Art + Activism = Artivism
Artivism knows no bounds. Explore our YouTube series, Artivist Talk, where individuals from all around share their unique perspectives and experiences in embodying artivism. Discover how creativity and activism intersect in powerful ways.
Y? is an NYC born artivist who founded Creative Expressions with the vision of evolving his artistry through serving and building creative communities.
His journey began as songwriter, performer / recording artist, and audio engineer working for legendary studios such as Electric Lady and Manhattan Center. Working behind the scenes gifted Y? with the knowledge of music production on a professional level which he applied to creating a successful career as an independent touring and teaching artist. It was through this experience he realized we are all simultaneously students and teachers in life sharing and gaining perspectives. He has since expanded to playing and composing with live instruments as well as writing, scoring and performing immersive theater pieces. Most recently he founded “ShowLove Productions” where he produces creative purpose driven content for himself and others. He currently is Creative Expressions program director helping others use the arts as a tool for change.
y?
founder & director of programs
As the Creative Administrator at Creative Expressions Unlimited, Liz Casanova channels her boundless creativity and philosophical approach into every endeavor.
Artistic Mediums: Liz's artistic journey encompasses a rich tapestry of mediums, including knitting, crochet, sewing, acrylic nail artistry, singing, songwriting, and storytelling. Her creative spirit knows no bounds, extending even to the art of organizational aesthetics.
Philosophy and Approach: Embracing a philosophy of self-definition beyond artistic labels, Liz sees art as a reflection of existence itself. With a belief in the transformative power of creativity, she views art as a cathartic release, drawing inspiration from personal experiences and emotional landscapes. Whether crafting soul-stirring ballads or pushing the boundaries of crochet artistry, Liz infuses each creation with authenticity and depth.
Crochet Innovation: Rejecting stereotypes, Liz pioneers modern designs in crochet, challenging perceptions and celebrating the versatility of the craft. Inspired by her belief that crochet can be both chic and sensual, she seeks to demystify outdated notions, infusing her creations with contemporary flair.
Numerology and Spiritual Guidance: Guided by her passion for numerology and spirituality, Liz empowers others to embrace their true purpose and passions. Through House of Nova Insights, she shares her knowledge and artistic pursuits, fostering a community of self-discovery and creative exploration.
Upcoming Projects and Events: Liz's dedication to community-building and spiritual exploration drives her involvement in upcoming projects centered around creativity, communication, and camaraderie. Through House of Nova Insights and her involvement with Creative Expressions, she continues to inspire others to live authentically and pursue their passions without limitation.
Liz
Creative Admin
ARTIVIST EDUCATORS
TJ Adorno aka TEEJ is an artist, producer, and multi instrumentalist, and educator from Queens, NY. He is a graduate of Laguardia Arts High School in NYC, and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of music. TJ has 7+ years experience teaching private and group music lessons on many instruments including guitar, piano, bass, drums, ukulele, and beat making. TJ works at Central Queens Academy where he teaches a music enrichment class for 5th and 6th graders.
TEEJ
Music & technology
Artist-Educator, Archivist, Writer, & Community Organizer Beth “Bliss” Corona is a multifaceted artivist (activist + artist) and educator who heals through our creative community. She collaborates with independent artists and grassroots organizations to develop sacred spaces and projects to unpack trauma, intersectionality, and to preserve our culture. Beth, is a freelancer that specializes in Grant writing, Copywriting, and Non-profit consulting. She is a 2023 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant award recipient.
BETH BLISS
POETRY & SONGwriting
Desiree “Dizzy SenZe” Williams is a teaching artist, audio engineer, emcee and photographer. She has taught music production and raptivism (an artistic tool to connect hip-hop to social justice issues and positive self-development) for 4 years via inner city programs such as the Hip Hop Re:Education Project, Urban Art Beat and Urban Word. Being a native of the South Bronx, Dizzy is no stranger to the constant space needed for expressing yourself and stresses the importance of remaining true to yourself. She believes that human connection is strengthened through the presence of art and that human development is strengthened by new ways to connect with one another. Interpreting happiness, vulnerability and growing pains for all ages through the use of artistic tools (such as songwriting, production, engineering and photography) is just the tip of the iceberg for Dizzy. She has engineered for powerhouse companies (Nickelodeon, Youtube, Interscope Records, etc), done photography for top-tier artists and companies (Dave Ea$t, KRS-One, Sesame Street, etc), has won various freestyle competitions and shared stages with legendary artists (Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, etc). Constantly progressing within her craft, Dizzy is not aiming only to ingrain her sound into the airwaves, but to imprint a change in the world.
