currently acting as understudy for the Mainstage production of ‘Don’t Quit Your Daydream’. Along with Co-founding and directing of the All-Black improv show ‘Satirical Race Theory’, Adonis is a member of Devil’s Daughter Improv, the Improv trope The Mermaids, a 2022 Bob Curry Fellow, and is the Co-Artistic Director of the iO Theater.

Discipline: Crafts

Aisha is a studio and public artist working primarily in clay and bronze. She discovered clay in a community studio, while working toward a degree in Spanish at Grinnell College in Iowa. After graduating, she spent the next two years teaching third and fourth grades in Atlanta, Georgia, and exploring clay at Callenwolde Fine Arts Center in Georgia, and Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Aisha decided to go back to school and received a BFA from Washington State University, and an MFA from University of Nebraska- Lincoln. She is currently working on a large-scale outdoor public art commission with The University of Washington Tacoma and the Washington State Arts Commission. Her studio work is shown nationally with recent work at The Whatcom Museum, The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts, Crocker Art Museum, Northern Clay Center, Wa Na Wari, Bainbridge Museum of Art, Jordan Schnitzer Museum at WSU, and at the Leonor R. Fuller Gallery at South Sound Community College.

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

Akilah Martinez (artist name: Glittering World Girl) is an award-winning Diné artist, creative technologist and cultural bearer who focuses on Indigenous language & culture revitalization through video art and XR technology. Akilah holds a BFA from The University of New Mexico.

Akilah’s lifelong goal to use modern media to perpetuate the Navajo language & culture began at the young age of 3, after constantly witnessing her Grandparents (unilingual Diné bizaad speakers) have to watch TV programming only offered in English.

The 2019 Crux XR Immersive Technology Fellowship enabled Akilah to travel between NYC and LA to learn from leading XR technologists, social entrepreneurs and impact investors. Akilah is a recipient of Fulcrum Fund 2022, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT 2022, The Artizen Fund 2023, 2024 New Mexico Women in Tech Emerging Leader Award, is a guest speaker at the MIT XR Reality Hackathon and a current 2024 City of Albuquerque UETF Resiliency Artist in Residence.

Alexandra James, is a Southern Maine-born maker, mover and mother. As an independent artist, she’s engaged with improvisation and interdisciplinary investigation, the interrogation of pedagogy and craft, seeking liberation through the integrity of embodied knowledge and the sharing of practice. In addition to her role as BDF’s Director of Training Programs, Alexandra is a professor of dance at Bates, and artistic director of a youth Hip Hop company. Her work has been presented in Chicago, New York and South Africa, with a teaching practice that carries her nationally. She earned her BFA from the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago in 2009.

Membership and Operations Coordinator, Benvenuti Arts

Alicia Margarita Olivo (theythem) is a Houston-based Mexican American playwright, performer, and weather enjoyer, whose work focuses on the fiery interactions between identity, gender, rage, and memory. Alicia’s plays have been developed and received readings with Stages, Company One Theater, The Workshop Theater, Teatro Chelsea, Telatúlsa, AlterTheater, and The Inkwell Theater. Alicia is the Membership and Operations Coordinator at Benvenuti Arts, an arts consulting company for small and mighty arts orgs. B.A. Wellesley College. Alicia loves talking about comic books, good food, and the weather. @aliciamargaritx / amolivo.com

Community Capacity Building Nonprofit Professional

I am a Community Capacity Building nonprofit professional with experience in program design and strategy, ecosystem building, and art programming. I’m passionate about advocating for communities of color, women, queer, and poor working-class folks that have historically been on the margins. I’ve devoted much of my research and expertise to teams that enhance on-the-ground storytelling, arts, and community engagement to strengthen equity amongst large metropolitan areas from the East Coast to Mississippi. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies & Production and African American studies from Temple University, I have consistently made it my goal to tie in art creation and curation with collaborative problem-solving. I enjoy working with teams of people, mentoring high school students in film and directly servicing underserved communities. I also live for live soul music, roller skating, cycling and film.

