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Ashley captures real moments of human interaction through portraiture using multiple mediums to express different ideas. She is a dedicated Visual Artist with a decorated background in a variety of artistic mediums. She is the Vice President of the Eighteen Art Collective and is highly experienced in oil painting and mixed media art. Adept at working independently and collaboratively on projects, and committed to achieving visual innovation and beauty. She is a muralist and an artist-driven by purpose and joy. Her art tells stories of joy and happiness that transcends time and space.

Taylor Cappelleri is an artist based out of West Lafayette, IN. She grew up an Army Brat, traveling the world since age five. Through this experience, she learned a lot about people, families and culture. She says being multiracial (Puerto Rican, Black and Japanese) navigating this world has its challenges but there is beauty in the challenge. Ultimately, we all have our own unique stories and experiences that shape us. As a child, she loved to create art and even attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and received a degree in fashion design.

As life happens, family and kids became her priority and she disconnected from her artistic self. However, when the world shut down in 2020, she used that as an opportunity to dive back into her art. This time, Taylor was more intentional with her creativity as a tool toward healing and transformation. The more she created the more she realized that she has a story to tell that perhaps can help or motivate others to tap into their creative selves.

The following year, she created an opportunity for people to share their own stories with her and have their story transformed into a custom piece of artwork. This led to a residency at The Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette creating artwork for the 2022-23 play season. In between these commissions, she also teaches group classes to give others the opportunity to work with her and offer artistic guidance. Storytelling, art and creating opportunities for connection is a true passion of hers.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, and a proud Eastside resident, Cierra Johnson’s art focuses on identity and the ethereal nature of human existence. A mixed-media artist and designer, she believes art allows people to see themselves and others in a new light, “I am inspired by my community. I try to make work that encourages and reflects the communities that I am a part of.”

Deonna Craig is an Indianapolis-based visual artist and the owner of Art by Deonna. She graduated from Cathedral High School and DePauw University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology. Her eclectic spirit led her down various career paths from production assistant for the Jerry Springer talk show to Insurance, where she honed her leadership skills in Management and Fraud Investigation. After 15 years in Corporate America, Deonna’s creativity and love for adventure caused her to pursue art full-time.

Ebony Chappel is an award-winning multimedia journalist, business owner, certified community health worker, and currently works as Director of Programs & Communication for a civic leadership nonprofit. She is known for making high-level decisions, appropriately allocating resources, and delegating responsibilities to maximize productivity and achieve strategic business goals.

Her work has garnered recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists, Hoosier State Press Association, National Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation among other honors.

In addition, she works as a freelance writer, broadcaster, and content creator with several local media outlets including Indy Maven, Pattern Magazine, and Radio One Indianapolis. During the 2020 pandemic, Ebony launched a podcast, What’s Good? with Ebony Chappel to shed light on people in the community doing good things and things that make her feel good. She also works with businesses and organizations as a communications consultant.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Ebony volunteers with various community groups and serve on committees/boards for causes she cares about like arts, culture, literacy and education.

Taylor is a published wardrobe stylist and creative director located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has included editorial, commercial, and personal styling. She got her start in fashion styling because she was always drawn to the fashion industry. Growing up,  she used her style as a way to boost her self confidence. After finding the power clothing holds, Taylor decided she wanted to use fashion to help other people find their confidence, power, and voice. She is currently signed with Aesthetic Artist Agency in Indianapolis.

The Little Black Girl was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when Artist Cassyetta Price was kept from work due to having lupus. As a way to cope, Price went back to her roots. Her art is a wide range of freelance work, including a new passion for woodwork art.

Shaunt’e Lewis is a Visual Artist and Illustrator born and raised in Springfield Massachusetts. She currently resides in Fishers, IN where she also works from her home studio. She is a self-taught artist whose work centers around self-identity, black culture, and femininity. She specializes in colorful, bold illustrations as well as murals and original paintings for private collectors and commercial clients. Lewis’ passion for art, education, and entrepreneurship and her unmistakable style has established her as one of Indy’s most sought-after artists. “My work explores the relationship between feminism and the arts while incorporating bright colors and clean lines. I am particularly captivated by the endless facets and abstractness of my culture. I love to hear the different views and personal connections that my art creates. I find it very rewarding to share my passion and artistic talents with others. Through my work, I hope to inspire others to pursue their passions.”

