Ashley Minner is a community based visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland and an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. She received her MFA (’11) and MA (’07) in Community Arts, and her BFA (’05) in General Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her PhD (’20) in American Studies from University of Maryland College Park. She especially enjoys spending time with her family, listening to old music, and traveling.
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.
Children from Brussels to California and New York to Texas delight in Val's adult befuddlement and Silly Goose's impishness. Award-winning artist Valerie Leonhart Smalkin presents a fast-paced, humorous 40-minute musical treat with puppets, ventriloquism, dancing, singing, and 100% audience participation, for adults and children alike. Her award-winning songs and performances are guaranteed to delight tots, tweens, teens, and retirees, as well!
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.
Born and raised on the island of St. John, Virgin Islands, Victor Provost is internationally recognized as one of today's leading voices on the steelpan. Praised by The New York Times as a "serious jazz improviser" and lauded by Downbeat Magazine as "a rarity" in the jazz ecosystem, Victor blends Bebop roots, contemporary jazz sensibilities, and Caribbean traditions into a dynamic and original sound.
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.