Dizzy Senze
Hip Hop Songwriting
Julian’s journey into wellness began through overcoming his own personal health challenges. Born and raised in The Bronx NYC where ailments such as asthma, high blood pressure and cancer have become too common he uses simple yet highly effective diet and exercise methods to beat odds so many have not. He holds an associates degree in community health and school education, and is set to graduate from the “IIN” health coaching accelerated course. He is also a mixologist for over 4 years using his skill to create healthy tonics and smoothies suitable for all ages. Julian draws inspiration and research from notable holistic healers Dr. Sebi and Anthony Williams from Medical Medium. His passion is to share his applied knowledge with others to help them heal themselves.
Emortal
Health and Wellness
Writing since age 11, in his early teen years NJ bred MC Big-J was mentored by the very pioneers and legends of Hip-Hop's Golden age. Since 2009 Big-J has been in various Hip-Hop crews and collectives, collaborating with MCs, DJs, Producers and other artists from around the world. He was first featured on the underground compilation gem 'Jenerouz Skills' in 2011. From 2012-2014 Big-J merged his revolutionary activism with NYC Hip-Hop by making music and performing for various community arts and political organizations. In 2015 he released his debut solo album 'A line Meant Alignment'. He put out a mixtape the following year, an E.P in 2017, and his sophomore studio album 'RECtfixation' in 2019. In 2020 he put out E.P 2020 Vision (5781) and is gearing up to release a solo album and a collaborative effort with various MC's in 2022
Big-J
Emceeing
Sherese Francis is a Queens, NY-based, Afro-Caribbean-American (Barbados and Dominica) poet, editor, interdisciplinary artist, workshop facilitator, and literary curator of the mobile library project, J. Expressions. She has published work in various publications including Furious Flower, Obsidian Lit, Rootwork Journal, Spoken Black Girl, The Operating System, Cosmonauts Avenue, No Dear, Apex Magazine, Bone Bouquet, African Voices, Newtown Literary, and Free Verse. Additionally, she has published three chapbooks, Lucy’s Bone Scrolls (Three Legged Elephant), Variations on Sett/ling Seed/ling (Harlequin Creature), and Recycling a Why That Rules Over My Sacred Sight (DoubleCross Press). Besides her publications, she has had work featured in exhibitions from The Lit Exhibit, NY Live Arts, Queens Public Library, York College Arts Gallery, King Manor Museum, WorksOnWater, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Jamaica Flux, Baxter St Camera Club, Bliss On Bliss, Maleza Proyectos, and The Rubenstein Art Center. A graduate of Baruch College, she has worked with and conducted workshops for Teachers & Writers Collaborative, Lewis Latimer House Museum, May Day Space, The Coop Workshop, Queens Museum, Idlewild Park and several others. Currently, she is the poetry editor for Newtown Literary.
Sherese Francis
creative writing
Zoe Rappaport is an LA/NY-based Movement Director, Choreographer & Creative Producer working with some of the top names in live performance, tv/film, music videos, commercial and content creation over the last 15+ years. Grounded in the belief that movement was born to bring people together and communicate beyond words, Zoe's work aims to broaden access to dance, lend artistic voice to social issues and engage community while elevating the field as a whole. Working across many related fields (dance, choreography, casting, makeup, styling) & platforms (stills, motion, performance/stage), Zoe has worked with The Latin Grammy’s, Hermés, Grammy award-winning electronic artist ZHU, McDonald's, Estée Lauder, "LOVE" Magazine, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Got Talent & more. Her work has been featured in Dance Magazine, LA Weekly, Fjord Review, Dance Informa, Cultural Weekly, This Stage Magazine & TimeOut Los Angeles. Since 2019, Zoe has served as the Creative Producer for Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival — a live & online film festival dedicated to the concept of democratizing dance so that it may be seen & experienced not just in studios and theaters, but in public space. A passionate, life-long advocate for dance + arts education, she is the founder of Mentorship 4 Dancers (M4D) and is currently on faculty in Hussian College’s BFA Commercial Dance program.
