2023 Recipients

Alan Aurelia – Ukraine & Russia Friends in Peaceful Performance
Alan Aurelia will produce a concert featuring popular opera and ballet excerpts as well as popular crossover Broadway tunes and dances plus, more obscure to US audiences, Ukrainian and Russian folk songs and dances. This production aims to demonstrate, during a war raging elsewhere, how Ukrainian and Russian performers can come together on Staten Island through art.

Ash Montalto – DualiTEA Podcast
DualiTEA is a podcast showcasing people in the community making a positive impact. The podcast is designed to recognize all sorts of people from different walks of life while displaying their personalities and shining a light on the many ways we are all connected. By inviting local people to converse and express themselves via their experiences and unique perspectives on a variety of topics (art, music, activism, and things they are passionate about), the podcast aims to highlight that each guest is more than just the labels and titles they have acquired.

Brittany Diaz – The Lingering (a short film)
The Lingering will be a short film that aims to bring awareness to the different forms of depression and the aftermath effect of suicide.

Cheriselle Scott – Orientation: The Voice of the Youth
Orientation: The Voice of the Youth (OTVY), is a public outdoor art exhibition that aims to explore  and excavate the experiences, thoughts and feelings of a group of junior high school students, mostly students of color, in Staten Island, as well as the multidisciplinary artist, MHB, on the world around them. The artist’s work will be displayed in a mobile gallery and select paintings will feature accompanying audio which includes snippets of thoughtful discussion between students and MHB or music made for the piece. Exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to journey through the mobile gallery and view and leave feedback/reactions to the same works as the students as well as attend one of the three community workshops led by local artists and learn about and create in different artistic mediums. The mobile gallery will also serve as a temporary community space and city destination for youth groups, schools and families, making Stapleton a city destination as well.

Daniel de Lara – Still A Sound Effect : An Introduction to Modular Synths & Effects Pedals
Still A Sound Effect : An Introduction to Modular Synths and Effects Pedals is a beginner level introductory hands-on workshop in sound design and the concept of manipulating sound through the use of modular synths and guitar effects pedals. The workshop is designed for individuals who have an interest in understanding that music is more than just theory and learning traditional instruments. There will be a curriculum that will focus on teaching some of the basic vocabulary and the physics of sound, music technology and the craft of recording and producing. We will cover concepts that will explain the elements of sound design such as sound synthesis, how sound exists in spaces around us, psychoacoustic phenomena and how the brain perceives sound. The workshop will take place at Maker Park in May. It will be taught by music producers and Maker Park Radio show hosts, Daniel de Lara & Gerry Gonzales.

Irma Jace – The Meaning of Life Through a Child’s Eyes
The Meaning of Life Through a Child’s Eyes is an empowering children’s book, written and illustrated by Irma Jace, a multi-disciplinary artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings, sculptures, and illustrations. The story will be an imaginative and playful tale that teaches important lessons about kindness, empathy, and the importance of protecting our communities and environment. The book aims to promote children’s literacy and creativity, in an interactive and engaging way.

J. Montana – Mask- A Self-Reflection
Mask – A Self-Reflection will explore the concept of hiding behind a mask and our authentic self. Just as actors wore masks in the ancient Greek theater to transform into different characters and roles, we wear masks in a metaphorical sense to hide our true selves, thoughts, and emotions. In addition, masks grow from a deep knowledge and thorough mastery of centuries-old techniques. Artist J. Montana will create a workshop series where she will teach people how to make masks of all kinds using a wide variety of techniques and multimedia using the process as a form of self-reflection. The masks will then be on exhibit at Hub17.

Jennie Young – Embody
Embody, will be an EP of original music from musician Jennie Young. This collection of songs is all about free expression and the process of connecting to the physical body in order to process difficult feelings. Young’s songs “embody” her inner world and honor music-making and its ability to bring the psychological and spiritual into the physical realm as a way of healing. As a woman, artist, and single mother who has spent a lifetime navigating through a world of roles and expectations, Young’s songs attempt to bring to light the nuances of her experiences, often exploring ideas about freedom, self-expression, and relationships. Each song of the EP will have artwork by different artists/photographers, which will then be incorporated into a lyric booklet. This project will culminate in a release show in December, featuring live performances of Young’s original songs with her band, as well as performances of other original music by local Staten Island singer-songwriters.

The Korean Community Development Center of Staten Island – Expressing Korean Culture & Language through Calligraphy
The goal of these calligraphy classes is to create art and help participants learn the Korean language. This project aims to explore Korean history by having participants learn to write famous poems, sayings, names of historical figures, landmarks and more in calligraphy. The classes are open to anyone who would like to learn Korean through the art of calligraphy and the plan is to host an exhibition to share the Korean language during AAPI heritage month in May.