I am a geometric bead artist. My primary method of creating art is weaving beads. Whether it is to be adornment for the body (wearable) or adornment for personal space (sculptural), my art is always driven by and created from a place of geometric spatial exploration and interaction. Thanks in part to blogs, local and global (social media) networking, I’ve enjoyed various creative opportunities, such as being a member of the BeadInfinitum.com Design Team, creating art for the Indianapolis Downtown Public Library’s Meet The Artist exhibit, styling models at several local fashion events, teaching for ReGeneration Indy, teaching at the Bead and Button Show, and creating commissioned artwork for private clients as well as collaborative work with other fine artists. Additionally, my beaded artwork has been published within the Bridges Organization, the Joint Mathematics Meetings, and “1000 Beads”, a Lark Crafts Publishing book.

I have had a passion for handicrafts throughout my life, beginning in elementary school. I became curious about and fascinated with beads at age 13; I would entreat my mother to purchase beads for me while she shopped for fabrics to have clothing made by her seamstress. I taught myself some basic stitching techniques with seed beads, then I began making and selling jewelry to my friends and classmates. Moving quickly forward to about 2007, I became fascinated with three-dimensional beading, specifically made with geometric concepts. Designing and creating with small beads and monofilament, I have diligently explored and engineered components that are both aesthetically pleasing and functionally & structurally sound.

Harriet Watson is a visual and tie-dye artist. Harriet is a member of the Eighteen Art Collective and painted the “A” in “Matter” in the “#Black Lives Matter” street mural in Indianapolis. After the mural, Harriet created Harriet Watson Art as a way to continue the artistry that came from the mural. Harriet decided to incorporate her love for tie-dye and typography to create clothes that started a conversation about social justice. Harriet also likes to paint portraits of herself and others that reflect the emotions that encompass being a young Black person in America. Harriet’s art is often inspired by the works of 70’s Black feminist artists such as Faith Ringgold and Adrian Piper.

Derek Tuder is a Multi-disciplinary Artist, Author, Photographer, and Instructor.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Derek displayed a love for art at a very young age. People began to take notice of his talents which eventually led to a full 4-year ride in college, many 1st & 2nd Place awards, and other opportunities.

His artwork has been published in national & worldwide publications and has been on exhibit at: The Herron School Of Arts +Designs, Arts Center of Indianapolis’ Market, The Indianapolis Arts Garden at Circle Centre Mall, The Harrison Center’s Independent Music + Art Festival 2021, Clowes Hall at Butler University, Broad Ripple’s Chromatic Collective, The Madame Walker Building, Tube Factory, Indiana Black Expo, Veteran’s Memorial Plaza, Indiana Interchurch Center, Indy Festival of Faith, 2018 & 2019 Flavor Fresh Contemporary Fine Art Annual Juried exhibitions, Open Bite Night, “What’s Behind the Doors” exhibition, the Green Men Art Gallery, Sullivan Art Gallery, and the Green House Indy Gallery, Nickel Prate Art Gallery, Lost Dog Gallery’s “Artifacts of 2020” Exhibition, Cleo’s Bodega, Garfield Park Arts Center’s Virtual First Friday, Art 3000, Deviant Art and Virtual Art Jam in Houston, Texas.

He has also been featured on WISH TV 8 News and also their Multicultural Spotlight, WRTV 6 News Story, WTHR 13 News and FOX 59 News promoting making safer streets and reducing the homicides in the City through his artwork and community outreach efforts & programs.

He created his 2020 Vision: Art, Fashion & Music Exhibitions throughout the city until the pandemic hit, so he took the exhibition online to keep his network of artists, designers, entertainers, models, poets, comedians & singers performing during lockdown.

So when the restrictions lightened up & the city slowly reopened Derek created the country’s 1st ever (Trademarked) Mini Van Go Mobile Art Gallery, which is taking over the art world. The Mini Van Go Mobile Art Gallery has been featuring many artists in many regular locations such as: The Harrison Center Independent Music + Art Festival, The Jamaican Breeze, Broad Ripple’s UpLand Brewery, Cleo’s Bodega and countless Festivals & Pop Up Events.