Zoe Rappaport
movement
Shaun Brown started his career in 2015 as a Recreation Aide in a nursing home, for the next five years he would do the same line of work and eventually, went on to a second nursing home. Shaun would hold mens clubs, movie nights, call bingo, perform improv instrumentals and many more activities for the residents. Each relationship Shaun formed with the residents he met were always special to him and he always made sure he made them feel seen. During the time he spent working at his second nursing home, he also went to school and studied music and studio recording at NCC. In that 5 year span he realized with the connections he made with the residents and the skills he learned in school that he wanted to use music and art to shine the light on unseen communities and bring them together to make them feel love and joy.
Smiling Eagle
Music composition
Pinqy Ring is a Puerto Rican rapper, author, speaker and educator born and bred in Chicago. She is a proud U.S. Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador, traveling overseas to manage and facilitate Hip Hop diplomacy programming. Outside of music, Pinqy teaches Hip Hop, songwriting, music entrepreneurship and mental wellness to high school students. She also facilitates workshops and speaking engagements at several schools, nonprofits and Universities nationwide. She became an author in 2020 - penning her story for the second volume of "Today’s Inspired Young Latina", and plays Rosina in "The Rosina Project" - a Hip Hop iteration of the opera "The Barber of Seville". Through her music and philanthropic work Pinqy spreads her message of hope, perseverance and self-worth to youth across the diaspora. A Latina artist on the rise, Pinqy Ring shines bright with the determination to share her story while encouraging others to find their truth, live in it unapologetically, and tell it authentically.
Pinqy Ring
hip hop song writing
Christian Guzman Known as C-spin /Spin is a video production specialist utilizing storytelling skills with images to help promote subjects such as an artist and a company brand. Based in New York City working with nonprofit organizations, record labels and creative artists for the past 15 years. This film Director /Cinematographer has experience teaching video production technical skills in high schools, after school programs at neighborhood centers for teenagers and, senior citizen centers in the Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn. His goal is to establish a strong video production company that can cover all sorts of industries that need video and photo services.
Cspin Films
Videography
Melanie Aguirre is a native New Yorker, active artist educator and community leader. She participates in the NYC arts community through dance competitions, community discussions, fundraisers, workshops and theatrical performances. She teaches multiple urban dance styles within the tri-state area, nationally and internationally.
Melanie Aguirre
MOVEMENT
Daniel Fresco is a Holistic Wellness and Music Professional from The Bronx who started playing drum set in Church at the age of 8. After 20+ years of recording and performing with countless bands/projects he is now seeking to teach the science of rhythm to others! In addition, to music, Daniel is a personal trainer who began to study Meditation and understand the deeper interconnectivity of the body/mind/spirit, integrating this wisdom into all his offerings.
Daniel Fresco
Drums / Physical fitness
Luciann Berrios is a published poet, writing workshop for healing lead, a meditation guide, sound meditation practitioner and Reiki master. She has been a voice for female empowerment through her written publications such as "Women Of Eve's Garden: An Anthology", a poetry collection she curated, edited, and contributed to, consisting solely of female and non-binary voices(accepted into US Library of Congress in 2018). She is currently chair of non profit and wellness center Women In Need PR located in Puerto Rico.
2feathers
Sound and reiki practitioner
Active since the days of record stores, David "BS" Bradshaw is an emceeing, songwriting, and beatboxing NYC luminary. An artist, educator, curriculum developer, and mental health advocate, BS is a performance and facilitation Swiss Army Knife as versatile as the combinations of words you can ascribe to his name. An accomplished freestyler, BS is a 5x Freestyle Mondays Battle champ and regularly performs with Tony Award winning Broadway crew Freestyle Love Supreme. He’s been featured on The Today Show, RedbullTV, 106&Park and has released music through Tommy Boy Records. As a programming specialist, he’s created team-building mental fitness offerings for entities like Facebook, Toyota, and Adobe. BS is also the founder of "the American Ninja Warrior of freestyle rap" PROPS! Game Show, where competitors attempt hyper-specific and technical rap challenges and compete for money and studio time. He is also the founder and creator of Freestyle Fitness NYC an inclusive initiative designed to build life and language tools through the vehicle of freestyle rap, virtually and in-person. 2024 marks Freestyle Fitness’s 5th year! We provide virtual programming for adults all over the world – from Saudi Arabia, to Germany, the UK, and all over the US. FF has recently expanded to include a small team of freestyle rap coaches and producing live events highlighting first time performers and seasoned artists in the FF community. Our mantra is “practice makes progress” and our community is centered around authenticity and play. A firm believer in the power of Hip-Hop culture as a vehicle for healing and growth, BS develops and facilitates freestyle, songwriting, beatboxing, and loop station production programs for humans of all ages and circumstances, including incarcerated youth, special needs populations, and political refugees.