Laura Pannone – Art Bloc. EMPOWERED
Art Bloc. is a pop-up exhibition and artist showcase produced by artist Laura Pannone of Prism Visions. The event aims to unite a diverse community with art and provide local artists with a platform to be recognized and supported for their creative endeavors. The EMPOWERED exhibit of Art Bloc. – intentionally scheduled to take place during Women’s History Month – will feature a variety of multi-disciplined female artists with the purpose of empowering female creatives and amplifying their cry for freedom. The artists/vendors showcasing their work will display art they feel empowers them.

Marisa Tornello – When I
When I is an experimental classical composition that explores the waves of a depressive episode and the artist’s journey through healing. As a musician who suffers from a mental health disability, artist Marisa Tornello started creating visual art during the pandemic first as a way to get through moments of distress. Eventually, Tornello started looking at the patterns created by her visual art pieces, and would challenge herself to create musical rules and language for the patterns, living as an alternative to a traditional musical score with standard notation. Much of this process was inspired by the Fluxus artists of the 1960s and 70s, who would integrate performance art, visual art, and music in an exciting way, thus cultivating these genres into something called a graphic score. Through this education and her desire to communicate challenging mental health journeys, she started creating her own version of the graphic score, which includes a mixture of specific musical instruction, abstract visual expression, text, and opportunities for structured improvisation and interpretation. This project aims to build community and have dialouge around mental health for the purpose of understanding and empathy.

Matthew Figueroa – Poetry in the Park (Season 3)
Poetry in the Park (Season 3) is a continuation of the Poetry in the Park program started in 2020 by poets Matthew Figueroa and Thomas Fucaloro, a free outdoor open mic series to spotlight poetry. The goal is to facilitate spaces for the Staten Island community to engage in the arts, as well as appreciate the work of both seasoned and emerging poets. This program aims to expand the role of poetry in our lives, and give life to the possibilities born from engaging with the vulnerability of others. Season 3 will consist of four open mics from May to August. The series will highlight 17 featured poets while exploring self-expression, poetry, literature, humanities, pride, healing, art, community, and bringing poetry to accessible parks for Staten Islanders.

Michael Freeman – Butterfly Strokes
Butterfly Strokes is a performance that takes spoken word readings and fuses them into Butoh choreography. Actors and animated figures perform in video projections while performers dance and read. The style of dance is Butoh, a 20th-century dance form that originated in Japan. A Butoh dancer expresses the psychological ‘shadow self’. Butterfly Strokes is a childhood account of abuse told through the lens of the LGBTQ experience—however the goal is make it accessible for all who have suffered bullying. It is told in a rhythmic poetry form to help illustrate the impact of trauma on the subconscious. It is performed in three acts: ‘Killing the Moth: Dissolution’, ‘ Purification: A Meeting the Wrathful Divine’ & ‘Butterfly Strokes: Dancing in the Light’. The moth (shadow self) and butterfly (transformed self) are used as symbols to help translate the experience.

Michael Robert Anderson – Save the Ship, Sink the Shark
Artist Michael Robert Anderson along with Purple Cloud Entertainment will produce a fiction short film, Save the Ship, Sink the Shark, that will tell the story of how the first Summer blockbuster (Jaws) almost didn’t happen. The film delves into the director’s daily creative battle with himself, the ever changing currents of the industry, and his own personal growth. The film gives a glimpse into what could have been what saved Hollywood all those years ago. Four actors, four legendary names, and a small home-grown team of filmmakers; set out to tell the story behind why Anderson started making movies to begin with: The love and magic of cinema.

Nan Smith – “For the Love of Art” (working title) Collective Works by Arthur Williams / Archived & Cataloged
This proposal aims to promote the original art of Staten Island resident Arthur V. Williams Jr., who lived in Charleston (formally known as Kreisherville). Williams passed away in 2019 at the age of 67. Williams was a 1969 graduate of the H.S. of Art & Design majoring in cartoon animation, he then attended the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, and was a self made ceramicist. As a lover of Jazz, many of his pieces are inspired by the music, the musicians and the Jazz era. From portraits of Jazz artists to functional ceramic ware such as saxophone tea pots and top hat tea cups to a complete Jazz band chess set. Williams was constantly working on some form of art, whether it was sculpting in clay, wood, stone or upcycling furniture in yet another personal creation while firing his original ceramic works. This project aims to preserve his artistic legacy in two ways – organize, catalog and archive all of his original artwork and publish a promotional brochure and show his original works at an open house event to the public at the Conference House Park.

Nuria Morgado – Hola! Find the Hispanic/Latino essence inside you
This one day event will feature performances from both Hispanic and Latino roots musicians/dancers along with a few poets. By sharing both Hispanic and Latino music and their relationship with poetry and literature, this project aims to teach the community at large about the Hispanic and Latino communities in their own neighborhoods.

