Ever since I can remember I have been a dreamer, a creator, and someone who is fiercely devoted to self expression and kindness. It is with this ideology that I move in the world and have devoted my life to the exploration of art and the creation of hundreds of public art installations within communities all over the world. From Africa to Israel, to small towns along the East Coast and over 100 public art projects in Baltimore and the DMV alone, I have been able to utilize my talents and expertise to spread the power of art.
Digital Art by Adam Zynger Adam Zynger has a background in art and medicine. He exhibited internationally since his high school years and in Baltimore as well, including in BMA (Baltimore Museum of Art) as part of the Artist’s Equity show. In the past he also taught college Art Appreciation and Art History courses. His playful encounters with digital art begun with the purchase of his first computer.
Ventriloquist, musician, composer, and performer Valerie Leonhart Smalkin was one of the writers, performers, and co-producers as well as the head puppeteer of the Emmy award winning television program It's Kindertime on Baltimore’s ABC affiliate WMAR-TV 2. Val’s CD, A Gentle Halloween, received a Parents’ Choice Fun Stuff award in 2015, and in 2016 her follow-up CD, Sing! Sing! Sing!...and Dance!, garnered a Parents’ Choice Approved award. Her current CD, Love Bug! received a Parents’ Choice Recommended award.
Renowned for her beautiful tone and elegant playing, guitarist Candice Mowbray captivates audiences with her expressive artistry. From the lively acrobatics of Ida Presti’s Danse rythmique to the poignant depths of Fernando Sor’s Fantaisie élégiaque, her performances are a thoughtful journey through modern and classic works. A famous ballerina remarked that her music, “makes me want to dance!” while guitar virtuoso John Feeley praised her as "a beautiful player, so expressive and musical."
Jann Rosen-Queralt is an artist, avid scuba diver and researcher whose interdisciplinary artwork integrates structures, biological processes, and ecological systems to trigger public action and awareness. Driven by a robust curiosity, her concepts reveal unseen – yet unifying – details and occurrences in nature. Some examples are: Percolare, a sculpture that feeds a rain garden, Raleigh, NC. and Confluence, a kinetic sculpture celebrating water cleansing at the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment facility in Seattle, WA.
I have two books of poetry--Island and Living Room (prose poems)--a lyric essay memoir, My CIA; a poetry chapbook, Muse Annie; and a literary memoir, Run Scream Unbury Save. My CIA was named a top ten book of 2012 by the Review of Art, Literature, Philosophy and Humanities and added to their ongoing list of Great Nonfiction reads. It won a Baker Artist Award; was showcased on Maryland Public Television’s program, An Artworks Special; and was featured through an art installation co-produced by Maryland Institute College of Art’s MFA in Curatorial Practice in early December 2013 in Baltimore.
Alif Laila is one of the few internationally performing female sitar players of the world. She was trained in Indian classical music through sitar in Dhaka, Bangladesh. By Mir Qasem Khan, nephew of legendary maestro, Allauddin Khan. During her final years of training, she attended the College of Fine Arts in Dhaka, where she graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree and received several awards for her watercolor painting.
Ollie L. Jefferson (Ph.D., Howard University) is a Producer, Playwright, Professor, Publisher, and the Founder/President and Chief Executive Officer of Timeless Visual Works – The Inspirational Film, Theater & Publishing Co. She formed the collegiate communication, culture, and multimedia organization with extensive experience in the arts and education. As a professional teaching artist, Dr. Jefferson designed Masterclasses at Timeless Theater Academy. She has a proven track record in educating and training film, television, and theatre professionals to compete in a global market.
René Treviño was born in Kingsville, Texas. He received his BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in 2003 and his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2005.
Mary Amato is the author of over 25 books for children and young adults. Her work for adults also includes poems, plays, essays, and short fiction. Amato's fiction has been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, and produced onstage. She teaches workshops in creative writing, songwriting, and the creative process around the country and is a frequent presenter in Maryland schools. She is a former classroom teacher and also teaches a weekly online class for adults and teens who are serious about writing.