David “BS” Bradshaw
Wordworker and Educator
Jordan Theatrics Grant, a Jamaican-born artist currently residing in New York City is a self taught multifaceted performer, educator, and visual artist. Jordan's artistic journey began with a focus on the art of “Bboying" a powerful element of HipHop discipline that allowed him to gain knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the arts in the vibrant borough of the Bronx. Over the years, Jordan's remarkable talent and dedication have led him to perform at prestigious venues including the Symphony Space, The FORUM Los Angeles, and the Broadway Playstation Theater. As an educator and activist Jordan has taught both nationally and internationally and creates breakdancing competition events as a means to uplifting youth, support trauma release and build community.
Jordan Grant
performer & visual artist
Guazabara is a Multi-modal, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional facilitator, educator and student of the world. Educationally his background spans Bachelors in Emergency and Critical Care/American Government, a Masters in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics and finally a Post Bacc from Cornell University Center for Nutritional Sciences. Complimented with mixed modality and indigenous re-education internationally (Throughout the Caribbean and Kerala, India) and locally throughout Turtle Island (United States). Most significantly, he is a Talib forever on a path of learning and he incorporates various creative tools to activate and reinvigorate the learning landscape for all participants. Some of these creative tools include: Wood crafting, music recording, music composing, jazz modalities, indigenous story telling, concepts of health and anatomy, Muay Thai as a discipline and medicine, food as an art and vehicle for learning health and finally Model United Nations as a vehicle for teaching advocacy.
Guazabara
Indigenous science
Shinquella Glasgow (Shin) is the founder of The Sankofa Effect, a business that provides holistic products and services. Her mission is to provide a safe space for energetically sensitive beings. Influenced by her Trinidadian Afro-Caribbean roots and Flatbush Brooklyn upbringing, Shin combines ancient ancestral practices with a modern flair and insight balancing the two worlds she grew up in. She obtained her associates degree from New York City College of Technology in electromechanical engineering and continues to pursue her passions through the arts. Committed to giving back to the community, she provides and participates in workshops for the expansion of herself and others. Shin currently offers handcrafted soap making and tarot readings as she builds up new products and services for today's rapidly shifting society.
ShinChanGlam
Holistic Health
Elijah "Emajor" Shippe is a music producer, audio engineer & teaching artist from Queens, NY. With over 10 years of experience working with our youth, Elijah has worked in local community centers, after school programs, recording studios & various educational settings in person and virtually. Coming from a family who was often involved in community and music, he became a musician at young age, playing instruments & producing music for himself & several other artists. Helping people through art, self expression & creating space for others is his passion. Emajor has been a teaching artist with Creative Expressions for almost a decade & continues to mentor other artist while building community.
Emajor100
Audio/Music production
Christina "CC" Cruz is a Bronx native creative who has been shaping the lives of the youth and adults through dance and various other art forms for a little over 10 years. She holds a BA in Dance from CUNY Lehman College and works as Hip-Hop dance educator throughout the boroughs of NYC. She was formerly the Director of Hip Hop Theory: The Company and Program Director of Each 1 Teach One Dance Series and also worked in performing arts theaters: Lehman Stages and TriBeCa Performing Arts Center. CC has also been a seasonal member of Herbert H. Dance Company (2015, 2018, 2019) and performed in various showcases independently, including Ladies of Hip-Hop (2015, 2018), Momma’s Hip-Hop Kitchen (2014) and Carnival (2017, 2018).
cc
Movement
Joshua is a creative from NYC who specializes in video production. He grew up a guerrilla creator - from learning how to make beats in bedrooms to shooting music videos & overseeing production for live-streamed events. His vision was born out of a necessity to tell his own and others’ unique stories. Inspired by a need to reflect his environment, he started as a beat-maker and found his way through audio engineering and photography into a passion for video production. He applies a strong technical mind to aesthetic endeavors.