Olga Ginzburg – Wanting to Know You, Walking to Meet You
Wanting to Know You, Walking to Meet You will be short documentary film, an extension of Ginzburg’s ongoing project Encounters. Using the neighborhood of New Dorp as it’s backdrop, Ginzburg will talk to people and observe them, record conversations, make still and moving portraits, and film both quiet moments and group activities. The film is intended to be a meditation on life in this part of the borough, capturing small felt moments in everyday lives on this well-trodden stretch, in a neighborhood whose changes can be seen as a reflection of the greater demographic and economic shifts in the rest of the city.

Hala Mohamed – Heal Through Art
Heal Through Art aims to connect community members who have overcome past challenges with professional artists through a submission process where selected participants will be matched up together to create artwork around their personal experiences. The work created will be presented to the public at an exhibition at Badass Bootcamp at Empire Outlets.

Réal Gill – Papermanché
Papermanché, a portmanteau of papier-mâché and man, is a multimedia project that blends poetry, conceptual photography, sculpting and film alongside the creation of a chapbook tasked with exploring various thematic elements that encapsulate modern Black masculinity. The chapbook will serve as the central medium of the project as it will be filled with prose, poetry and photography meant to dissect diverse realities of masculinity, it’s performance and etch away at the myth-making that has plagued it’s existence. The final form of this work will be a papier-mâché sculpture crafted in the likeness of an adult male model, a short film and a combination of prints.

Richard Rojas – Female Centric Faber
Female Centric Faber is a women & LGBTQIA+ skate event that aims to shine a light on marginalized communities and their artistry. The event will feature recreation, live music performances, an art show, and live art making. This event allows artists to showcase their work, network, & develop new opportunities within a safe space designated to promote self-expression, and encourages their physical & social health.

Sadé Powell – joy on the edge
Joy on the Edge will be a choreopoem performance taking place on the North Shore of Staten Island for Juneteenth. This black queer event aims to highlight the nuance and poeticize the everyday experiences of Black queer Staten Islanders. A publication of poetry typewritten by artist Sadé Powell will be available at this event, followed by a screening of a film that shows the process of making the choreopoem which includes oral history and interviews of community leaders/members sharing their stories of blackness and queerness in the North Shore of SI.

Samuel Partal – Exhibition and Publication Production
Partal will produce an artist book to accompany the upcoming triennial exhibition, Ecologies, at the Alice Austen House Museum. The works included in the exhibition are part of an ongoing series of photographs taken on and around the forests, wetlands, and other undeveloped or abandoned spaces on Staten Island. The series, collectively titled Etiolai after a term for plant-based photographic processes, explores the effects of climate change on the landscape from an ecological and environmental justice point of view, as well as examining the historical role of photography in constructing, representing, and projecting disparate human values onto the natural world. The book will ground the visual artworks in a wider exploration of the history and politics of images, the institutions they inhabit, and their effects on the natural world.

Shop-BOB Cares – Youth Positivity Outreach Program – Music Unboxed
Shop-BOB Cares will partner with Music Unboxed to expand their youth positivity outreach program to include educational elements through music. Ten youths will be invited to learn under the tutelage of JSolo Studios at the Gerard Carter Community Center. Construction Percussion: Intro to Bucket Drumming will be a ten-week program that introduces participants to the art of bucket drumming. Participants will learn basic drumming techniques, rhythm, and coordination. This program aims to open the possibility for youth to express themselves through music and learn through bucket drumming skills which are transferable to many different drumming environments such as marching band or jazz band or a rock band. The project will culminate in an online event that allows the public to watch a performance from the youth participants.

Susan Fowler – A Teacher in Occupied Japan
A Teacher in Occupied Japan will recount the story of Elaine Purdy through her niece author Susan Fowler. Elaine Purdy, was a graduate of Notre Dame College on Staten Island, worked as an elementary school teacher in Waterbury, CT, and in the mid-1950s, took a job teaching U.S. Military children in Japan. This project will be three-quarters biography, based on Purdy’s letters home, research into the post-war military presence in Japan, and conversations with Fowler’s sister who managed Purdy’s affairs for three years before her death, and one-quarter memoir. The piece aims to show what a strange and wonderful breed teachers are and have always been. It will be written and published on the web and/or as a chapbook, with sections read aloud at SI Creative Community writers’ sessions. Fowler will also illustrate it with photographs that she has taken.

Alexis Romano – Staten Island Mode: Exploring Memory and Identity Through Dress
Staten Island Mode: Exploring Memory and Identity through Dress is a curatorial project that will culminate in a public exhibition at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor from July through December 2023. The project commenced with a public outreach and community workshop phase in 2022, led by fashion scholars and native Staten Islanders Dr. Alexis Romano and Dr. Jenna Rossi-Camus. The exhibition will comprise a variety of approaches to the curation of dress and museological techniques associated with the display an interpretation art, design and social history. The curators are working in partnership with photographer Michael McWeeney, as well as local artists who have contributed their views, images and voices to a collection of material that will be displayed in the main gallery. This material includes the archive of images and clothing amassed by the curators from local residents. Among the participants are local fashion retailers whose input has been vital to the development of a contemporary view of Staten Island style.

