Alexandra Bayeva is a dancer and a teaching artist originally from Minsk, Belarus with a background in folk, ballet, jazz/modern, contact improvisation, and social dance. She holds a BA in Folk Dance Teaching, Performance, and Choreography from the Belarusian University of Culture and Arts. For the past 18 years, Alexandra has been working with various organizations, teaching children and adults the joy of movement. Alexandra is currently employed with Vanaver Caravan, Notes in Motion, and Young Dancers in Repertory, where she teaches traditional dance, ballet, theater dance, and creative movement at school residences and after-school programs.

Jordan Campbell is a New York City-based filmmaker. A Rutgers University graduate with a degree in Visual Arts and a specialization in Media and Digital Filmmaking. Campbell’s films often focus on New York City’s complex social dynamics. His latest film, Mad Clean (2024), explores mental health and socio-economic divides through the story of a home cleaner navigating a client’s manic episode. As Director of Media Programs for Hook Arts Media, Campbell has taught filmmaking to over 300 young New Yorkers since 2016 through organizations like Eagle Academy and Film at Lincoln Center. For him, film and media transcend entertainment—they are tools for amplifying marginalized voices. Campbell strives to empower himself and his students to share their stories with the world.

Sharlene Chou is a traditional Chinese folk artist and skilled pattern maker based in Queens, New York. Specializing in mixed-media paper cutting, her work blends Chinese calligraphy and seal stone carving, with past exhibitions at Flushing Town Hall and ArmatureArt Space Gallery. Sharlene is also a quilter, with pieces like “Story Talking Quilts” and “Community Quilts” featured at the Queens Museum of Art and Flushing Library. Over her 30-year career in the New York garment industry, she honed advanced handcraft skills, particularly in 3D live draping with silk. Since 2016, Sharlene has shared her expertise through art and craft workshops for immigrant families in the Queens community. A recipient of multiple grants, including from NYSCA, NYFA, and Queens Arts Fund; she currently co-teaches paper cutting at the Brooklyn Public Library, teaches art craft making at Queens Public Library and leads NYSCA grant-art-making programs for the CPC Nan Shan OAC in Queens.

Isabel Clarkin is an environmental arts educator and artist who is passionate about developing opportunities for equitable access to green space and the arts for underprivileged youth. Through her curriculum, she uses the natural environment as a basis for learning and restorative practice. Isabel strives to empower youth to be confident in their rights to using space, resources, and their own creativity to create something new. By forming a connection between arts and the environment, youth are encouraged to trust natural processes and treat all living things with care, whether through the growth of a basil plant or through the creation of a self-portrait painting. Isabel received a Bachelor’s degree in Children and Youth Studies with a minor in Visual Arts from CUNY Brooklyn College. She currently works as a teaching artist for Art Start where she develops garden-based curriculum for youth living in public housing shelters.

Matt Dunning started playing Indonesian gamelan music in 2006 while living in Chicago and developed a deep understanding of Javanese performance and cultural practices while living in Solo, Central Java from 2011-2013. Matt began studying Balinese gamelan in 2023 when Nusantara Arts was gifted an incredible set of Semar Pegulingan instruments. Matt has been fortunate to study with some of the best gamelan musicians including Gusti Komin, Darsono Hadiraharjo, Heri Purwanto, Hartono, Midiyanto, and Wakidi Dwidjomartono. He Currently teaches gamelan music at Nusantara Arts in Buffalo New York as well as at a free afterschool program in collaboration with Buffalo String Works.

C Meranda Flachs-Surmanek (they/them) is a Queens-based theatre artist and urban planner. As Co-Director of WhyWOW Studio, Meranda offers capacity building services to organizations: conflict engagement, impact assessment, opportunities for reflection and awe, strategic planning, and leadership coaching. With Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Meranda supports grassroots leaders to develop creative projects that uphold democracy locally, democratize history, and rehabilitate culture and lifeways nearly lost to policies of genocide and erasure. Since 2018, they have collaborated to produce community-engaged theatre with NYC’s Ping Chong + Company, devising projects that invite people to investigate the places we live in. For three years, they worked with The Clinic Performance to devise creative programs and short plays that explore moral injury and burnout with 1,000+ healthcare workers at 20+ hospital across the U.S. They are a third-generation Ashkenazi Jewish New Yorker and active in the grassroots movement to safeguard public housing in NYC.

