Nzilani Simu
Visual Artist
Nairobi | Kenya
Nzilani Simu is an illustrator and graphic designer born, raised and based in Nairobi, Kenya. She specialises in illustration, hand lettering, infographics, identity design and is passionate about design for social impact - particularly when it comes to an African lens and projects focused on women's rights. She has over ten years of experience working as a freelancer and for creative agencies. She has a BA in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario, and a BA in Graphic Design from Curtin University in Malaysia. In the last few years, she has been working on her art brand Kulula; Kulula comes from the Kikamba word meaning 'to draw' and is an outlet for more creative ideas and personal expression using illustration and mixed media. In addition to this, Nzilani works as a graphic design teacher in a Nairobi college.
Tayleur Crenshaw
Spoken Word Artist/Writer
Oakland, CA | USA
Though Tayleur wrote stories and poetry her whole life, she never considered herself to be a writer. What she did know was that she loved seeing her people thrive and being in spaces that inspired her. As fate would have it, those two things became what eventually developed her career as a writer and poet and co-founder of @Gold.Beams. Through @Gold.Beams, Tayleur curates amazing events, programming and productions for black creatives and her black community at large. As a writer and poet Tayleur shares her art and teaches art in schools and youth programs.
Tayleur is also a New York native, Howard University alumna. Her ultimate goal is to love on black people and to support their wildest dreams.
Olubori Babaoye
Visual Artist
Richmond| Nigeria/USA
Throughout my elementary years, I drew on the playground with chalk during recess and even sketched on my homework assignments. That was when I was introduced to the Oakland School for the Arts where I studied Visual Arts. My time there allowed my creativity to manifest into something remarkable. As a Nigerian-American artist, I feel that it’s my responsibility to commentate on the various socio-economic and political conundrums taking place today in both America and Nigeria. Being that I was raised in a Nigerian household, it’s inevitable that I’ve established such a powerful connection with my homeland. I’ve continuously strived to perfect my craft not only as a classical painter, but also a digital illustrator, Sip & Paint instructor, as well as a live performer/painter. I’ve come to realize the true power that I have as a creative to heal and inspire those around me.
Lauren Baccus
Textile Artist
Miami| USA
Lauren Baccus is a textile artist with roots throughout the Caribbean. Her work is centered around the reframing and retelling of Caribbean stories through costume. She is strongly influenced by masquerade, the region’s legacy of resistance through clothing, and the universality of play through dress.
Wole Hammond
Photographer
Abuja | Nigeria
Wole Hammond is a documentary photographer based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is a huge admirer of nature and the environment and he is interested in building inclusive and sustainable societies for the future. His work as an artist explores using visuals to tell socio-cultural and environmental stories of the 21st century and their inter-relationship with humans.
He attended the Canon Digital and Street photography workshop in 2018. Wole works with non-profits promoting clean environment and sustainable development goals. Some of his work has been featured on platforms such as the Transparency and Accountability Initiative, Institut du Francais Nigeria, Tell that Story, and Kurating. Wole is currently working on documentary projects promoting environmental sustainability in his city.
Vivi Karia
Visual Artist
Nairobi | Kenya
I am a photographer who main focuses on showing the beauty I'm surrounded by and Vivi Karia is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Nairobi. Vivi specializes in object design but has also had a background in installation design.
In 2018 alongside fellow artist Magati Maosa, they hosted an installation called Mental Tourist for Africa Nouveau Festival.The installation was a physical visual project that served to give a glimpse into the experiences artists go through when they create.
She is also a 2019 Catalyst Grant artist of the British Council NaNa Art program. Key themes that can be found in her work are religion and storytelling of everyday life narratives. Vivi always aims to pose the unfamiliar to her audience in hopes of triggering even greater conversations.
nwaobiala
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Prince George's County | Nigeria/USA
nwaobiala is a Black Nigerian American trans nonbinary creative from Anambra State, Nigeria and Prince George's County, Maryland. As a multi-disciplinary experimental artist, they exist within blurred medium lines, intersecting at photography, digital design, film, painting, poetry, and writing. Wielding art as a catalyst, nwaobiala drives global, Diasporic conversations about African Diasporic queerness, gender identity, fashion and self-expression; Black mental and public health, intergenerational trauma, male preference, history and culture, and everything in between.
Sephora Woldu
Filmmaker
San Francisco | Eritrea/USA
Sephora Woldu is an Eritrean American filmmaker.. Named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine, her work has gained audiences from the American Film Institute to Eritrean community centers in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Toronto, London, and New York. She is the owner of Abyssurdian Productions, a creative studio based in the Tenderloin of San Francisco, CA.
Sephora received the Emerging Filmmaker Award (Indie Memphis) and the Jury Prize for Bold Innovation (RiverRun International Film Festival) for her debut feature length narrative film, Life is Fare. She is currently developing its prequel, Aliens in Eritrea, with support from FilmHouse (SFFILM) and IFP Week. Her hobbies include dangling out of open windows, extreme journalling, and dreaming about the history/ scheming about the future of Eritrea. She lives in San Francisco with her bright red Castelfidardo accordion (Mushu) because among other things, she is full of surprises
Dom Jones feat. Eric Fells
Musician
Oakland | USA
Dom Jones, from Oakland, CA, is an artist and creative entrepreneur. The Founder and Principal Artist at Dom Empire, she weaves her passion for music, media, and social justice through various projects. An International Songwriting Competition Winner in 2014, Dom released her first album, Wingspan, that same year. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2019 as a dual major in Songwriting and Music Business. Her music has been lauded as a beacon for social change through recognition from Berklee’s Songs for Social Change, BAMS Fest, and she is a 2019 Composer for the Hear Her Song project. Dom’s recent single, “Crazytown,” was featured in the 2020 Grammy U Conference by the Recording Academy. More about her work in music, media, and entrepreneurship can be on her website.