Carrie Ellman-Larsen – Buried Stories
Buried Stories is a community specific interview-based, multi-year theatre project that explores the history of the Fresh Kills Landfill and investigates its impact on the individuals and community who lived nearby.  Once complete, the first draft will be presented as a staged reading on Staten Island performed by local actors. An audience of those interviewed, as well as local officials, and Staten Island residents will be invited to this reading in order to provide feedback, in the form of a post-show talkback and questionnaire. Community input will be used to further develop and deepen the script for year two.

Caryn T. Davis – Light and Love: An Altered Book Project
Light and Love is a multidisciplinary art-making project from Caryn Davis in collaboration with Wagner College’s Holocaust Studies Program and the New York Public Library. Davis and her collaborators will create Altered Books, which are individual art objects created from existing printed books. Making altered books often relies on the collaboration between participants in dialogue with each other in an on-going creative process that involves sharing techniques and ideas. Participants will  be guided in their art-making process as they learn about Jewish history, ways to combat antisemitism, and creative ways to express these ideas in their own altered books. In the culminating event, participants from both sessions will present their altered books at the Staten Island Museum for a celebration and on-going exhibition of their altered books.

Community Arts Commission – Westerleigh Folk Festival 2023 (WestFest 16)
The mission of the Westerleigh Folk Festival is to present a free, multi-cultural, multi-generational day of art for the greater Staten Island community. The festival provides a platform that showcases artists and craftspeople from across the borough and will include a diverse array of disciplines including music, handcrafted items, dance, fine art, and more. There will be two stages where featuring performing artists, as well as a designated area for artists to display their work. West Fest plans to further diversify their artists and build a creative space that will connect and showcase creatives from different communities, generations, and cultures. 

David Nudelman – The Tales of a Dreamer
Tales of a Dreamer will provide a platform for emerging artists to share their voice and story, while also providing them with promotional press. The themes that will be explored are their origin story, dreams/goals, the neighborhoods they grew up in, influences, and obstacles they faced along the way. Artists will fill out the interview form and submit their content, which will then be turned into an article that can be shared across platforms with custom graphics. This project will take place from March 2023 – November 2023 on a website as well as social media, & Youtube. It will also have a culminating event in person and online.

Day De Dada – DADA IN THE HOUSE – 20 Years of Performing on Staten Island
DADA IN THE HOUSE is a two-part exhibit that showcases the experimental nature of the Day de Dada Performance Art Collective. Part one : DAY DE DADA IN THE HOUSE will be a presentation that reviews Staten Island events and venues from 2002-2022 by displaying ephemera, props, costumes, photography, and video.  Part two –  DADA DOMICILE will be an exhibit of Dada influenced furniture and household items that are doll-sized and displayed in structures of 1:6 scale, acquired through a mail art call and curated requests to artists. Contiguous programming for this exhibit will include educational workshops to help Staten Island audiences attending the exhibit to understand the Fluxus art movement. A print catalog will be produced for the exhibit.

Diane Matyas – SUBMERGED: CREATURES OF NEW YORK HARBOR
SUBMERGED: Marine Creatures of NY Harbor is an art and science project focused on the animals that live in the water surrounding Staten Island. It will unlock secrets of local marine life like harbor seals, rays, sturgeon, shark, and spider crabs; animal species that have survived- or recently returned- to the harbor in recent years. Through a series of drawings & prints and curation of underwater videos of local marine wildlife, the exhibit will highlight local marine environment and its fascinating beauty just below the water surface. There will be an opening event with an artists’ talk/tour and an exhibition postcard will be mailed and offered as a give-away and include links to a video playlist to view the project digitally. 

Gail Middleton – Flotsam/Jetsam:  Ocean Oddities Harvested from Staten Shores
An exhibit will be held at the Lenape Gallery at the Conference House Visitors Center featuring photographs of sunrises, sunsets, and unique beach oddities, a display of seaglass, a mandala mosaic made from beach debris, sculptures, and wall hanghing made from various materials. All art pieces are made with materials gathered from beach clean-ups around Staten Island. The purpose of this project is to make everyone aware that the shores are theirs and that they must help keep these treasures clean. 

Irma Bohorquez-Geisler – Mexican Heritage
Simple Moments of an Emerging Presence is a long-term, ongoing photo-documentary project of the Mexican-immigrant and the Mexican-American communities on Staten Island The aim of this photo-social documentary is to show this ethnic group’s historic migration to New York. Showing selected black and white silver gelatin images of the Mexican community at the Bernikow-Jewish Community Center site builds bridges and opportunities for Jewish people to learn about these communities, opens up the Mexican community to neighbors, allowing them to gain a greater understanding of Mexicans residing here on Staten Island.