Antígona González is a Mexican theater performer, director, and teaching artist based in NYC. Co-founder of Aguaardiente Colectivo which develops community-based art projects using field research and oral history interview process, Member of Teatro Linea de Sombra (Mexico) since 2007 with whom co-created the pieces Amarillo, Baños Roma, and Article 13, among others. Collaborations include Cie Carabosse (France), El Rinoceronte Enamorado, La Percha Teatro, The Commons Choir, FABnyc, Superhero Clubhouse, IATI Theater, Downtown Art, University Settlement, to mention a few. Recent work LES people power (DTA/ GOLES), the NY Memory Project (FABnyc), On being home while feeding the lungs (FABnyc), LES Senior Tour, (FABnyc, University Settlement). She has facilitated workshops at OHMA Columbia University, Downtown Art, and University Settlement Seniors Centers to mention some. Was granted the 2023 HOLA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing for Temporada de Ciervos, IATI. Selected Artist to the SuCasa program by LMCC in 2024.

Katalina Gutierrez (she/her) is a New York-based media-maker, painter, and educator whose work explores themes of nature, identity, and representation. She is the founder of The Art of Mindfulness Center, where she integrates mindfulness into her artistic and teaching practices. Katalina holds a BA in Film and Media Studies from Hunter College and a BA in Fine Arts and Photography from the Universidad Nacional (UNA). Over the past six years, she has taught documentary production, mixed media, and storytelling in both English and Spanish at NYC public schools. Her paintings, films, and photographs have been exhibited in galleries in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Latin America. Katalina’s teaching focuses on helping students from underserved communities and neurodivergent learners explore their identities and express themselves through art.

DaShaun Hightower is a visual artist and fashion designer who started gaining popularity working in the Chicago fashion scene. Hightower created one of a kind pieces to be worn by some of Chicago’s budding talent. These pieces garnered the attention of important industry voices such as: WWD, Afropunk, Italian Vogue, LadyGunn, ID, and OUT. Since then, Hightower has worked with recording artists such as: F.U.P.U., Jamila Woods, and MØ to create content bringing viewers into his world of art and fashion. The artist uses graffiti,3D modeling, and textile manipulation to tell his story. Hightower’s approach to art has allowed him to develop an aesthetic all his own. The artist’s usage of embellishment, language, and color creates opportunities for dialogue and envisions the black body in new ways.

Lisa A. Johnson, native of Rochester, NY is a gifted artist, poet, writer, teacher, speaker, and resilience coach on a mission to inspire and empower individuals to “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.” By sharing her vulnerable stories, Lisa empowers others to embrace discomfort and use it as a catalyst for their own personal growth. Her artistic expression includes: poetry, tap dance, creative movement, drama, and sewing. Having taught middle and high school English in both public and private schools, she believes all students have the potential to learn and excel when given the appropriate resources. Johnson has penned and performed poems for Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Celebration in Avon, NY and Alopecia Awareness Month. A recipient of the Big Pencil Award for inspiring the creation and appreciation of literature. Johnson is a parent, and a pescatarian, with a goal: to write a poem and perform it at an upcoming inaugural celebration.

Rachel Kalkstein is a passionate dancer, educator and teaching artist who believes in the power of dance to positively transform lives. She has a diverse dance background in various styles and is the founder of Belly Dance Alchemy, a dance studio for adults in NYC. With a focus on global impact, she holds a Master’s degree in Education Policies for Global Development from the University of Amsterdam and is passionate about making dance and somatic movement an integral part of students’ education internationally. Rachel previously worked as an education researcher and designer for organizations such as NYU, UNESCO and Nickelodeon with the goal of bringing the best education to children worldwide. As a Teaching Artist, Rachel currently teaches multicultural dance to students across New York City schools. Her work aims to build students’ confidence, spark their creativity and embrace their authentic artistic expression.

Yekta Khaghani is an award-winning playwright, actress, and theater educator based in New York. She holds a BA in Playwriting from Tehran University of Art. Before immigrating to the U.S., she expanded her skills through theater pedagogy workshops and led initiatives adapted into stage performances. As a teaching artist, Yekta connects students to their cultural heritage through literature and fairy tales. She adapted and narrated seven seasons of Fairy Tales from Greater Iran, an educational podcast series reimagining classic stories for young audiences. Her dedication to integrating literature and theater has resulted in five stage productions. In 2022, she joined the People’s Theater Project as an actor and teaching artist, leading residencies across New York City. Yekta’s playwriting explores themes of identity and diaspora, with works like In the Stillness of Night receiving high acclaim.

Raised in the Lower East Side (LES), Nicole Kontolefa graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre and co-founded Studio Six, a theater dedicated to cross-cultural exchange. Working abroad taught Nicole theatre is a language that can bridge differences. Nicole devises workshops that use theatre as a forum for change in urban and rural communities with grants from LMCC (Su-Casa), Brooklyn Arts Council, Wyoming Humanities Council, Wyoming Arts Council. Nicole makes forum theater with older adults about issues they care about. Her writing on forum theatre was published in Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal. Her writing about devising theatre with people in transitional housing was featured in the theatre journal: etudes. In addition to working with older adults Nicole has taught at Butler University, Department of Corrections of New York, Greenwich House, The Center for Resiliency and Wellness, NY Memory Center. Nicole also works with her applied theatre collective Journey Theatre Project.