Joshua
Videography
Though you can’t tell by looking at her, Ionie’s childhood was steeped in Mexican culture, her mom hailing from Mexico City. Raised on music and the arts, ionie took refuge in songwriting during the darker days of her father’s addiction. She attended music, dance, and theater classes from an early age, and began writing songs in high school, guided by her wonderful music teacher Mr. Mattern. Since then, she makes sense out of life through song, taking a daily dose of music as medicine. Ionie attended NYU for vocal performance with concentration in musical theater, and is also a professional voice over actor. 'imho'—the title of ionie’s forthcoming album—says it all. Ionie’s tell-all, no B.S. approach to life plays out in every one of her soulful, hook-driven pop songs.
Ionie Bernstein
voice / nutrition
Marcus BoisAubin is a compassionate and intentional storyteller, audio engineer, DJ, editor and composer. He is versed in multiple Digital Audio Workstations and Audio Restoration Software like RX. He has the dedication to create insightfully progressive content that both captivates and educates the audience. He is passionate about social justice and teaching the necessary skills to build a just and sustainable future through the arts. Marcus earned his Bachelors of the Arts from Colby College and a Diploma in Audio Technology from SAE Institute in New York City.
SoulMarcos88
audio technology
Sista Zock is a Renaissance Woman in natural form; Professor, Personal Trainer, and Performer. Her Afro Futuristic genre-bending sound pulls from Coltrane and Billy Holiday and projects towards the future with original rhythmic poetry.
Born and raised between Harlem and Mt. Vernon, NY, she is the Amalgamation of the black experience. A lover of Jazz music, Sista Zock's influences include Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Fela Kuti, Garnette Silk, and Burning Spear, and Mary J. Blige, as their message is in the music.
Artistic Statement
Points of connectivity are seen in Music and Art, marrying life and experiences, serving a greater purpose creating a larger liberated community.
Art is an essential component of my existence and provides a platform to connect, inspire and uplift my audience and community of all ages.
The stage is a watering hole to reveal and remedy societal pain and empowers through sharing, storytelling play.
Performance art became my story of triumph, optimism, and perseverance. As an "artivist," I have a passion for helping individuals live healthier lives, connecting art in the lens of physical wellness to foster healthy lifestyle behaviors, whether in a recorded or live performance or a performance workshop.
ZAKIYYAH MODESTE
PERFORMANCE / PHYSICAL FITNESS
Circe's approach to healing systemic disorders involves integrating scent, creative consciousness, and agtech. Her motivation is to use sensory experiences to achieve this goal. She has over 10 years of experience in business development, systems theory, and the creative arts.
Circe
Sensorial Expert
Juke is a multifaceted artist and compassionate listener dedicated to fostering human connection and self-discovery through her work. With a talent for drumming and a passion for social justice, she creates electrifying performances that inspire change and empower communities. Juke's workshops, designed for individuals aged 18 and up, provide a safe space for personal exploration and growth, focusing on themes of humanity, authenticity, and finding oneself. As an advocate for artivism, she believes in the transformative power of music and storytelling to evoke empathy and promote social change. With her dynamic stage presence and commitment to creating meaningful experiences, Juke continues to make a profound impact both on and off the stage.
Iemanjá "Juke" Kiff
Musician, Drummer & Human
PRiZM, the Founder of ChosenHipHop.com, has over 30 years Experience as a Hip Hop Cultural Specialist & Youth Mentor with over 25 years in Motivational Speaking, Management, Marketing, Sales, Training & Development, Community Outreach , Youth Mentorship, Entrepreneur/Business Development and Personal and Professional Coaching. PRiZM has also been recognized for assistance in the development of young entrepreneurs, small businesses, non-profit and grassroots organizations, departments, workflow processes and employee performance. He brings a unique and diverse set of skills, training and experience to his coaching, training and consulting practice.
