Beth Caruso works in a variety of media. Much of her artwork depicts aspects of the self and the body in relation to nature. The imagery in Beth’s artwork is bold and puzzling, as it prompts the viewer to continuously re-examine their perceptions in an effort to make meaning.
Claudia Cappelle was born in Chicago, Illinois where her appreciation for art began at an early age with visits to the Art Institute. She studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Illustration.
Sabrina Mandell is the founding Artistic co-Director and Visionary Tornado of Happenstance Theater. She has written, produced and performed prolifically since the company was established in 2006. She was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in 2017. As the company's Executive Director she has created and maintained a sustainable structure for operating the organization, and as the costume designer she has won two Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Costume Design. Sabrina performed for 10 years with the Big Apple Circus’ Clown Care Program in DC and Baltimore.
CeroMundo aka Estevan Palasquesea aka Cero aka Tio Chévere
Emcee, DJ, Visual Artist, Entrepreneur
“This MC is a joy to work with because of the skill level he possesses along with his uncanny skill of being able to write dope lyrics right on the spot. If he lived in NY or California he would be slamming the airwaves with top notch Latin Hip-Hop..no doubt in my mind”
– Mellow Man Ace (Godfather of Latin Rap, Cypress Hill)
Faculty member at the Corcoran College of Art and Design for 21 years, Katie Dell Kaufman maintains a studio Takoma Park, MD, lectures, and holds art workshops and classes in the greater Washington, DC area. She has exhibited her work in the US, Great Britain, Lithuania, and South Africa. She is represented by Zenith Gallery in WDC. Kaufman has received three Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Individual Artist Awards for her work in assemblage and encaustic.
Brandon T. Gorin makes digital folk art on his cellphone because he always has it with him. Mostly his art is for looking at but it is a little bit about thinking about. He works as the assistant technical director at the Milburn Stone Theatre at Cecil College and does stand-up comedy in the tristate area.
In a broken system, Lauren decided to opt for a home birth. This decision influenced her to have both of her children at home. She describes her experience as empowering. She felt the strong emotional connection between her mind, body and spirit. Her empowering birth experiences led her to become a birth worker. Lauren supported many families during her doula journey. She supports families in Baltimore and the surrounding areas.
CHAO TIAN is a boundary-breaking Chinese dulcimer virtuoso, improviser, and sonic thinker whose music unfolds across tradition, experimentation, and diasporic imagination. Trained in the classical lineage of the Chinese dulcimer since the age of five, she now bends that legacy into new shapes—treating the instrument not as a symbol, but as a living, questioning voice.
Nikki Brooks was born in 1975 in Brooklyn, New York, but was raised in Spotsylvania County, VA. She is a multi-disciplinary artist that works specifically in installations and assemblage that are infused with digital and audio elements, paintings, sculpted text, and collage spaces. These works encourage the viewer to connect in forms of writing, storytelling, and shared dialogue through workshops that focus on diversity, inclusion, truth- telling and lament.