Derek Tuder is currently offering: Paint & Sip Parties, Paint Relays, Beady Bead Parties, Art Classes, Commissioned Art & Photo Shoots. Interested in booking or request the Mini Van Go Mobile Art Gallery Call 317-903-3137 or DerekTuder@gmail.com. See more on Instagram @DerekTuder or visit DerekTuder.com or SoTrendyA2Z.com

Proceeds of art sales are donated to reduce crimes & homicides with www.nobobs.org.

Sock Joplin (Joshua Thompson) is a pianist, social musicologist, teaching artist and producer. Known onstage as Sock Joplin, he is increasingly recognized on a national scale for his expertise on classical composers of African descent and the inherent cultural connectivity in the broader aesthetic of Black Arts movements. As the 2020 Beckman Emerging Artist Fellow of the Arts Council of Indianapolis, he successfully completed his residency at the Africana Studies Center for Music and Society at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, followed by a performing/teaching residency at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. As the first Musicologist in Residence with Classical Music Indy, Thompson was recently appointed as the Creative Partner in Residence with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra for the 2023-24 season.

In 2004, Joshua obtained a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana. He deftly merged his music and advocacy paths through performances, appearances and worked closely with an expanding range of national cultural arts organizations, social agencies, and universities to facilitate access to educational resources. The Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Marian University, Butler University, the University of Puget Sound, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Winds, Classical Music Indy, Arts for Lawrence, Arts for Learning, Morning Brown, Inc., Indy Jazz Fest have all worked with Mr. Thompson in this capacity.

Joshua has worked with legendary bassist John Clayton, Smithsonian Research Fellow Dr. William C. Banfield, touring pianist Ric’key Pageot, Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Davis, renowned clarinetist Anthony McGill, and international operatic soprano Angela Brown.

In October 2019, he was a featured presenter for the popular TED Talk series. His award-winning podcast series Melanated Moments in Classical Music with co-host Angela Brown, is currently in its fourth season of production and won 2020 Best Music Podcast from the Black Podcasting Awards and was recently featured in the British publication, Alternative Classical, and the Miami Times.

Justin Brown is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Indianapolis, IN. He is the founder and director of Hoy Polloy art gallery, located at 3125 e. 10th street, Indianapolis, IN. Justin’s work is research based; ranging from public- private experiments, to government and corporate surveillance programs to archival photographs. Justin paints with data and paper.

His series “Intelligence Countered” highlights FBI surveillance files of persons of interest from the Rabble Rouser Index, Cointelpro, and modern intelligence operations. He collages casework and redacts the papers further with abstract painting techniques to draw the viewers’ eye to the text. Justin’s “Cubist Maps” series is centered around the historic development of neighborhoods, cities, and interstate infrastructures. He collages archive images of landmarks and residents in geometric “maps” to honor a regions history. Justin has installed permanent murals in Milktooth, Rabble Coffee, Beholder, the MLK Multi-service Center in Indianapolis, Fraser Colorado, and the Adams County board of Commissioners in Colorado. His work has been exhibited at Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Big Car’s Listen Hear, and Hoy Polloy.

Pope Gaskine, an Indianapolis native, is a professional artist specializing in acrylic and oil canvas artist. Gaskine is also an Indiana Member of the Eighteen Art Collective and is a published Professional Esthesia Artist.

VICTORY THE CREATOR is a Nigerian-American, multi-platform creative that utilizes the power of literature, writing, and community to create social commentary centering the Black gaze. Employing intersectional Black Feminist Theory, VICTORY explores the topics of Blackness, gender, masculinity, and intersectional Black feminism. The educational spaces he creates allow viewers to connect with the people in their daily lives with more care and understanding.

Treseme Bryant, a native of Fort Brag NC, was raised in Indianapolis, IN. She is a self-taught artist who was influenced by her father’s mastery and love of art. In her early teens, she was fascinated by fashion illustration and drawing models from magazines. Along her journey, she felt art was underappreciated and cared less for her work, later losing a most cherished portfolio. This decreased her desire to draw again.

Today, she leans toward the love of portrait realism, abstract, and acrylic painting. Treseme Bryant desires to introduce other mediums in the future.

Miss Jaws  (aka- Jessica Garcia) is a fine artist, illustrator, zinemaker and animator currently living in Indianapolis. Since earning her BFA in Illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2016, she has continued to work professionally in the art field with a variety of clients. Her work blends themes of femininity, sexuality, struggle, and liberation to tell stories with authenticity and a sense of humor.

