Tiare Ribeaux is a Kanaka Maoli filmmaker, artist, and creative producer based in Honolulu. Her work takes a decolonial approach to storytelling, using non-linear narratives inspired by elemental cycles to explore themes of transformation and healing. Ribeaux centers her stories on the deep connection between bodies, land, and water systems, integrating magical realism into her films. She employs speculative fiction and fantasy to reimagine present realities and envision future trajectories of land reclamation, restoration, queerness, and belonging.

Her work extends beyond film festivals, featuring in galleries and museums as multi-channel immersive installations and live cinematic performances. Ribeaux has showcased her projects nationally and internationally and is a recipient of numerous accolades, including the Creative Capital Award, the NDN Radical Imagination Grant, and the Sundance Native Lab Fellowship.

Commercial Support Coordinator, Kenan Advantage Group

My name is Timothy L. Johnson and I am the Commercial Support Coordinator at the Kenan Advantage Group with social media, marketing, communication, management and customer service experience with a technical degree in Radio & Television Broadcasting, an Associate degree of Arts and a Bachelor degree of Communication.

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

Discipline: Visual Arts

Tony A. Diego
Losfaz50@gmail.com

I am a local artist that has live and worked in Colorado for nearly 50 years. I have facilitated and directed youth Art and restitution programs in Denver and rural Colorado. My passions are art, travel, culture, and long hours listening to amazing music while working in my studio. I practice, and live a life that promotes connections and respect of our mother earth and the ancestors who have come before us and left a loving and healing legacy.

I am also passionate about facilitating art classes with youth and their families. Witnessing how art can literally brighten a room and experiencing firsthand the connection art inspires has been incredibly uplifting and rewarding to me in so many ways. Over the years I have curated art exhibits at several galleries in Colorado, organized and developed City Beautification projects in small rural towns such as Trinidad Colorado all while feeling the connection to community these projects promote. Colora

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Trent Segura is a researcher, writer, and artist based out of Denver and Saguache, Colorado. He works as an independent graphic designer and is a member of artist collective M12 Studio. He is also a colcha embroidery artist and co-coordinates the San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project. Colcha embroidery is a textile practice that came to Colorado’s San Luis Valley from Northern New Mexico in the 19th Century and has been shaped by revival movements into a pictorial art that often illustrates local architecture, landscapes, community traditions, personal narratives, and folklore.

Segura is heavily inspired by the work of his great aunt Tiva Trujillo who lived and worked in Saguache. He learned colcha embroidery from artist Delores Worley who was a member of the stitching circle La Costura de Saguache with Tiva. He has also received instruction from NEA Heritage Fellow Josephine Lobato.

Triza Cox is a producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, and actress who is currently Director of Outreach and Engagement for Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre and Artistic Director of The Drama Lady Theatre Group. She has worked as Associate Artistic Director of Theatre for Change at Imagination Stage and was the recipient of the 2022 South Carolina Art Commission Screenwriting Fellowship. She serves as an Ambassador for the Dramatists Guild, is an Associate member of the Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers, and is an Actors’ Equity Association member. Her research and creative work center on playmaking using Jungian archetypes, motifs, and symbols of the collective unconscious. Much of Triza’s work has been producing and directing professional tours of classic plays to Title I Schools and other efforts to democratize arts access. Triza holds an MFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Louisville and has trained with Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre and the Mandala Center for Change as a Theatre of the Oppressed Facilitator. Directing credits include Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Miss Julie, The Stone Host, and more. Her original plays include A Last Supper, Meritocracy, Melodies in E, God in the Midst of it All, and Lil’ Bard.

Vaimoana Oufi Khalil is an artist, educator, and performer whose work spans painting, mural-making, poetry, acting, and theater directing. Born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and raised in Hawaiʻi and Utah, she has spent more than 20 years teaching at colleges, universities, public schools, senior centers, and community centers across New York City.

Khalil earned her undergraduate degree in painting and performance from New York University, received the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship in painting and drawing at Yale University, and attended Columbia University’s graduate program in theater and acting.

She has created and led over 38 community murals around the world, including projects in Australia, Kenya, Jordan, New Zealand, Palestine, South Africa, and across the U.S. in California, New York, and Utah. She was a founding member of Mahina Movement (2000–2020), an all-BIPOC women’s music and poetry trio that performed on more than 700 stages in the U.S. and traveled to Ireland.