Janice Patrignani-Munoz – Nature’s Impressions
Nature’s Impressions is a five part silk mural making workshop series that will engage Staten Islanders, in an exploration of the natural beauty of Staten Island. Participants will paint a silk painting of nature for themselves and also contribute to a silk mural that will highlight the flora and fauna of local terrain using impressionistic painting techniques. Two of the workshops will be open to the public for adults and children, three workshops will be presented to members of the New Lane and Cassidy Coles Senior Centers. Senior participant’s individual silk paintings will also be displayed at their respective neighborhood community centers. The workshops will be photo documented and displayed on grant partners web and social media sites.

Jodi Dareal – Uphoria (Comic Book Series) Issue #2, Secrets
Influenced by stories like Wonder Woman and The Handmaid’s Tale, Uphoria is a graphic novel that explores ideas of feminism, gender roles, and power. Uphoria takes place in a fantasy world called Malvolia where the crown of the kingdom is up for grabs. The story follows the chase for the crown while examining how absolute power corrupts absolutely – too much power and too much control in the wrong hands always leads to more destruction.

John Navarro – CAR RAPS: A RAP THERAPY SERIES
Car Raps is a collection of songs Navarro wrote while sitting in his car attempting to process the state of his life, much of it heightened by the pandemic. A music video will be recorded for each song, all taking place in a driving vehicle to recreate the feeling of when they were written. The videos will also be posted online through various mediums after being debuted at an open mic event hosted by Canvas Institute.

Josue Mendez – 2023 Community Paint Festival
Artist Josue Mendez will produce the Community Paint Party, a full day festival of painting, music, games, and fun crafts for families. Mendez along with his team of artists will lead and provide instruction and techniques to participants. Each participant will receive a full paint kit along with disposable materials such as apron, pallets, brushes, and cups. The festival will also include games, live music, and food.

Julie Maniscalco – Julie Maniscalco Dectet: Terroir Live
Julie Maniscalco Dectet: Terroir Live will be a performance of original music for large jazz ensemble. The program includes themes such as mental health, inspiration, and experiences growing up as a native Staten Islander. This project will feature local musicians who perform all over the world. The performance will take place at the Hop Shoppe, with the intention of exposing their clientele to original, high quality music. This event will be free to the public and also streamed live. 

Kenneth Graham – The Community We call Home – Music & Art Festival II
The Community We Call Home Music & Arts Festival, a daylong event featuring live performances where audiences will enjoy a sampling of our borough’s favorite original and cover bands, singers, and songwriters. Visual artists will be invited to display and sell their work. The festival aims to build, strengthen, and diversify, community and cultural relationships and partnerships that infuse the arts into life in Staten Island and beyond.

Keri Sheheen – Parlor Trick Print Exchange 2023
The Parlor Trick Print Exchange program will continue for its 3rd year with both an online and in-person exhibition. A print exchange is where artists create a small edition of prints within a certain theme and size criteria and share those prints with the other artists taking part in the exchange via snail mail. Print exchanges are a great way for artists to share physical prints with each other and promote their work with other makers throughout the country that they may have otherwise not encountered in person. The loose theme for the exchange will be “Future” and is left up to the interpretation of the artist. In addition to having the online exhibit this year, there will be an in person exhibit at Art on the Terrace to document the last three years of the program. 

Kimbra Eberly – The Writers Bloc – Book – (A collection of writings by Staten Island Writers)
The Writers Bloc is a book that will feature Staten Island writers who have been gathering together  to craft various types of writing. The book will contain short stories, poetry, plays, and artwork. To maximize the visibility and impact of this project, Hub17 plans to sponsor a writers expo event, and a book signing, open to the public. The published writers from Writers Bloc, as well as selected other notable Staten Island authors will be invited to participate in the expo. 

Lorna Harris – Immigrants Are US: The (G)eneration Project Staten Island Veterans Convening
As part of  Immigrants Are US: The (G)eneration Project, aka the (G) Project (www.gproject.org), this project aims to convene Staten Island Veterans at the Staten Island Museum on Veteran’s Day. The convening is designed to honor Staten Island participants from all branches of the U.S. Military, and allow them to connect with one another, build trusting relationships and discover shared areas of commonality. A facilitator with Veteran and Immigrant expertise will guide the group through conversation, while the rest of the team will oversee the making of impromptu artwork that will be on display during the convening. Veterans will be offered the opportunity to sit for portraits and 2 USO performers who have entertained troops from multiple global conflicts will be there to  perform and share their experiences. The convening will also aid in revealing and documenting Staten Island statistics that will become a part of the (G) Project archives and publications to be published by The Black Institute;  be featured on the website, and exhibited at Empire Outlets.

Maribel Torres Peralta – Carnaval Mixteca Poblana
Carnaval Mixteco de la Poblana Staten Island aims to maintain cultural traditions and dances from Puebla, Mexico and to teach the younger generations about the importance of fostering those traditions. The event will feature traditional music and performances. Local traditional dance groups along with groups from different boroughs and neighboring states will participate in this cultural celebration. This family friendly event is free to the public and will be held at Fun Station USA in Travis.