Faith Blackwell has been a full-time photographer since 2011. While working in marketing for the International Masonry Institute, she picked up a camera and discovered her passion for photography. Photography chose her.

Faith is a published photographer specializing in business headshots, commercial, event, and fashion photography. Faith is the official photographer for Dress for Success Indianapolis and was the 2015 featured artist for Dress for Success Indianapolis Stepping Out In Style, the premier fundraiser for the organization.

Rachel Meiser is an apparel, costume, and graphic designer based in Indianapolis. She first learned sewing and handcrafts from her grandmother, then honed her skills by earning a BA in Fashion Design from Kent State University in 2011. After college, Rachel chose to return to her hometown and build a business in the city that built her–surrounded by her amazing, multicultural family.

Rachel is gifted with an eye for design and a brain built for business. Her business RRD goes beyond your typical alterations service. With her background in everything from customer service to product development, and even an odd stint as a security guard, she’s been there and done that. The lessons that she has learned lend themselves to the creative services that she provides.

Kori is an Indy-based digital and traditional artist. She aims to create artwork that curb-stomps tolerable, confining, unimaginative, shallow, and/or submissive depictions of Black American women in mainstream media. Less intense yet just as relevant, Kori also finds joy in creating ethereal, otherworldly art inspired by her earthly thoughts and feelings.

Though Kori had previously cast personal creativity aside in favor of academia, the college grad is ready to return to center, explore, and grow.

Psylo Soundz is an audio engineer and DJ from the north side of Chicago. Being born into a musically inclined family, Psylo was exposed to music long before they came out of the womb. As the daughter of a renowned Chicago DJ, Psylo has taken advantage of the musical knowledge that seems innately a part of their being. From raw and authentic Chicago house music, to the grunginess of groups like The Clash and The Flying Lizards, Psylo’s knowledge of music is apparent in their ever-changing selection.

St. Louis native Michelle Johnson is a visual artist that takes an innovative approach to mixed media collage. Influenced by her passion for Black American art and her interest in the artistic rhythms created by the sampling technique used in hip hop, Michelle aims to combine her artistic talents with her love for music to create a visual platform for discussing ideas surrounding history and identity. Michelle is a graduate of Ball State University and currently lives in Indianapolis where she is often inspired by the local music community that she has grown to love.

Gail Patrice Mallory is an American artist and graphic designer from Indianapolis, Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Graphics and Multimedia Development from the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. Gail also holds a M.B.A. from Prairie View A & M University. Gail currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

While living in Houston she participated in the Citywide African American Artist Exhibition (University Museum of Texas Southern University) sponsored by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2017, 2019). She has also shown her artwork in several group exhibitions.

David Conner, known professionally as SIK-REEJECT, is an illustrator and writer from Gary, Indiana. He currently resides in Indianapolis. He recently graduated from Herron School of Art and Design.

SIK-REEJECT writes dark comedy and about lessons in self-love. He is the author and illustrator of the canvas webtoons “Rated Teen”, “Misery City”, and soon to come, “The Laugh-ocalypse!”

His work is inspired by Adult Swim, a programming block broadcast by Cartoon Network.

Boxx the artist synthesizes interactive art through paintings, digital art, and installations. She is an Indianapolis-based full-time visual artist practicing for approximately 5 years professionally, from Gary, Indiana.

Boxx’s visual artwork uses acrylic, digital, mixed mediums, and public installations to capture different elements of life from the African diaspora promoting health, wealth, wellness, and celebrating Blackness.

Her art initiatives are to share interactive art and offer art that serves as a connector of community. Boxx has exhibited in a host of exhibits and installed different murals located throughout Indianapolis participating in the High Art Billboard Project, Murals for Racial Justice Project, and the Indy Art & Seek with a community interactive mural installation located at the Martindale-Brightwood Library.

She recently completed serving as an Artist Apprentice for the Bicentennial Major Taylor mural installation, installing a 5-story civic mural. She has severed as Maker-In-Resident for the Ignite Studio at the East Hamilton Public Library in Fishers, Indiana; Artist and Curator for Cat Head Press Artist Residency, and is a 2021 Fellow for the Indiana Arts Commission, On Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator. Connect with Boxx the Artist on social media @boxxtheartist on all platforms.