Khalil has written, performed in, and directed numerous theatrical productions at various venues, showcasing her dedication to storytelling and community art.

Discipline: Media Arts

Vicente Salas II, also known as “Ben,” is an indigenous Chamorro independent filmmaker, spoken word poet, hip hop artist, photographer, and writer with deep ties to Saipan, Guam, and Hawaii. A deeper dive into his familial roots also reveals a rich tapestry of Carolinian (Satawalese), Spanish, African, Filipino, and Scottish ancestry.

From an early age, he has traveled globally, fostering a lifelong passion for uniting diverse cultures and communities through a seamless blend of traditional and contemporary filmmaking and poetic arts. Beyond his cinematic endeavors, Salas’ career achievements include working as a journalist for publications like Marianas Variety and serving his native Marianas community as a former caseworker and indigenous Chamorro cultural advocate for the CNMI Indigenous Affairs Office. Today, he continues to create compelling film projects under his Todu Båli Media banner, dedicated to bridging cultures and inspiring meaningful connections through his art.

Vic is an artist originally from Michigan who moved to Vermont in late 2021. They have been involved in performing arts since their youth – ranging from dance, choir, band, theater and
DJing. No matter where they are located, Vic always strives to be a part of the community in some capacity through performing arts. Vic works as the Music Program Manager at BarnArts in Barnard, VT where they arrange a summer music series, music residencies, and school programs for rural schools. When not working, they enjoy attempting to teach themself instruments, crochet arts, and connecting with the land through gardening and communing with plants.

Discipline: Visual Arts

Victoria Joy Sewell, through a culturally diverse upbringing and following intuition, discovered a home in Saipan. Her art serves as a visual representation of sensations that transcend our immediate perception. We all experience moments when something within us undergoes a profound transformation due to a special connection.

Sewell’s pursuit is to capture these fleeting moments, aiming to offer viewers a sense of tranquility, healing, and self-connection. By embracing presence, they can contemplate the healing peace that arises when we recognize our inherent transcendence of the physical realm—a lesson deeply ingrained in her through Saipan, inspiring and informing her art, teaching and volunteering.

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Vincent J. Reyes is a cultural leader, Master of Chamoru Dance, and creative director whose work focuses on national identity, cultural sovereignty, and institution-building through the performing arts. A native of the southern village of Malesso’, Reyes has dedicated his life to creating systems, spaces, and pathways that ensure Chamoru culture is seen, valued, and sustained on both national and international stages.

As the national folk dance director for the Department of Chamorro Affairs, Reyes is spearheading the development of the Guam Museum National Theater, a landmark initiative envisioned as a national home for Chamoru performance, storytelling, and artistic excellence. His creative philosophy views cultural performing arts not just as tools for preservation or presentation, but as instruments of empowerment, identity formation, and nationhood—affirming that culture is both living and foundational to self-determination.

Reyes is the founder and director of the Inetnon Gefpa’go Cultural Arts Program, which has served as a cultural institution for more than 25 years, nurturing generations of artists while establishing standards of authenticity, innovation, and excellence. Through international representation, leadership development, and large-scale cultural programming, he has created enduring pipelines that elevate local artists into national and global ambassadors.

Having represented Guam in more than 43 countries, Reyes continues to build platforms where Chamoru identity is not only remembered but actively shaped, expressed, and carried forward for future generations.

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Vogue M. Robinson is an author, poet, performer, teaching artist, and creativity enabler who deeply values people who put truth and heart into words. She inspires and empowers others by leading through example and providing resources that help artists create work they can take pride in.

Robinson served as Clark County, Nevada’s poet laureate from 2017 to 2019 and is the first Black woman to receive the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award. She is the author of the poetry collection Vogue 3:16, Vol. 1. Her work is influenced by Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Patricia Smith, Suzi Q. Smith, Danez Smith, and her grandmother, Martina Carpenter.

Her poetry has been featured in numerous anthologies, including The Beautiful, Legs of Tumbleweeds, Wings of Lace, Sandstone and Silver, and A Change Is Gonna Come. Known for being humorous, vulnerable, and empowering, Robinson’s writing and performances resonate deeply with her audiences.

When she’s not writing, Robinson enjoys spending time with her family or experimenting with fluid art techniques. Learn more about her work at www.vogue316.com.