Ramon Gabriel Tenefrancia – SERENADE, Queer Soundscape
SERENADE, Queer Soundscape is a concert featuring works by influential LGBTQIA+ composers who made significant contributions to the world of classical music, including but not limited to Benjamin Britten, Samuel Barber and Francis Poulenc. The performance is a featured partner event of Pride Center of Staten Island’s Pridefest. This concert aims to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ sound and artistic perspective by creating a concert program that highlights the creativity, artistry, sound, perspective and beauty of works of influential LGBTQIA+ composers. The concert will take place in Christ Episcopal Church and will feature a program of music performed by tenor, Ramon Tenefrancia and horn, Daniel Jansen.

Shawn McArthur – Home and Worlds Beyond, issue 2
McArthur will be continuing his Home and Worlds Beyond comic book series with a new issue. Home and Worlds Beyond tells the story of a gifted young woman named Leenah from Staten Island who discovers a place between space and time called “the Vast.” It’s a bridge to the multiverse where many beings from different regions of the cosmos reside in unison, similar to New York City. Leenah’s story continues in issue two where she’s completely removed from everything she knows in her life and needs help. For his last and final mission Vastian Guardian, Shane McKee is sent to Earth to help Leenah but that task is easier said then done. The book will be released in the Spring.

Sitewave Cinema – Wavestock Festival
Wavestock Festival is a film festival that celebrates all facets of art, showcasing the works of local artists. The event is free to the public. The festival aims to give artists a platform to display their work and to create a space where they can network with each other to collaborate on future projects. Disciplines featured at the festival are: filmmaking, live music, dance, painting, photography, standup comedy, clothing and jewelry design. The festival will take place in the Fall at Flagship Brewery.

Thomas Ferrie – Punk Rock Mini Golf Season Three
Punk Rock Mini-Golf (PRMG), will be a multi-disciplined experience taking place over two weekends in June at Maker Park. This project is an interactive experience that allows the user to participate in mini-golf while viewing and listening to local art and music. The project will include a 9-hole mini-golf course that was a collaboration between Thomas Ferrie and local artists, with a punk-rock experience that showcases live music performed by local bands and other punk rock artists that exist in Staten Island.

Thomas Fucaloro – Creating Space
Creating Space is a workshop consisting of six unique sessions with poets networking from Staten Island to Puerto Rico to Canada. There will be a once-a-month workshop that will take place in person at the Staten Island Urban Center, as well as an online workshop series featuring some of today’s biggest names in spoken word poetry from around the country. These workshops will culminate in an end-of-season event that will include the participants performing their work in front of a live audience.

Thomas Fucaloro – Poetry in Motion: Season 2
Season 2 of Poetry in Motion Series will fuse poets and videographers on the North Shore to create and document the human experience through film and poetry. Four cinematographers will be paired with eight poets and together, they will create poetry videos exploring the themes that reflect the North Shore Community through self-expression. There will be an in-person premiere of the videos in the summer, at HUB 17, in addition to them getting publishing online.

Trevor McGhie – The Web
The Web is a short film that focuses on the unexplained interconnectivity that technology can bring to strangers. The main character is a homeless youth who sings on the street to get by. When a wealthy widow hears him singing her recently deceased husbands favorite song, she gives him a hundred dollar bill. This allows the young man to buy a cell phone. By coincidence (or fate) his new number – which has been recycled – begins receiving texts from a stranger claiming this was her late husband’s old number. Through a series of texts, calls and random events, these strangers are forever connected, showing us how powerful technology can be. There will be screenings of the film and forums to discuss the importance of access and equity when it comes to technology. 

Volker Goetze – Little Amal Quartet
Little Amal Quartet plans to compose, record and present new original music as well as new arrangements of compositions by Guy Klucevsek for accordion, trumpet, bass clarinet and alto saxophone. The quartet was founded in October 2022 for Little Amal’s visit to Staten Island. Semi-retired composer Guy Klucevsek was so moved by the message of peace, which the “Little Amal Project” sends out considering its simple imagery of a refugee girl (oversized puppet) traveling all around the world in search of a home, that he decided not only to compose and arrange the music, but to actually perform publicly once again. The culminating performance will take place at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, as part of the Newhouse After Dark Series.

Women’s Playwright Collective – Women’s Playwright Collective: New Worlds Festival
Women’s Playwright Collective continues its mission to create and produce new works by female-identifying playwrights through their annual Not Forgotten Play Festival (NFPF), and now in their sixth season, is excited to unveil their newest programming: New Worlds Festival. The festival will take place at the Carpenters Shop on Snug Harbor and feature 30-45 minute original plays by Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company, with playwrights, Holly Pepe and Courtney Emerson.