With a decade of experience in the design field, Ámbar holds a BFA in Design & Digital Arts from the School of Fine Arts & Design of Puerto Rico (Escuela de Artes Plásticas & Diseño de Puerto Rico), graduating as Summa Cum Laude. Ámbar has been recognized with grants from organizations such as the Luis A. Ferré Foundation (Fundación Luis A Ferré) and Seguros Múltiples of Puerto Rico. She has also earned several awards, including the People’s Choice Award from the Collective Exhibition “El Bizarro” during the Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest. One of her artworks is featured in the Contemporary Puerto Rican Art Collection (Colección de Arte Puertorriqueño Contemporáneo). Her work has been displayed in respected galleries like Exhibixiones del Plata, Lorenzo Homar Gallery (Galería Lorenzo Homar) at the School of Fine Arts & Design of Puerto Rico, and the Museum of the Americas at the Ballajá Barracks (Museo Las Américas, Cuartel de Ballajá). She received the Audience Choice award at the 2021 Circus International Film Festival for her work in Sound Mixing and Film Editing on the short film “Isla Bonita Circus Tour” for the National Circus School of Puerto Rico. For a duration of two years, Ámbar served on the Faculty of the International School of Design & Architecture (Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Arquitectura) within the SUAGM (Sistema Universitario Ana. G. Méndez). Ámbar is also part of The Currier Collective board from the Currier Museum of Art, where she advocates for the recognition of diversity and culture in Manchester, New Hampshire. She currently works at BOLD as a Product Designer focusing on UI/UX and visual branding.

Amy June is the artist, activist and seed keeper behind Bluejacket Handcraft and Good Way Farm in Lawrence, KS. She also serves as Land Relations Specialist at the Land Institute, engaging in the cultural piece of agriculture. She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area and relocated to Kansas in 2023, making her new home on Kaw, Osage and Kickapoo territories. While rooted heavily in photography, she enjoys a multidisciplinary approach to applied research and craft. Her work is largely informed by her mixed heritage as an enrolled member of the Eastern Shawnee Nation of Oklahoma and queer identity. Her work addresses themes of racial and social justice, Indigenous self-determination and food sovereignty.

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

I was born and raised on the island of Guam. I’ve been an Elementary ESL teacher for 28 years. My hobby is dot painting Guam landscapes and symbols representing the indigenous Chamorro culture. I desire to promote the Chamorro culture through art and share my love of dot painting and art in general with my students.

Program Manager- Artists of Color Accelerate Fellowship, The 224 EcoSpace

Andre Rochester is a Fine Artist from the Greater Hartford region of Connecticut. He studied illustration at the University of Connecticut: School of Fine Arts and completed his BA in Studio Art at Charter Oak State College. He also earned a MS in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University. His preferred medium is acrylic painting. Andre uses his art to make statements for which words are not enough, highlighting the underlying emotions connected to the subject. It is a combination of portraiture and conceptual works connected by narratives of his personal experiences. At a young age, art became a tool for healing and catalyst for connection. It developed into a way for Andre to let people know they are not alone in this journey through life.

In addition to working as a Fine Art Painter, Muralist, and Teaching Artist, Andre is the Program Manager for the Artists of Color Accelerate Fellowship. He is a board member at Windsor Art Center in Windsor, CT where he is the Curatorial Chair, board member at the Connecticut Arts Alliance, and Board Elector at Wadsworth Atheneum. He has also served on the City of Hartford Commission on Cultural Affairs (2014-2015). Andre also assists emerging artists with portfolio development, curation, and consultation for exhibits. He encourages young artists to develop their craft without losing focus on learning professionalism and business acumen. He believes that with every step forward, we must clear a path for others to join us.

Deputy Director of Operations & Strategic Partnerships, Indiana Arts Commission

André Zhang Sonera joined the Indiana Arts Commission in July 2022 as Deputy Director of Operations and Strategic Partnerships. Originally from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, André received his Master in Public Affairs in Policy Analysis from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University in 2021. His previous work experiences at the White House, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations, the Office of the Indiana Lt. Governor, and the City of Indianapolis Mayor’s Office have nurtured his passion for public service and government.

In his spare time, he proudly serves as a Big Brother for BBBS of Central Indiana and sits on the IndyHub Foundation Boards of Directors.

Arts Education Manager, Breckenridge Creative Arts

Andrea Edwards (artistically known as Drea E.) was born, bred and educated in Seattle, Washington. She graduated Cum Laude from Seattle University earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts of Photography. In college she spent a semester abroad studying art & national identity in New Delhi, India. Post graduation, she spent a year serving in AmeriCorps at Youth Villages Inner Harbor campus, a treatment facility for youth with severe emotional and behavioral challenges. There, she led teenagers in a project linking themes of compassion, art and service. Following her service year, she participated in a 6 month artist residency in Navasota, Texas, creating a body of work about Mance Lipscomb, a local black sharecropper and blues musician turned small town folk hero; responsible for Navasota being dubbed as the “”Blues Capital of Texas””. In 2017, Andrea moved to Colorado to take a seasonal job as a Craft Shop Supervisor for the YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. From there, she found part time employment at Breckenridge Creative Arts where she was quickly promoted to full time positions as part of their programming team. In her own art practice, Andrea has shifted from photography to more interdisciplinary work. Due to the loss of her mother in February 2019, she’s recently been exploring themes of grief as handled across varying cultures, working paper as an affordable medium but also symbolically paralleling humanity in many respects. https://www.dreae.com/Mixed-Media

