Lofanitani Aisea is a Black Indigenous interdisciplinary multimedia experimental performance artist, filmmaker, and storyteller. She is Modoc, Klamath, Tahlequah, Black, and Tongan. Aisea’s work combines film, movement, and sound to transform cultural memory into immersive experiences, centering joy as a radical act of reclamation.
Using an experimental lens, she examines identity, intergenerational storytelling, and the ways histories are archived, embodied, and reimagined.
I am a daughter of a man who at 19 ruptured ancestral links and converted to Christianity in 1937, the very year Dominicans who shared his polytheistic faith or were Black as he were massacred alongside an estimated 15,000 to 35,000 others profiled as Haitian.
I am the daughter of an Afro-Indigenous Dominican woman who only on the sly admitted she inherited an ability to commune with spirits.
From both parents I learned of the complexities of identity, of the plight of those who stray from the normative and prescribed, of the need for narratives that honor lived experiences and counter whitewashed histories.
My art and cultural activism center the voices and histories of Afro-Latinx erased although 2/3 of an estimated twelve million who survived the trans-Atlantic slave trade were shipped to Spanish speaking America where slavery persisted for about 350 years.
My novel Geographies of Home explores racial identities. My upcoming nonfiction book Beyond the Pale won a PEN America 2019 Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History.
Beyond that I am a native of Quisqueya divvied by colonialism into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I am an immigrant and an American whose Latinidad and Americaniidad are called into question due to race. I am a sister, aunt, friend, scholar, cultural activist who believes in community. I also believe art is a form of restorative justice able to nurture the soul, spark informed dialogues, address inequities, and foster collective healing.
Loida Maritza Pérez is the Founder and Executive Director of AfroMundo. A native of the Dominican Republic, she is an independent scholar, cultural activist and author of Geographies of Home, a novel published in the United States and abroad. Her upcoming book, Beyond the Pale, won a PEN America 2019 Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History. Her work has appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review, Latina, MaComere, Meridians, Edinburgh Review, Bomb, Callaloo and Best of Callaloo. A 2022-2023 National Leaders of Color Fellow, she has received awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with University of New Mexico and Rutgers University, IC3-Institute for Communities, Creativity and Consciousness, Djerassi’s Henry Louis Gates Fellowship, Ragdale Foundation for the Arts U.S.–Africa Writer’s Project, MacDowell Arts Colony, Yaddo Foundation, Hedgebrook, Millay Arts Colony, Ucross Foundation and Villa Montalvo.
(Amanalli Lu) was born in Mexico City. Vargas migrated to Los Angeles, California at the age of 11. She then moved to Santa Rosa where she works as a Professional Tattoo Artist. Inspired by Mexican and Native American Culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, and race in American society. Art has transformed her life and has helped her heal her trauma. She hopes to use the same process to help young people. Vargas strongly believes art is one of the best activities for anyone to heal the body, mind and spirit.
Lynne Hardy, originally from Arizona, currently resides in Provo, Utah. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in entrepreneurship.
Her work, created using digital drawing and painting in Adobe Fresco, is described as colorful, modern depictions of her Navajo people and culture. Inspired by her ancestors, Hardy strives to preserve their stories. Authenticity, Native representation, and inclusion are central to her creations, as she aims to share her culture and combat harmful Native stereotypes.
In 2020, Hardy launched her small online business, Ajoobaasani, where she sells self-designed Navajo products, including stickers, prints, and apparel. The success of Ajoobaasani opened doors for her to collaborate with Native-led organizations and companies seeking Native art, enabling her to become a full-time illustrator.
Hardy hopes to continue growing her art career and business while working with clients who value Native culture.
Maka/Keixe Yaxti, a Tlingit woman from Yaakwdaat, carries a rich heritage rooted in her clan’s migration along the Copper River from the North. Based in Southeast Alaska, Yaakwdaat is where her ancestors have lived and stewarded the land for hundreds of years.
Monture belongs to the Raven moiety of the Copper River Clan, the House of the Owl, and she is a child of the Kanien’kehá:ka people. Her early education was shaped by the land itself, with her maternal grandparents serving as interpreters. Her understanding of humanity has been profoundly influenced by traditional practices, including harvest, song and dance, language, ceremony, and genealogy.
Maka’s creative work stems from the intersection of storytelling and a vision for radical abundance. She remains a lifelong student of Tlingit history and art.
Mallika Singh is a poet, farmer, and cook based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their chapbook, Retrieval, was published in 2020 by Wendy’s Subway. This season, they are growing okra, marigolds, hibiscus, and more alongside their coworkers at Ashokra Farm.
You can find them out in the field or by the river.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Miguel Petris is an arts administrator based in Boston, MA. In Boston he earned his Master’s degree in Horn Performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. He believes that music is a bridge builder and is able to connect humans across the world.
Miguel has had the opportunity to work with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, The Boston Early Music Festival, and with The Silkroad Ensemble. Recently, Miguel has started working as the Community Engagement Coordinator with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Through this role, he is working with an organization that puts equity and inclusivity at the forefront of their mission.
Miguel hopes that this fellowship will give him the knowledge and the network to continue supporting organizations that build community through the arts.
Michelle Antonina Burdex, a Tulsa, Oklahoma native, boasts a dynamic 25-year tenure as the Program Coordinator at the Greenwood Cultural Center (GCC). Renowned for her stewardship, she’s pioneered acclaimed initiatives such as the Young Entrepreneurs’ Summer Program, GCC’s Performing Arts Program, and the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Summer and After School Program.
A storyteller and tour guide, Michelle has guided thousands of students, educators, and tourists through the vivid tapestry of Greenwood’s history. Notably, she led a tour for U.S. President Joe Biden during GCC’s 100-year remembrance of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in 2021.
Her gift lies in educating about both the tragic legacy of the massacre and the resilience of Black Wall Street, weaving together narratives that resonate deeply.
Recognized for her leadership, she joined the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Leadership Arts Program and Leadership Tulsa’s Thrive Tulsa Leadership Program in 2020. Presently, as a Bloomberg Tech Fellow, she’s engaged in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Program, showcasing her commitment to innovative progress in cultural education and advocacy.
Michelle Amador, a lifelong singer and songwriter, has been acclaimed as “a new breed of musician” (Mercury News) by figures ranging from jazz bassist Buster Williams to legendary electronic producers like Osunlade. Most recently, she has recorded and released singles created with producer Eli Crews (Kathleen Hanna, Yoko Ono, tUnE-yArDs). Known for her “silken-voiced” (San Francisco Chronicle) original music, Amador draws inspiration from artists such as Solange Knowles, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Björk, and more.
From 2022 to 2024, Amador was a member of the Western States Center musician cohort for Inclusive Democracy and an organizing co-founder of the Cultural Solidarity Fund. She is also a California Established Artist Fellow. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Amador serves as Chief Growth Officer for the Equity Accelerator, a board member for California for the Arts, and a member of the Equity and Inclusion Leadership Alliance of North Carolina.
