Marie Casimir

Marie Casimir is a Haitian American interdisciplinary artist, producer, curator, and educator. Her work blends improvisational movement, choreography, and performative text, often exploring cultural memory and Black diasporic identity. Casmir’s work has been featured at Oklahoma Contemporary, Links Hall, the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, and the Austin Dance Festival. She has received honors including a Ragdale Artist Fellowship and a Regional Emmy nomination.

As the founder of Djaspora Productions, Casimir fosters global artistic exchange for artists of color. She is the co-founder of the Instigation Festival, which celebrates improvised music and dance in Chicago and New Orleans, and serves as Producing Partner for Black Arts Retreat and Juneteenth on the East (Oklahoma City).  

Previously, Casimir served as Associate Director of Links Hall, Curator of Public Programs and Performances at Oklahoma Contemporary, and taught in the Clara Luper African & African American Studies program at the University of Oklahoma. 

Her work can be explored at: https://www.marie-casimir.com/

Harrison Guy

Harrison Guy (he/him) is a choreographer, cultural architect, educator, and community leader based in Houston, TX. He is the founder and artistic director of Urban Souls Dance Company and serves as Director of Arts and Culture for the 5th Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, where he leads the 5th Ward Cultural Arts District. He is also a member of the dance faculty at Houston’s renowned Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Harrison’s work is rooted in the belief that dance is a powerful tool for healing, truth-telling, and transformation. As a 2019 Dance/USA Fellow and previous New/Now Artist Commission recipient through Performing Arts Houston, his work blends activism and artistry to center Black voices and stories. His role as choreographer in the groundbreaking Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness brought together dancers from Houston Ballet Academy and The Ailey School, premiering at Rice University and later performed at Carnegie Hall.

His most recent choreographic work, Eulogy for America’s Promise, inspired by the life of Barbara Jordan, affirms his identity as both artist and civic storyteller. He also served as a producer on Memory Builds the Monument, a documentary about Emancipation Park, nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

Harrison’s work lives at the intersection of movement, memory, and community transformation.

Ladonna Freidheim

Ladonna Freidheim is an award-winning arts inclusion advocate and performer. She is the founder of ReinventAbility, serves on the Board of Directors for See Chicago Dance, and performs as a wheelchair dancer with MOMENTA Dance Company.  

Ladonna’s early life revolved around ballet, until a degenerative disability changed everything. Today, she navigates through the world with braces and crutches, but it is her wheelchair that enlivens her dancer soul.  She is honored to have received the Leadership in Dance Award and the Rhythm Within Award, along with multiple nominations for 3Arts Awards in both dance and education. Ladonna also serves on the ArtsEd Leadership Committee and the Dance/USA Host Committee.  

 

Dee Alexander

Dee Alexander is among the premier vocalists/songwriters and one of Chicago's most gifted and respected artists. Her performances span virtually every music genre related to the African diaspora: gospel, blues, neo-soul, R&B, and world music.  Her true heart belongs to jazz, the idiom that encompasses all her influences. She gravitated toward jazz at an early age naming several vocalists and musicians among her major influences. Her collaboration with Chicago saxophonist “Light” Henry Huff encouraged her to take risks and cross boundaries, setting her on the path to becoming an accomplished voice improviser.

She produced a concert in tribute to Dinah Washington’s centennial at the 2024 Blues Festival at Chicago’s Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. In 2018, The Art Institute of Chicago commissioned Ms. Alexander to create/perform a concert inspired by artist Charles White: A Retrospective exhibit.  The Dee Alexander Trio performed at Newport Jazz Festival in 2013 to rave reviews. Her 2007 "Sirens of Song" tribute to Nina and Dinah (commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), at Chicago's Pritzker Pavilion, introduced her to a larger audience resulting in frequent tours to Europe, Africa and Asia.  She has long and fruitful associations with Chicago's jazz elite and leads her own groups: Dee Alexander Quartet, Evolution Ensemble and co-leader of Alexander/McLean Project.

Her accolades include 2020 Esteem Artist Award; "Chicagoan of the Year" (Chicago Tribune, 2008); "Jazz Entertainer of the Year" (Chicago Music Awards); her 2009 album Wild Is The Wind received five stars (highest honor) from Downbeat Magazine, which named it among the Top Ten recordings of the new millennium. She was the 2012 3Arts/Southwest Airlines Award recipient and is a member of the 3Arts Artist Council. 