Arts Manager, Cheyenne River Youth Project

An enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. During the Indian Relocation Act, his Até (father) was sent to California, where Wakinyan was born and raised — and where he learned the art of graffiti, which inspired him to experiment with multiple disciplines, mediums, and styles. Over the years, Wakinyan has participated in multiple art shows and graffiti jams, taught graffiti workshops, designed and sold his personal art, and worked as a commissioned artist. He continues to enjoy painting graffiti and creating multimedia art.

In 2016 Wakinyan moved back to South Dakota to dedicate his life to the betterment of the Lakota people. For two years, he worked as a youth mentor with Generations Indigenous Ways, a year-round Lakota youth camp that strives to educate and empower Lakota youth with the knowledge and skills their ancestors possessed, incorporating those traditional ways and teachings with western science methodology. Wakinyan also has worked with the Oglala Lakota Cultural & Economic Revitalization Initiative, which hosted the Indigenous Wisdom & Permaculture Skills Convergence in Slim Buttes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

As CRYP’s arts manager, Wakinyan is responsible for leading operations at the Waniyetu Wowapi Institute & Art Park, a multidisciplinary, community-based initiative that seeks to strengthen the connection of Lakota youth and the Cheyenne River community to traditional culture and life ways through art. The institute incorporates the Lakota Art Fellowship program, the Teen Art Internship program, the award-winning RedCan invitational graffiti jam, the free public art park, and a variety of community classes and events. Wakinyan has also led CRYP’s Food Sovereignty, Native Wellness, and Lakota Culture Internship.

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

William Jr. (Repeki) Adrillano is a carver based on the island of Saipan. A new local artist, he works primarily with shells, stone, and other natural island materials to create wearable pieces inspired by sinåhi forms, ocean movement, and the cultural strength of the Marianas. He shares his work through his artist page, Sinåhi Marianas, and is an active member of the community artist collective Alåhas Di Marianas, where members gather to carve, exchange skills, and invite others—especially youth—to learn this hands-on craft.

Outside of his art practice, Adrillano owns a small local business, Marianas Power Wash, which allows him to support his family while staying present in their lives. His goal is not to chase excess but to sustain his family with just enough while prioritizing family, culture, and community.

As a father, Adrillano’s deepest motivation is to leave his son a good pattern to follow—one rooted in creativity, responsibility, cultural pride, and showing up every day with purpose.

Discipline: Crafts

William Junior (Repeki) Adrillano is a cultural artisan from the village of Tanapag, Saipan. Taught by a wide circle of family and friends, he practices traditional weaving, carving, and other indigenous crafts.

Adrillano honors the many mentors who shaped his journey by sharing his work with others. While he finds joy in creating for loved ones, he now hopes to connect more deeply with his community through his art. Inspired by Acts 20:35, he believes “there is more happiness in giving than in receiving,” and seeks to pass on the beauty of Chamorro and Carolinian traditions.

Visual Artist, Curator, and Artistic Director, InterUrban ArtHouse

I am a mostly self – taught artist born and raised in Kansas City, MO. I come from a creative family on my father’s side. He, his mother, and all of his 4 siblings are / were visual artists or musicians. I attended the Kansas City Art Institute briefly, found that it wasn’t for me, and went on to create and participate in the arts on my own terms. Much of my early work was afrocentric, focusing on masks, adornment, and the diaspora, while still remaining largely abstract. I showed in mostly Black spaces or in spaces that centered people of color, as the more mainstream venues seemed so out of reach. I worked retail, went to culinary school, and became a chef, all while trying to keep up my art practice. I participated in, and eventually became Director of GLOW, a body painting company of painters and models. About 6 years ago, I received a call from the Founder of the Interurban ArtHouse. I’d produced a show for her in the past and she was looking for someone to help her run the organization. I am now the Artistic Director for the InterUrban ArtHouse and in charge of exhibitions, programming, and off site corporate curation.

A native of Bamberg, SC, Xavier Blake earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Newberry College and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from the University of South Florida. He spent over two decades at South Carolina Educational Television, working with creatives and communities creating and amplifying representative content, leading to important community conversations.

Driven by his passion to infuse diversity into leadership and content creation spaces, he most recently held positions as the Community Programming & Engagement Coordinator at Nickelodeon Theater and the Content and Engagement Manager at WMHT. He also serves as a creative mentor for the South Carolina Arts Commission, The Art of Community: Rural SC, which helps advance creative placemaking initiatives in rural South Carolina.