Asako Mizukami is a choreographer and a teaching artist, living and working in New York City. With a background in classical piano, Asako’s early passion for music led her to pursue dance. She holds a BA in Music and completed a professional trainee program at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Through her career, she showcased her choreography and performed nationally and internationally. Asako is a certified Feldenkrais method practitioner, and her teaching approach is deeply influenced by its holistic philosophy. She emphasizes the integration of physical, mental and emotional aspects in her teaching.

Sari Nordman, a Finnish interdisciplinary artist and educator, creates public art projects, video works and dance performances. Many of her projects have been informed by climate change and respond to environmental social justice issues. To amplify diverse voices from around the world her projects often involve social engagement. She engages people through interviews and fiber-art processes. She has exhibited her works for Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, King Manor Museum, South Street Seaport, and with Shared Dialogue, Shared Space, and NYC Summer Streets, New York. She is a recipient of awards from Brooklyn Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary Art, and New York State Council on the Arts. She has discussed her projects, and the environmentalism and social engagement in her process in panels at South Street Seaport, New York, and at The Kennedy Center and Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC. She holds a M.F.A. from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts.

Tanya Perez is a Nuyorican playwright, performer, filmmaker and clown exploring the human condition through dark comedies. Recently, she made her Off-Broadway debut with her solo show “Welcome to Clowntown,” to critical acclaim and was a Bx Arts Factory Artist in Residence premiering her visual art in a gallery exhibition called Temporal Release. Her interdisciplinary artistry is the foundation of her work as a teaching artist, using Purposeful Play techniques to empower students across the country. Collaborative patrons include Utah Theatre Association, Brooklyn College, Florida International University and Conch Shell International Film Festival to name a few. Proud member of SAGAftra and Actors Equity Association. Long time recuser of stray cats and dogs.

Polina Porras Sivolobova is a passionate art educator with over 20 years of experience in interdisciplinary teaching. She began her career in 2002 with Asociación Tepeyac, helping to develop the innovative program “Art, Storytelling, and the Five Senses” to support Latino immigrants in New York City. Since then, Polina has worked with organizations such as Arts Horizons, Marquis Studios, the Harlem School of the Arts, and Pratt Institute. As a museum educator, she has collaborated with the Queens Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Noguchi Museum, and El Museo del Barrio. Polina’s teaching philosophy focuses on fostering diverse learning styles and connecting art to other disciplines to expand the art making experience. She believes in each person’s innate creativity and the power of embodied knowledge. Currently, she is exploring the theme of the creative processes using practices such as drawing, collage, performance art, puppetry, and artist books.

With a #InnovativeWomenJA Women’s History Month grant from the US Embassy Kingston, Abigail Ramsay started a theatre for social change organization for girls. Downtown Girls Theatre Collective/ Every Body Theatre Project ran in Trench Town, bringing girls from Denham Town, Trench Town, and Parade Gardens together in a theatre across borders/ theatre for social change program. Later, the program was moved to the Institute of Jamaica’s Junior Centre, a few months before COVID gripped the world. Only two years later, Downtown Girls was resurrected and given a new life with a program  for teenage girls and young women in Tèt Ansanm Leadership Group for Girls at Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project in Little Haiti, Brooklyn. Since 2022, Downtown Girls has transitioned into TurningWheel Collective. and the program has formalized, offering culture-forward and relevant Theatre for Social Change programming.

Jonelle Robinson is an artist, educator, entrepreneur and care advocate based in Queens, NY. She has worked with youth for over a decade via teaching, directing, choreographing, devising, costuming, prop making, curriculum building, and more. She is currently teaching theatre for Marquis Studios, Queens Theatre and Lincoln Center. Outside of the classroom, you can find her making Marvetta, her scotch bonnet pepper sauces (shameless plug: www.MarvettaNYC.com), and proudly caretaking for her mama. She is a 2024 Care Fellow for Caring Across Generations and fights to advocate for care rights in NYC and beyond. She holds the belief that everyone is a lifelong learner, and she aims to do work centered around love, care and community.

Jasmine Rosario, known artistically as JRose, is a dynamic Spoken Word Artist from Queens, NY. As the founder of The Rose Garden Events, she has cultivated safe, empowering spaces for creatives. A champion of her craft, JRose won the 2023 BRIC Brooklyn Grand Slam Finals and now proudly hosts the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Poetry Slam. Her impactful voice has resonated across stages like Write About Now, Busboys and Poets, Poetry Me Please and Voices in Power, and her collaborations include brands like Samsung, Boost Mobile, and Martingale Cognac. Named 2024’s “Most Supportive Poet” by Voices in Power, JRose is also a trailblazing mentor and teaching artist. Her restorative work with youth and incarcerated women at Rikers Island exemplifies her dedication to healing through art. In 2024, JRose released her debut album and poetry book, Pieces of My Crumbled Thoughts, continuing her mission to inspire others to #KeepGrowing.