Currently, she is also a member of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Chicago's internationally known musicians' collective and has performed in other large-scale works on Chicago stages and television. Dee Alexander is a radio host of the syndicated WFMT Jazz Network which broadcasts in over 200 markets.

Shawn Choi

Shawn Choi, a native of Seoul, Korea, moved to New York in 2004 to pursue a master’s degree in Performing Arts Administration at New York University. He currently serves as the Director of Marketing at Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College, where he oversees sales, marketing, publicity, and community outreach. 

In 2016, Shawn founded SORI Artists, a Korean artist agency dedicated to fostering connections between traditional and contemporary Korean music and American audiences. His efforts have been instrumental in showcasing Korea’s vibrant performing arts scene to audiences across the United States and around the world.

Molly Joyce

Molly Joyce is a composer and performer whose work explores disability as a creative source through music, performance, and research. Hailed by The Washington Post as a “versatile, prolific, and intriguing composer,” she blends adaptive technologies such as motion capture and the KAiKU glove in her compositions. Her upcoming album State Change (2025) uses surgical records as lyrics, and she recently scored Patrice: The Movie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and streamed on Hulu.

Joyce's 2022 album Perspective features interviews with 47 disabled individuals and has evolved into performances, installations, and public art. Her music has been presented by Carnegie Hall, SXSW: EDU, and the Hirshhorn Museum, and performed by orchestras such as the Minnesota and the New World Symphony. She collaborates across disciplines with artists, choreographers, and writers, including Jerron Herman on the acclaimed piece Left and Right.

Joyce often performs on a vintage toy organ, a central element to her exploration of disability and sound. A graduate of Juilliard and Yale, she holds an M.A. in Disability Studies and is a Dean’s Doctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia. Her work has earned major grants, awards, and residencies, and she is represented by INTERIM.

Juan Dies

Juan Díes is the Executive Director and co-founder of the two-time GRAMMY®-nominated Sones de México Ensemble. Since 1994, he has helped lead the group in recording six albums and performing over 2,000 concerts across 30 U.S. states. An active musician in the ensemble, Juan is a studio and live concert producer, educator, and storyteller. He has dedicated his career to presenting, researching, advocating, teaching and performing traditional Mexican music and culture. 

He holds an M.A. in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University and is a Fellow of the Chicago Community Trust (2009), USArtists (2019), and the Illinois Arts Council (2020).  

Li(sa E.) Harris

Li(sa E.) Harris is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, and researcher who uses voice, theremin, electronics, movement, improvisation, meditation, and new media to explore healing in performance and living. Li is trained as a classical voice/opera singer and performs across a wide range of genres and mediums. She is a certified facilitator of DEEP LISTENING®, the sonic philosophies of composer Pauline Oliveros.​ Li starred in the 2017 world premiere of The Nubian Word for Flowers- a Phantom Opera by Pauline Oliveros and Ione produced by the International Contemporary Ensemble, and in 2023 made her Carnegie Hall debut in Pauline at 90, a celebratory concert led by flautist Claire Chase in honor of Oliveros' legacy. 

The founder/creative director of the socially engaged creative arts studio, Studio Enertia, ​Li ha​s been the recipient of numerous awards that include a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts and the 2021 Dorothea Tanning Award in Music/Sound from the Foundation for Contemporary Art. In 2022, Li was a Visiting Professor at Harvard University and a Harvard ArtLab Artist in Residence. Recent solo exhibitions include Unlit: Sof Landin (Ballroom Marfa, 2023), D.R.E.A.M.= A Way to Afram (Diverse Works, 2023), and This is the Day (Lawndale Art Center, 2024).​ She wrote, directed and produced Cry of the Third Eye: a new opera film in Three Acts, a decade long meditation on legacy, loss, and gentrification in Third Ward Houston,Texas. Her albums include Life and That( Studio Enertia 2021) Cry of the Third Eye Original Soundtrack (Studio Enertia 2017), The Last Resort Original Soundtrack (2019), and EarthSeed, her co-composition with composer/flautist Nicole M. Mitchell (FPE Records 2020).​She appears on pianist Jason Moran's Grammy nominated album All Rise: a Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller (Blue Note Records 2014) and Robert Glasper's Grammy Award Winning album Black Radio III (Blue Note Records 2022.) 