Maker Park Radio – Summer Sessions in Maker Park
Maker Park Radio’s (MPR) Summer Sessions will take place over three Summer weekends in Maker Park located in Stapleton. This series features DJs from MPR, guest DJs, bands, musicians, performances, art installations, vendors, and food. The first weekend will be dedicated to Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary featuring vintage movies and a streetwear fashion show. The second weekend is a music and art festival for the radio station’s six-year anniversary, programming will range from circus, marching band, punk, metal, psychedelic, to children’s music. The third weekend will highlight Funk & Soul music.

Moonlight Productions NYC – The Staten Island Senior Acting Troupe
The Staten Island Senior Acting Troupe will consist of senior citizens from different neighborhoods coming together to perform in a theatrical production. The goal of this project is to encourage seniors to use their voice and abilities while learning the foundations of theatre, the theatrical production process, and perform in a scripted, and part adaptation play. Senior’s will explore and express themselves through: theatre exercises, acting, singing, dance, costuming, make-up, set design and technical theatre (props, backdrops, scenery. etc.). Seniors will be given a platform to entertain others while building their confidence, advancing their education and experience(s) in the arts, and showcase their talents and abilities.

Muslim Sisters of Staten Island – Geek Out At Staten Island
Geek Out at Staten Island is a 2-day convention that celebrates, encourages, and promotes geek culture by uplifting the experiences of folks with disabilities, people of color, and youth. The convention takes place over two days – one day in-person, one day virtually. Participants will be able to explore various artistic mediums through workshops and various activities – the convention also includes mini-events like virtual geek trivia, cosplay photoshoots, and artist alley expo.

NYC Arts Cypher – M.U.R.A.L. Workshop
M.U.R.A.L. (Motivate. Understanding. Realizing. Artists. Learn.)  is an award winning graffiti/street art program that gives teens the opportunity to learn, practice, and express themselves in a positive and safe environment. Participants work with professional artists to find their inner creativity. The process is step-by-step sessions that culminate with a large-scale mural display. The main focus of this program is to educate participants on what hip-hop culture represents and teach them the difference between street art and vandalism. This program is offered free of charge to youth ages 16-24.

ROZA Promotions, Inc. – West African Arts, Musical & Fashion Fair
The mission of ROZA Promotions is to vigorously advocate for and provide culturally appropriate programs and services to and for mainly the West African immigrant and refugee population on the North Shore of Staten Island. This free festival, which runs for two weekends, will include a fashion exhibition curated by Sweet Mothers, a group of women who maintain/uphold West African Cultural values through their African attire. It will also include the sharing of Folk tales/art, painting workshops for youth and vendors selling cultural food and clothing.

Seaview Playwright’s Theatre – A Tribute To Edward Albee (At Home At The Zoo & Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
Seaview Playwright’s Theatre will produce two productions as A Tribute to Edward Albee – At Home at the Zoo & Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Both plays explore universal themes about relationships, the illusion of them, and isolation and secrets. Although the plays were first produced over 60 years ago, they still contain themes and messages that are relevant today.

SI Philharmonic – The Promise of America
The Promise of America will be a full orchestra concert performed at the Bernikow JCC. The concert will feature music from composers such as Florence Price and Aaron Copland. Copland is known as the “dean” of American composers. He wrote audience-friendly pieces with a uniquely American sound, which immediately became popular and have been frequently performed ever since. Florence Price was the first African American woman composer to have any commercial success, but she was almost completely unknown until 2009, when much of her musical output was discovered in an abandoned house in Illinois. Like Copland, Price’s music is tuneful, audience-friendly, and displays her unique African American voice. Music from contemporary composer Jeff Scott and the Philharmonic’s youngest composer Quinn Mason will also be featured.

SI Shakespearean Theatre – SIST Presents: Women’s Playwrights Collective – The Not Forgotten Play Festival
SI Shakespearean Theatre & Women Playwrights Collective will coproduce a presentation of original works in the Not Forgotten Play Festival. Women’s voices have long been muffled, silenced, misheard, and appropriated. This festival hopes to shine a bright light on the women writers of this city. The festival will take place in August at the Theatre at Empire Outlets. There will be eight original ten-minute play performances.

Spotlight Theatre Company – Spotlight Theatre Presents NUTCRACKER – A New Musical Tale
Spotlight Theatre Company will be presenting their production of NUTCRACKER – A Musical Tale, which is an adaptation of the original E.T.A Hoffman story, The Nutcracker and The Mouse King. This original retelling will be performed in 1940’s Radio Play format, with the drama being conveyed through voice, sound, and music effects. This new adaptation, just like the original, is not merely a ‘child’s’ tale. It is, rather, a story (near gothic at times) of a child, that uses the fairy tale vernacular of magical creatures, enchantment, and supernatural belief as its language. This story aims to describe a theme of life’s struggle with fleeting happiness and recurring disappointment. 