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Angelina Ramirez is a flamenco dancer, teaching artist and producer living in Tucson, Arizona.Ramirez’s artistic work explores what it means to be a queer, latina flamenca, practicing in a traditional Roma/gitano form of dance.As a teaching artist, she is interested in the intersections of arts and healing, focusing on work with elders of all abilities and integrated flamenco with autistic individuals.She is devoted to promoting accessibility and eradicating ableism, racism and bigotry by practicing and promoting dialogue, acceptance and community participation.Ramirez is an original member of Yjastros, the American Flamenco Repertory Company and has toured with world-renowned, New York-based company Noche Flamenca. Ramirez is a 2022 Dance/USA Artist Fellow.In 2021, she received the Master-Apprentice Artist through Southwest Folklife Alliance for her dedication and commitment to flamenco arts. Ramirez is a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures fellow.

Associate Educator of Teen Programs,, Milwaukee Art Museum

Anika Kowalik, Associate Educator of Teen Programs, coordinates the Teen Internship program and works directly with teens. Kowalik is a Black and Queer Multidisciplinary Artist residing in Milwaukee. They hold a BFA in Printmaking from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. In their practice, they address creating safe space, representation and acknowledgement of disadvantaged communities, and programming encompassing these themes. They have a myriad of ties within communities that MAM directly serves as a result of years of interfacing with these communities as an artist. They’ve championed intersectional, anti-racist, and holistic care practices for local organizations such as Cactus Club Milwaukee, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Kowalik completed training from the Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin for a Childhood Development certification in early 2022 and has experience in public health evaluation as a Project Assistant for Jael Solutions LLC for the Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change, Health and Equity Grantees. The multiplicity and richness within their background brings a needs-based approach to teen programs reflective of equity driven approaches to education. Overall, they want teens to see themselves in art careers by providing a fulfilling experience for all involved.

Community Engagement Coordinator, American Players Theatre

Anna Gonzalez (she/her) is the Community Engagement Coordinator at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Lawrence University, a Masters of Arts in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, and an MFA in Shakespeare in Performance at Mary Baldwin University. Previous theatre production experience includes working as Wardrobe Supervisor at Glimmerglass Opera, American Shakespeare Center, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Before returning to the Midwest, Anna worked as a First Grade Teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada for eight years teaching 6-years-olds how to read and be kind. Anna strives to support inclusion, representation, and belonging in order to make theatre more accessible for historically excluded audiences and is passionate about engaging in collaboration to bring audiences into community together around the shared experience of theatre.

Executive Director, World Arts West

Dr. Anne Huang is the Executive Director of World Arts West, a 46 year old arts organization that supports cultural artists sustaining the world’s diverse dance traditions. In 2019 Dr. Huang was appointed the first person of color and cultural artist to lead World Arts West. Under Dr. Huang’s equity and inclusion focus, World Arts West has undergone a transformative equity journey. Huang is the former Executive Director of the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), one of the largest pan-Asian cultural centers in the U.S. During her tenure, she transformed OACC from an organization in financial crisis into a thriving cultural institution serving 50,000 people per year. She has supported many key cultural institutions in California and beyond, such as Parangal, Cuicacalli, Arenas Dance Company, Afro Urban Society, Diamano Coura West African Dance, and others. As a thought leader with deep knowledge of challenges and solutions for cultural artists in the 21st century, Huang has presented for Grantmakers in the Arts, National Association of Latino Arts & Culture, Arts Administrator of Color Network, Northern California Grantmakers, International Association of Blacks in Dance, and other convenings. She is a NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute Fellow, an Organizing Fellow for the Greater Bay Area Arts and Cultural Advocacy Coalition, and a member of the Dance/USA Board of Trustees.

Curator and Founder, Prisma Art Projects

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, 1987. Finished a Bachelor’s in Graphics Arts from the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina and graduated with a Masters in Fine Art with concentration in Photography from Miami International University of Art and Design.

Started her career as independent curator and arts administrator at Vargas Gallery, FL in 2012. Has served as project coordinator and grant writer at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for the past 6 years. Saldaña is the founder of Prisma Art Projects, artist-run organization focused on supporting contemporary emerging artists through curated exhibitions and events. As arts administrator has participated in various professional development programs such as NALAC’s Leadership Institute. Has introduced two international art and photography movements to the PR community: 24hourproject and Free Art Fridays.

As an artist, Saldaña has participated in many exhibitions in Puerto Rico, United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany, including her latest solo show at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago and group shows such as Bienal SalaFAR at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Bienal de Fotografía at Museo de Las Americas in San Juan, Miami Independent Thinkers in Miami and PINTA Art Fair in London.