Yaya Vargas

Yaya Vargas is the Executive Director of Southern Illinois Culture and Arts in Bilingual Education at SI CABE, where she leads community-centered programs that uplift bilingualism, cultural memory, and artistic expression. A proud Puerto Rican, hailing from rural Adjuntas, and longtime advocate for equity in rural spaces, Yaya blends grassroots organizing, education, and the arts to create inclusive spaces of celebration, healing, and storytelling. Her work has been recognized through fellowships and community awards, and she continues to shape SI CABE as a bridge between generations, languages, and lived experiences.

Olateju “Teju” Adesida

Olateju “Teju” Adesida is the Associate Director of Education, Community Programs, and Research at Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE). In this role, she leads initiatives that integrate arts into public education, fostering community engagement and student development. 

Since 2008, Teju has also served as the Artistic Director of Fehinty African Theatre Ensemble (FATE), where she has played a key role in establishing the ensemble’s presence in Chicago. She spearheaded FATE’s first artistic home at Iyanze African Restaurant with a dinner-theatre program that ran from 2009 to 2012. In 2015, she launched FATE’s annual performance series, Diaspora Monologues, which provides a platform for African Diaspora artists and community narrators to explore their experiences in Chicago. 

In addition to her roles at CAPE and FATE, Teju serves as the Creative Arts Director at Jesus House Chicagoand is a board member of the Funmi Adewole Foundation. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. Her academic work, including the project Ceremonies: Yoruba Migrants Performing Identity, reflects her commitment to exploring cultural identity through performance. 

Alejandra Tobar

Alejandra Tobar is a movement-based artist, somatic educator, and cultural strategist rooted in Arvada, Colorado, on the ancestral lands of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. Her creative, community practice draws from over two decades of experience in performance, arts education, and embodiment work—including a classical ballet foundation, multiple somatic and bodywork certifications, and years of collaborative programming in both academic and grassroots settings.

As a movement storyteller and facilitator, Alejandra designs place-based projects and circle-centered gatherings that honor lineage, land, and collective healing. Her recent work includes collaborations with  Four Directions Cuisine, where she supports media and cultural strategy aligned with Indigenous food sovereignty movements. She also leads Ancestral Harmony Retreats, immersive weekends rooted in movement meditation, antiracism, and embodied restoration.

Alejandra’s practice is shaped by her Indigenous Mexican, Chilean, and European ancestry, as well as a longstanding commitment to justice, cultural memory, and creative repair. She has served as a teaching artist, nonprofit program director, and somatic guide across a wide range of intergenerational spaces. Whether facilitating ritual, teaching movement, or stewarding community space, Alejandra moves toward futures where art is embodied, justice is felt, and belonging is practiced.

Kenneth Bailey

Kenneth Bailey is the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI). His interests focus on the research and development of design tools for marginalized communities to address complex social issues. With over three decades of experience in community practice, Bailey brings a unique perspective on the ethics of design in relation to community engagement, the arts and cultural action. 

Projects he has produced at DS4SI include Action Lab, Public Kitchen, Social Emergency Response Center (SERC), People’s Redevelopment Authority, and inPUBLIC. Bailey was a Visiting Scholar in collaboration with the University of Tasmania and is a founding member of Theatrum Mundi NYC alongside Richard Sennett.

His book (co-authored with DS4SI) is entitled Ideas—Arrangements--Effects: Systems Design and Social Justice (Minor Compositions, 2020). He received his MFA in Public Action from Bennington College in 2021.

Jenna Bainbridge

Jenna Bainbridge (she/her) is an actor, singer, and disability rights advocate, currently appearing on Broadway as Nessarose in Wicked. At 16 months old, Jenna suddenly became partially paralyzed from the waist down, the cause is still unknown. She now navigates the world as an ambulatory wheelchair user. 

In 2024 Jenna became the first wheelchair user to perform in a New Musical on Broadway when she made her debut in Suffs which won the 2024 Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Music. She can be seen in NBC’s Found, and you can hear her narrate the audio books for Marieke Nijkamp’s Unbroken and Alice Wong’s Disability Intimacy.

In addition to performing, Jenna is also the Co-founder of ConsultAbility, a consulting firm whose mission is to work with theatrical institutions and educational programs to create more accessible spaces and inclusive programming for disabled artists, bridging the gap between what is desired and what is required when working with disabled artists in the theatrical world.