Anna Mayta Ruhe-Schoen grew up in Chile. She is an educator, dance improviser and choreographer. She graduated from Empire State College in June 2001 with a BA in Dance in Education. Anna has been teaching, performing, and choreographing for over 20 years. She has taught at places such as Art Omi, Bethel Woods, River Arts and Caramoor. Anna’s signature programs are her Spanish language through movement, Fusion dance which incorporates African, Bharatanatyam, Flamenco, Latin and modern dance styles coming together as one and transcending linguistic prejudice through movement. She has choreographed, taught dance, for the National Ballet of Zimbabwe in Africa, England, India, NYC, and in the Boston Area. She was awarded a grant from CREATE council of the arts in Hudson NY, a residency at Bethany Arts Community. She is currently teaching, choreographing and performing all over the Hudson Valley NY. Plus directing and choreographing with her dance company called Mayta Fusion Dance.

Hilarie Spangler is an Appalachian multi-instrumentalist, teaching artist, and community arts facilitator focused on communal music making and combating the barriers to entry in arts education. Her work emphasizes authentic, collaborative, and musical community experiences, with a particular focus on rural-urban relationships and community healing. From 2018-2022, she co-founded and served as artistic director of Cardinal Cross Arts Collective as a way to explore diverse artistic experiences in Appalachia. Hilarie has led workshops on identity and inclusion at the International Storytelling Center, Ballyeamon Barn (Northern Ireland), Freshgrass Foundation, Pratt Institute, Covenant House, and more. She teaches at Brooklyn Music Factory, Arts Ignite, and Tribeca Music NYC, helping students discover their creative voices. Currently pursuing LCAT licensure through a Creative Arts Therapy MA at Hofstra University, Hilarie also holds degrees in Community-Based Arts and Theater from Western Kentucky University and an MA in Arts and Cultural Policy from Pratt Institute.

Anna Warfield (she/they) is a poet and sculptor living in Binghamton, New York. They create text-based fiber sculptures that consider the body, unlearning, and complex identities. Making the professional practice side of an arts career approachable is a pillar of Warfield’s work. They’ve taught professional skills for artists regularly with upstate arts councils, and through NYFA. In 2024, they launched the Artist Grant Navigation Project in which they guide artists through grant-writing processes, offer feedback, and bridge access to state and local funds via fiscal sponsorship. In 2025, Warfield will exhibit with the Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse) and the Rockwell Museum (Corning). They’ve had recent solo exhibitions with SUNY Oneonta (2024) and Roberson Museum (Binghamton, 2023-2024). Selected awards include NYSCA Artist Support (2023, 2025), Arts in the Community Commission (2024), and a Saltonstall Residency (2023). Warfield holds a BFA and BS in Communication, both from Cornell University.

Alina Wilczynski is an Adjunct Professor of Photography at SUNY Farmingdale and a Light Painting Artist. After 25+ years working in commercial design and photography — as a freelancer and as a co-founding partner in a small agency — in 2017, Wilczynski started on an unexpected journey of experimentation with Light Painting.

With advances in LEDs, fiber optics, projection mapping, and computational videography, she is on a mission to paint the world in light, color, and movement… and coax the artistry of the human spirit within all of us to come out and play. “There is nothing as thrilling as telling someone that their mind is about to be blown, then watching their reactions to the wild works of art they just created. They feel like I am letting them in on a magical secret, when in reality, the ‘secret’ is that their imagination from deep inside has been unleashed.”

Adrienne D Williams, actor/director/ educator, most recently directed the world premiere of FISH by Kia Corthron Off Broadway and the workshop production of THE GOSPEL WOMAN by TyLie Shider for NBT. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Hunter College and has guest directed and taught at such schools at Juilliard Drama, NYU Graduate Acting, Yale Drama, Syracuse University, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. As an actor she recently appeared in the EST’s First Light series in FEAR LESS by Jacqueline Reingold. Other theatre roles include Rose in FENCES, Clytemnestra in IPHIGENIA AT AULIS and Goneril in KING LEAR. TV credits include Godfather of Harlem, FBI: Most Wanted, Bull, Blindspot, Blue Bloods, and Law and Order. Her play TENNESSEE WALTZ is published by Applause Books in an anthology entitled SHE PERSISTED. Adrienne is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, SDC, Honor Roll and the League of Professional Theatre Women.