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.

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Mari Griffin is an artist, spoken word performer, and entrepreneur dedicated to uplifting Black and BIPOC creatives. As the founder and event director of Black Night Market, she curates cultural experiences that celebrate art, music, and community.

Through her leadership, Griffin has produced events such as the Soul Food Festival, Poetry After Dark, and the Black Art Soiree, providing platforms for artists to thrive. Her work empowers emerging talent while promoting economic and social equity.

Griffin was honored as a recipient of the Creative West Artist Fund in 2025. She continues to inspire through storytelling, event production, and artistic expression.

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.

Maria Nancy Thomas is a photographer born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and based in South Phoenix, Arizona. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Thomas’ photographs reflect the acculturation of her Mexican and American experiences. Focusing on portraiture, her work examines gender roles, stereotypes, cultural parallels, and social issues.

 

Her artwork has been exhibited at Arizona State University’s Gallery 100, the New School for the Arts and Academics, Yuma Art Center, Phoenix Center for the Arts, the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center, the Alice Gallery in Washington, and other venues.

Discipline: Visual Arts

Benito is a member of the Houpolowat clan and canoehouse, Utt Wenimai. He also belongs to Utt Hopweilal. Benito was educated in the Weriyang school of navigation and as a child studied under some of the most famous and revered old-time navigators from Polowat, including Hipour Edward and Manipy Rapung. As an adult, Benito studied with the late Teo Onopey and Rainam Edward.

A long time cameraman, photographer, and archivist of Polowat images based in Saipan, Benito was the lead photographer for the documentary “Sacred Vessels: Navigating Tradition and Identity in Micronesia” (1997) and shot for many visiting documentary teams over the past two decades. Benito serves as an informal ambassador of Polowat seafarers in Saipan, served as one of the coordinators and translators in the building of the Lien Polowat in 2012 and its sail to Guam and final resting place at the Oceanic Culture Museum in Okinawa in 2013. In 2016, Benito was one of five navigators ordained by Grandmaster Navigator Rainam Edward of Polowat.

In 2023, Benito sailed from Palau to the CNMI and in 2024, in Hawaiʻi during the Festival of the Pacific Arts and Culture. Benito teaches Basic Traditional Navigation at 500 Sails in Saipan.

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: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Mary Elizabeth is an employee at the Rota Mayors office under the leadership of Mayor Aubrey M. Hocog. She is the supervisor under the hospitality division, they are responsible for maintaining and cultivating traditional chamorro medicine at the “Hatdin Åmut CHamorru”.

She and her team facilitate demonstrations in the islands of the CNMI and the island of Guam. She and her team also work together to provide demonstrations for the students at PSS events and accept requests to make chamorro medicine for the community. She thanks her grandparents for providing her the knowledge about chamorro medicine and how to make them.

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: Dance

Matauaina Gwendolyn To’omalatai Whitcombe is the President and Creative Director of Teine Lalelei Dance Academy, which she co-founded with her husband, Terrence Whitcombe, in August 2019 in American Samoa. The academy has grown to include around 80 dance students. Whitcombe established the academy with a heartfelt mission: “to preserve our culture one siva at a time.” Having studied dance in O’ahu, Hawaiʻi, under the guidance of many skilled kumu (dance instructors), she draws from her rich experience in various Polynesian dance styles. Teine Lalelei Dance Academy offers a diverse range of dance lessons on the island. Over her six years in American Samoa, the academy has aimed not only to teach dance but also to enlighten young women about the diverse cultures of the Pacific, helping them cultivate an appreciation for their heritage and cultural values.

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