E. Faye Butler

E. Faye Butler is an award-winning Actress-Singer-Director whose career spans over 40 years. Known for her powerful stage presence and unmatched versatility, Ms. Butler has captivated audiences across the U.S. and internationally in venues ranging from concert halls, music festivals, and jazz clubs to major regional theatres and Broadway tours. Her musical range includes jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, American standards, and musical theatre. 

In addition, Ms. Butler leads the EFO Orchestra (her baby), offering performances from intimate piano sets to full eleven-piece arrangements. Many audiences recognize E.Faye from her theatre career, having performed at renowned venues such as the Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Steppenwolf, The Kennedy Center, and many more. She has earned over 25 major awards, including 10 Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2 Helen Hayes Awards, the Rosetta LeNoire Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Chicago Theatres.

As a director, her credits span from The Wiz to The Color Purple, and upcoming productions include Sister Act and Fat Ham. She also collaborates frequently with ballet companies, having traveled with The Washington Ballet and performed three seasons with The Hong Kong Ballet.

Ming Peiffer

Ming Peiffer is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter and the first Asian woman to be nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Play in its history. Her play USUAL GIRLS (3 Drama Desk Nominations including Outstanding Play, John Gassner Award Nomination, Hull Warriner Award Finalist, Relentless Award Honorable Mention, New York Times Critic’s Pick) enjoyed a double-extended, sold out run at Roundabout Underground in NYC. Awards and fellowships include: New York Theatre Work (NYTW) Usual Suspect, NYTW 2050 Fellowship, Kilroy’s List, Youngblood Member, The Kennedy Center's Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award Recipient. In Film/TV Ming is developing a fantasy series for Apple and writing a horror movie for Anonymous Content.

Antawan Byrd

Antawan I. Byrd, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Northwestern University and an Associate Curator of Photography and Media at the Art Institute of Chicago. At the Art Institute, he is a co-curator of Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Pan-Africa (2024–2027), a major survey exhibition that will tour to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, and the Barbican Art Centre, London. 

He also recently curated Mimi Cherono Ng’ok: Closer to the Earth, Closer to My Own Body (2021) and The People Shall Govern! Medu Art Ensemble and the Anti-Apartheid Poster (2019). He also co-curated the 2nd Lagos Biennial of Contemporary Art (2019) and Kader Attia: Reflecting Memory at Northwestern’s Block Museum of Art (2017), and served as an associate curator for the 10th Bamako Encounters, Biennale of African Photography (2015). 

In 2017, Byrd received the Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Arts Council of the African Studies Association. From 2009 to 2011, he was a Fulbright fellow and curatorial assistant at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, where he currently serves on the board of advisors. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Graham Foundation in Chicago. 

Byrd is currently at work on Being Seen Listening: Art, Pan-Africanism, and the Sound Politics of the Sixties, a book-length study exploring the impact of sound technologies on art and decolonial politics across Africa and its diaspora.

Leslie Moody Castro

Leslie Moody Castro is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. She has produced, organized, and collaborated on projects in Mexico and the United States for nearly two decades. Committed to fostering dialogue and exchange through exhibitions, she is a co-founder of Unlisted Projects Residency and Co-Lab Projects.

In 2022 she served as inaugural curatorial fellow and curator in residence at New Mexico State University and Casa Otro Residency, respectively. She has received two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts for her curatorial projects and a fellowship from the Department of State for her research on borders. 

Moody Castro has participated in numerous residencies including the Narva Artist Residency (Estonia), the Galveston Artist Residency, Casa Lü (Tepoztlán), MARSO (CDMX), and Fountainhead (Miami). Her curatorial projects include major biennials such as the Amarillo Museum of Art Biennial (2021), the Texas Biennial (2018), and the Aurora Biennial (2024, co-curator).  

From 2021 to 2024, she was guest editor of Glasstire magazine. She is also the founder of AtravesArte and firmly believes that mariachi makes everything better.

Christi Furnas

Christi Furnas is a cartoonist, illustrator, oil painter, and disability rights advocate. Her thirty-year art career includes group and solo exhibitions, over a decade of arts administration, teaching experience, and numerous speaking engagements. 

