Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Music

Margarita Dancel DBA World Theater Productions

Executive Director and Curator, Coleman Center for the Arts

Dr. Marguerite Hinrichs is an innovative, energetic leader with over 20 years of experience as a higher education administrator, public relations/marketing consultant, and social media marketing professor before relocating to the Black Belt from Oakland, California to serve as the Executive Director of the Coleman Center for the Arts. Dr. Hinrichs brings with her a wealth of arts and entertainment, public relations and marketing, and community engagement experience. She She holds a B.A. in Communication, an M.S. in Recreation and Tourism, and an Ed.D. in Education, with an emphasis in Educational Leadership for Social Justice. A lifelong performing artist with an art-centered family, Dr. Hinrichs is committed to empowering and transforming the community through arts education and admmistration.

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Maria “”Lia”” Barcinas is an indigenous Chamorro fiber artist from the Mariana Islands. Her art seeks to celebrate the Oceanic legacies of utilizing the environment for both sustainability and art.

Marissel holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies from The Graduate Center, CUNY. She is a Black Puerto Rican Independent Scholar and Afrofeminist currently serving as a Senior Program Associate at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI). Marissel is one of the recipients of the prestigious 2022 Soros Equality Fellowship for her project Saberes Afrorriqueños, a digital project that seeks to advance racial equity through art and culture She is also the founder and coordinator of the projects De coco y anís. Proyecto Cortijo Marissel has presented her work in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and the United States. She also relates to a general audience through op-eds published in the newspapers Claridad, Revista Marea, Afroféminas y Afrocubanas, and La Revista, addressing issues of racism and anti-racism and Blackness in Puerto Rico. Among her passion for music, food, Brazilian literature, and sci-fi, is her activism to eradicate racism by dismantling the established narrative.

Discipline: Interdisciplinary

Mary Zhang is an accomplished artist and cultural enthusiast residing in Spokane, Washington. Over the past eight years, she has served as Director of the Spokane Chinese Dance Group (SCDG), where she has exhibited exceptional artistic skills in Chinese dancing, as well as leadership and organizational abilities in community service. She has organized and coordinated over 48 cultural exchange events with various local organizations, including senior centers, schools, libraries, cultural fairs, and holiday celebrations. Under her guidance, the SCDG has performed over 150 diverse dance performances, including Classical Han Dynasty dance, Qipao Dance, Tibetan dance, and Mongolian dance. Mary has been a Vice President of the Spokane Chinese Association since 2014, contributing significantly to the organization and the Spokane Chinese community at large. In recognition of her artistic talents, Mary was awarded the Spokane Arts grantee of Mary’s Chinese Dance Studio for the year 2022-2023.

MaryDanceStudio

Discipline: Literature

Mestre Jamaika (Mauro Romualdo) is an internationally recognized practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian art form of capoeira, and has engaged and positively impacted students and audiences of all ages and backgrounds for over 30 years. Born in the heart of capoeira’s birthplace and his ancestral land, he discovered his passion for capoeira as a young child. His exceptional skill and explosive acrobatic talent put him on the world stage, and he was invited to live and teach in Israel in 1998, followed by an invitation to teach in the United States where he has lived since 1999. He’s a three-time Brazilian Capoeira Confederation Champion, and director of Salt Lake Capoeira since 2005. Additionally, he has inspired video game characters, lectured at universities, and participated in documentaries, music videos, and podcasts. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Amanda, and will continue honoring his roots by sharing his culture and strengthening the community through these arts.

Maya Simone Z., New York City, New York
Artist & Independent Producer
Maya Simone was born and raised in the suburbs of Georgia, and has lived and worked in NYC for over five years as an artist, performer, advocate and arts administrator. They have enjoyed working with Sydnie L. Mosley, Jasmine Hearn, Lisa Fagan, Cinthia Chen, and others. They have had the pleasure of working as an arts administrator and freelancer with NY-based artists including André Zachery (Renegade Performance Group), Edisa Weeks (DELIRIOUS Dances), zavé martohardjono, Nia Witherspoon and more. They are a practicing artist, producer, and collaborator that enjoys working closely with BIPOC artists in creative and producing capacities. Learn more about their work and follow their journey at www.mayasimonez.com

Discipline: Visual Arts

Micah BlackLight can perhaps be described as a defiant, volcanic force of Nature’s creation, wearing the body of a brown-skinned catalyst and bursting with perpetual enthusiasm. A multi-media, multi-platform, multi-dimensional artist, writer, orator, coach, mentor, and fashion designer proficient in a myriad of mediums: visual, graphic, audible and otherwise. He is determined to create as many different works of art in as many mediums as possible while detonating spirits along the way and leaving trails of empowering, inspiring experiences in his wake like a spirit boat on the lake of existence.