Blake believes that centering historically marginalized voices is imperative to build the kind of society where everyone is able to thrive.

Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of One Columbia for Arts and Culture, the city’s local arts agency. Xavier is committed to collaborating with citizens, the cultural community, and city government, with the mission of enhancing the quality of life for all residents, attracting tourism, building sustainable and equitable pipelines for artists, and connecting our diverse cultural community.

Arts & Culture Manager

Yasmin Ruvalcaba is a Portland-based director, writer, consultant, and arts advocate. She centers her work around advancing equity, honoring mentorship and education, and promoting community outreach and engagement. Yasmin is currently working at Centro Cultural as the Arts & Culture Manager. Previously, Yasmin has worked with Advance Gender Equity in the Arts as the Grants Program Director and Bag&Baggage as the Problem Play Project Manager. She is also honored to be a co-founding member of Moriviví Theatre.
Yasmin has also engaged with her community through directing. Through her time at Williams College she directed El Nogalar and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. In Portland, she has directed The Tempest (Bag&Baggage). She was also honored to be the assistant director of Wolf at the Door (Milagro), La Ruta (Artists Repertory Theatre) and La Isla En Inviero/The Island in Winter (Bag&Baggage).
Yasmin is also an active writer in the community. Two of her monologues, Carmelita and Ruega Por Mi, were featured in Theatre Diaspora’s Here on This Bridge: The -ism Project. Yasmin has also had the opportunity to workshop her work with the Northwest Theatre Workshop. Yasmin also premiered a Dia de los Muertos performance, EL JIMADAOR, in partnership with Bag&Baggage and Centro Cultural in 2020.

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

Yumi Janairo Roth’s research-based practice includes projects built around social engagement and site-specific installation. She has produced and exhibited works in the US, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Philippines. She has engaged Manila-based artists, call center agents, jeepney drivers, and artisans in projects that explore labor, creative exchange, and cultural translation. Since 2017, she has worked closely with professional sign spinners in southern California, Las Vegas, and Denver and developed collaborations between sign spinners and professional dancers, conversations between sign spinners and contemporary art curators, engagements with audiences, and participation in professional sign spinning competitions. More recently, she and Emmanuel David have developed, “”We Are Coming,”” which unearths the stories of a group of Filipinos, known as the Filipino Rough Riders, who performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in the 19th century.

Grants and Services Manager

Yurika Isoe is the Grants and Services Manager at the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. Yurika partners with executive leadership, including Executive Director Adriana Gallegos to administer transformative grantmaking to excel recovery, innovation, and growth of the artistic sector to the highest potential in Southern Arizona. Yurika has managed the equitable distribution of over $2.3M of Federal CARES funds in the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for increased direct investments to artists resulting in a 20% increased investments in artist-led community initiatives. By spearheading applicant service initiatives, Arts Foundation’s grantee profile averages 75%, non-white grantees.

Prior to joining Arts Foundation, Yurika served on the Board of Directors of Warehouse Arts Management Organization (WAMO) as Vice President- a creative spacemaking organization overlooking the acquisition and renovation of commercial property into artist studio spaces and galleries. As an artist, she works in sewing/embroidery through a circular economy lens and organized art events by participating as a cooperative member of SUBSPACE Arts Collective. Yurika has a BBA from the University of Arizona- Eller College of Management. Yurika holds space in an intersection of identities as a Japanese-Okinawan Muslim born in the settler-colonial United States.

Discipline: Interdisciplinary

Yvonne Onakeme Etaghene is an Ijaw Urhobo Nigerian dyke poet, performer, author, dancer, playwright, visual artist and fashion designer. Etaghene is the author of For Sizakele, a novel that addresses African lesbian/bisexual identity, love, intimate partner violence, and gender. Yvonne’s writing is published in five poetry chapbooks; and her poems, essays and fiction featured in various journals/anthologies.

Etaghene has shared her visual art in five solo art exhibitions. Etaghene created Ankara Queen by Yv. Etaghene, a fashion line exploring the nexus between Nigerian aesthetics, gender expression and self-acceptance. Yvonne hosts the NIGERIAN DYKE REALNESS Podcast.

Yvonne received a B.A. from Oberlin College, a Master’s degree from New York University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Etaghene is a Svane Family Foundation Inaugural Artist in Headlands Center for the Arts’ Bay Area Fellowship. www.myloveisaverb.com, www.nigeriandykerealness.com