PRiZM (King PRiZM)
Hip Hop Cultural Specialist & Youth Mentor
Ximone AKA Lord Scorpio is a Songwriter, Singer, and Recording Artist. As a kid, Ximone took piano and guitar lessons at home and at school she sang in Choir and Musical Theatre. She later attend Nassau Community College for her certification in Audio Engineering, later interning at a recording studio on Long Island. Now she has over a decade of experience in music, including in-studio Artist Vocal development. Ximone aspires to become the new face of art and expression while supporting her community through education in these skills.
lord scorpio
singing/songwriting
Namibia is an arts education consultant and facilitator. For over 11 years she has delivered high caliber programming to hundreds of New York City and New Jersey public school students and social service agencies. She co-founded and is Executive Director of ARTIS Love + Action, which fosters critical connections amongst the spheres of arts, education and social justice. Her curriculum development draws on Theater of the Oppressed and performance techniques. She currently advises and trains agencies to develop arts integrated, youth-centered, programming geared towards creating community impact through mixed media productions. She is on mission to remind people of their humanity and deeply rooted power.
Namibia Donadio Mejia
Theatre
John Galusha, “Galush”, is an American beatboxer and live looper from Connecticut. While at Bowdoin College until 2020 he pursued an independent research project melding musical and cultural analysis, work that earned him the departmental Sue Winchell Burnett and the Mary Hunter Music Prizes. His competitive highlights include 2-time CLIP Server Loopstation 7tS Champion, 2020 Beatbox Games Winter Tournament Champion, 2018 and 2019 American Beatbox Championships Loopstation Vice-Champion. Galush joined Beatbox Education as the head of the loopstation masterclass working directly with other beatboxers and world class musicians to develop the burgeoning field of beatbox education with the intent of bringing the art to a wider audience.
Galush
beat boxing
John Tournas is a composer, saxophonist, and educator originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He first got his start composing music for dance as Music Director for a nonprofit called CityStep, and went on to develop curricula and teach digital music with BEAT Global, based in NYC. After a short stint as a middle school English teacher in the Bronx, he received his Masters of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He loves making lots of different kinds of music and helping others do the same!
John Tournas
Music production
Deeply rooted in purpose; Jessie “DJ Nebraska” Davis is a producer, performing artist, DJ, cultural ambassador and educator committed to finding healing and connection through Art. Davis has spent the past 5 years touring extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Latin America. From the Best Buy Theater in NYC, to Untold festival in Romania, to headlining LoopFest in Oregon, Davis brings the heat from the NYC underground to stages and dance floors all around the world. Davis has 20 years of experience teaching piano, voice, DJ skills and styles, music production, songwriting, creative wellness, and artist development. In 2019 she was selected by the state department to serve as a hip hop ambassador in Mexico and developing countries around the world. Most recently, she has been awarded the City Artist Corps grant for her work bringing art and music therapy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She is currently working on her 4th recording project, "The Deep End," an audio visual exploration of the cycles of grief, healing and transformation
Jessie "DJ Nebraska" Davis
professional development / DJ
J.Isaak is a multi-talented creative. A versatile hip-hop artist, writer, and producer. He was raised in a musical household and showed promise in the arts at an early age, playing the drums in church then later learning the keyboard . His Baptist roots influence his overall sound as well as artists like The Fugees, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Slum Village, and Drake to name a few.
Though J.Isaak's talent's are not limited to his musical abilities. J.Isaak has received training as an actor and received tutelage at Juilliard, The American Musical & Dramatic Academy, NYU Tisch Future Theatre Artist Program, The School Of Creative And Performing Arts, and The Affordable Masterclass Program.
His purpose in life is to use his gifts & talents to positively influence his generation. He is more than an "Entertainer," because of his ability to communicate truth through various creative art forms he is a "Edutainer." This is apparent in all of his accomplishments:
Disney Dreamers Academy Dreamer of the Year Award for 2015 with then gained responsibility as Brand Ambassador & Spokesperson as a Disney Dreamers Champion; He also won 2nd place in the Shout Down Drugs Song-writing Competition performing his anti-drug song "Sin City" at major events through-out New Jersey. He was also featured in the Gallery of Heroes at the Liberty National Museum in Philadelphia as a Honorable Mention Winner for the Selma Essay & Speech Competition. J.Isaak was also given the distinct honor of addressing and performing for the NJ Governor’s Council on Drug & Alcohol , as well as receiving a Proclamation from the City of Irvington declaring May 19th a Day of Recognition!