She wrote and illustrated her debut graphic novel, Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia (Street Noise Books, 2024), in which she uses humor and anthropomorphic creatures to share her early experiences with the psychotic disorder. The book has received enthusiastic reviews, including recognition from Publisher’s Weekly and Ms. Magazine’s “2024 Our Favorite Books of the Year.” 

Christi lives with her wife in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Harris Deller

Harris Deller was born in Brooklyn, NY.  He received his BA from California State University, Northridge and his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1973. He has lived in Southern Illinois for the past 47 years. 

Deller's work has been featured in more than 100 group exhibitions and over 15 solo exhibits in museums and galleries throughout the United States as well as in Asia and Europe. His work is represented in over 25 major collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, NYC; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC; Illinois State Museum, Chicago and Springfield, IL; Hallmark Art Collection, Kansas City; Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Japan; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Texas; The Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; and deYoung Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco. 

Deller has been awarded the Artist Fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council on six different occasions; received Gold Medals at the 47th Concorso Internationale della Ceramica d’Arte, Fienza, and the 2nd International Ceramics Competition, Mino, Japan; and was awarded a regional National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship and a Fulbright Fellowship to teach ceramics in Seoul, Korea.His works have been reviewed, pictured or cited in over 40 publications and he was recently elected to the International Academy of Ceramics. 

Holly Doll

Holly Doll/Anpao Win (First Light Woman) is an enrolled citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, residing in her home state of North Dakota. An artist specializing in Lakota cultural art, Holly brings over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, focusing on designing equity-based initiatives and collaborative projects.

Holly began her professional journey by managing a Native American gallery, later co-founding and serving as President of Native Artists United, an artist cooperative dedicated to supporting Native American artists. She was then invited to join the Waterers, a collective of arts, cultural, and community leaders committed to transforming traditional philanthropy by centering trust and cultural values in grantmaking efforts.

In her career, Holly has successfully managed over $8 million in federal and private funding for grantmaking initiatives. She has extensive experience working locally, regionally, and nationally in cohort and granting programs. Currently, Holly serves as a Program Manager with Arts Midwest, where she collaborates with other US Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) to co-design national grantmaking initiatives and deepen relationships with Native Nations in the Midwest. Additionally, she is a Program Director at the Department of Public Transformation, where she oversees Ignite Rural, an artist residency program aimed at supporting emerging BIPOC artists in rural areas. 

Monique Brinkman-Hill

Monique Brinkman-Hill is a seasoned financial leader renowned for her extensive Chicago business network, exceptional fundraising success, and strong community connections. As the Executive Director of the historic Southside Community Arts Center in Chicago, Illinois, she has demonstrated remarkable leadership. Under her guidance, the Center has experienced significant growth in programming, cultural celebration, and community engagement, solidifying its role as a cornerstone of the community. 

Monique's strategic insight and passion for community advocacy have made her a sought-after leader in the arts, banking, and professional coaching sectors. Her ability to build high-performing teams and foster consensus has been instrumental in driving the success of the Southside Community Arts Center. She has collaborated with prominent partners, including the Smithsonian, the Terra Foundation for the American Arts, and the Joyce Foundation, thereby expanding the Center's reach and impact. Her efforts have led to a substantial increase in annual revenues and the successful launch of a capital campaign that has raised over $10 million to date. 

In addition to her role at the Southside Community Arts Center, Monique is the Founder and Lead Consultant of MBH Coaching and Consulting, LLC. Through her coaching practice, she empowers Women to honor their personal values, unleash their confidence, and align with their life goals. Certified through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and an active member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Monique supports her clients with personalized coaching processes that help them identify their strengths and optimize their business and personal outcomes.

Monique's career spans significant roles in the financial industry, including senior leadership positions at Northern Trust Corporation, ShoreBank, and Fifth Third Bank. At Northern Trust, she led a team responsible for managing significant assets and received the Chairman’s Diversity Advocate Award for her contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion. Her extensive experience in financial management and client servicing has equipped her with a deep understanding of organizational leadership and strategic development.

Recognized for her contributions to the arts and community, Monique has received numerous accolades, including the Art Leader of the Moment, the Rooted in Love Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also served on various boards and councils, demonstrating her commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and empowering women. Monique holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Development & Policy Analysis from Michigan State University and a Certificate in Management from Loyola University of Chicago, further underscoring her dedication to continuous learning and professional development.