Staying true to his mission statement, in 2018 J.Isaak has also started mentoring in the SONYC music program at Crossroad Juvenile Detention Center in Brooklyn, through an independent contract with The Center of Community Alternatives. With this experience he is currently in the process of developing an after school program curriculum called " The P.A.K. Program" that he intends to take to schools all over the tri state and eventually the country. The program's purpose is to use music as a means to promote and exercise creatively communicating one's thoughts, emotions, and perspectives while simultaneously enhancing their vocabulary and enriching their knowledge of their surroundings. Recent studies have shown that music also reinforces memory , due to informational cues like rhythm and sound .The program also encourages collaboration amongst its participants to capitalize communicating comprehensively not only for oneself but for others as well.
J.Issak
Music production
Saki is a Brooklyn based drummer, beat maker and educator. Coming from a family that was very involved with community and music, Saki became a musician as a young teen, playing as a percussionist in his stepdad’s Afro-Cuban Rumba bands. They later found themselves sharing their passion for music and the arts with others, teaching within a broad range of institutions, including museums and public schools. Facilitating cultural growth through music and the arts is Saki’s passion.
Sakima Aguilar
DRUMMING / CHESS
ZUBY BLUE is UK-based artist with Irish and Dutch heritage. Holding a degree in illustration and a postgraduate certificate in education specializing in art and design. She employs a diverse range of techniques, blending tactile methods with digital media. Beyond her identity as a visual artist, Zuby brings over 10 years of experience in education and youth work, using creative expression as a powerful mentoring tool. Passionate about fostering safe and encouraging spaces, she works closely with students facing challenges, including social, emotional, and mental health issues, as well as special educational needs and disabilities. Zuby is a advocate for integrating art and creativity into education, believing in their transformative potential for personal growth and healing. Her mission is to make a positive difference through art, envisioning a world where every individual finds solace, inspiration, and empowerment through the universal language of creativity. Teaching is a reciprocal journey where, as an educator, I find profound learning experiences and inspiration through the insights and perspectives of my students.
ZUBY BLUE
ART EDUCATION
Bonafide Rojas is the author of five collections of poetry: Excelsior, Notes On The Return To The Island, Renovatio, When The City Sleeps & Pelo Bueno. He is part of the inaugural group of Letra Boricuas Fellows. An established Nuyorican Poet, he has appeared on Def Poetry Jam & has been published in numerous anthologies & journals. He is the founder & principal songwriter of the band The Mona Passage. He's performed at Lincoln Center, The Brooklyn Museum, El Museo Del Barrio, Bowery Ballroom, Philadelphia Museum Of Art, Rotterdam Arts Center, Konvent Zero Barcelona, Latinale Berlin, Hafen Lesung Hamburg, Festival Kerouac Espana & Festival De La Palabra Puerto Rico. He's an avid collector & only wears red socks
Bonafide Rojas
Poet, author and musician
Natalie del Villar, a native New Yorker, draws inspiration from the vibrant streets of Manhattan, the eclectic neighborhoods of Queens, and the rich culture of the Bronx. From a young age, she immersed herself in the world of art, drawing from family photos and album covers in her parents’ record collection. After honing her skills at La Guardia H.S. of the Arts and pursuing studies in art history at Queens College, Natalie embarked on a journey of continuous artistic exploration.
For the past 14 years, Natalie has passionately created artwork independently, utilizing traditional materials like paint, pencil, and recycled materials to bring her visions to life. In 2022, she began sharing her expertise with the community, working with youth and seniors at a NYCHA community center. Currently, Natalie leads an intergenerational painting class, fostering creativity across generations, and spearheads an art program for teens during the summer months.
With a keen eye for detail and a talent for curation, Natalie also boasts experience in organizing and curating art exhibits, showcasing the diverse talents of emerging and established artists alike. Through her work, Natalie aims to not only express her own artistic voice but also to inspire and empower others to explore their creativity.
Natalie del Villar
Mixed-medium Artist
Eric "Big Vegg" Sullivan is that guy to go for almost everything you need to get done. From doing Internet radio to running a recording studio to running an interviewing web series to doing photography and videography...He's that go-to guy for what you need. 20+ years deep into entertainment, he's had the chance and honor of working with artists of all genres In the studio, off camera & on camera.