The Mighty String Demons, Inc. – Two Concerts: 1,00 Paper Cranes & Music That Goes BUMP in the Night!
The Mighty String Demons will be presenting two concerts; 1,000 Paper Cranes and Music That Goes BUMP in the Night. 1,000 Paper Cranes, in collaboration with Peace Action Staten Island, will take place in August at the Unitarian Church of Staten Island and aims to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the building of the Children’s Peace Statue in Hiroshima, Japan. The goal of this event is to educate and remind our audience of the dangers of nuclear war and to spread hope for peace and unity throughout the world. Music That Goes BUMP in the Night! will take place in October at the Staten Island Children’s Museum, and is sure to be a fun and spooky Halloween concert with Halloween themed performances from Classical and Folk music repertoires.

Viva Voce Chamber Ensemble, Inc. – Summer Sunday Concerts at High Rock 2023
Viva Voce Chamber Ensemble will present an outdoor Summer concert series at High Rock Park. Each concert will involve a different Viva Voce ensemble – brass quintet, chorus, little big band, woodwind quintet, and woodwind quartet. This series aims to provide the community with a variety of interesting, rarely-heard music in a natural environment.

Sadé Powell – Joy on the Edge
Joy on the Edge will be a choreopoem performance taking place on the North Shore of Staten Island for Juneteenth. This black queer event aims to highlight the nuance and poeticize the everyday experiences of Black queer Staten Islanders. A publication of poetry typewritten by artist Sadé Powell will be available at this event, followed by a screening of a film that shows the process of making the choreopoem which includes oral history and interviews of community leaders/members sharing their stories of blackness and queerness in the North Shore of SI. 

SKIN Dance Company – STAPLETON ARTS LEGACY (Choreography Project)
Choreographer Tina Thompson will create dance work with Stapleton youth, including them in all aspects of the creative process, culminating in a presentation of their work to the public. This project aims to foster a nurturing environment for youth to express themselves through dance.

David Nudelman – Making the World A Better Place with Graphic Design
Fifth grade students at P.S. 21 will be challenged to think like designers while working together to create a design for a campaign tee shirt for their elementary school on the theme of making the community a better place. Students will be engaged in illustration, graphic design, marketing, screen printing, and journaling their experiences.

SI Philharmonic – Building the Band at Port Richmond HS
The brass and percussion sections of the Port Richmond High School music department will have twelve intensive, small group instructional sessions with experienced teaching artists/professional musicians who are experts in brass instruments and percussion. Students will work on students on technique, intonation, musicality, music literacy, and teamwork skills. Students will also receive support in career opportunities and identifying higher education programs related to careers in music.

Paulette Young at Cassidy Coles Older Adult Center – Line Dance 2023 
Line Dance is a movement-based program that engages seniors in a safe and encouraging environment. Participants will learn various line dancing steps and techniques with a partner or solo; it’s based on their choice. They are encouraged to select music they would like to dance to and practice line dancing techniques to music genres which include, but are not limited to, Jazz, Country, Latin, and Soul. 

Caryn Davis at Anderson Older Adult Center – The Altered Book Project 
The Altered Book Project is a mixed-media program that is designed to teach seniors how to incorporate both recycled and new material, personal photographs and other materials into books. Seniors will develop their own unique response and skills to book-making using simple techniques of folding and cutting and create “found” poetry within the text. They will also have the chance to develop skills in drawing, painting and collaging for form, shape, design, texture and color.

Melita Cekani at Mount Loretto Neighborhood Senior Center – Painting with Melita
Painting with Melita is an extension of the artist’ former painting workshops held at Mount Loretto Neighborhood Senior Center. This program strives to provide seniors with a therapeutic space to express their emotions. Seniors will learn the step-by-step procedures of watercolor painting through live demonstrations. They will also be exposed to various brush sizes, watercolor and acrylic techniques, and color mixtures. 

Kristi Pfister at Arrochar Older Adult Center – Awakening the Senses: Watercolor & Collage 
Awakening the Senses: Watercolor & Collage aims to encourage seniors to explore the watercolor medium and engage in the creative possibilities of collage. Participants will engage in creative expression techniques such as layering, texture, and shape as they create mixed media work. This program is designed for seniors to enjoy the sensorial process of artmaking and take pride in combining their artworks into a culminating piece to be displayed in the center.  

Amari Hines at Avis South Shore Older Adult Center – Art Beyond the Canvas 
Art Beyond a Canvas (Tie-Dyeing) encourages seniors with specific color palettes and patterns such as Spiral technique, earth tones and primary colors and reminds them that art goes beyond a canvas. Seniors will also learn and practice the process of tie-dying on t-shirts and pants. This program aims to ignite play and child-likeness in seniors and hold a safe space for their unique creativity. 

Paul Ng at Avis South Shore Older Adult Center – The Joy of Pastel Painting 
The Joy of Pastel Painting is a series of drawing workshops using color pastel instead of charcoal. Seniors will learn how to fully control the pigment with their hands and express their feelings and emotions in their artwork. This program aims to provide participants with a space to express themselves conceptually. Seniors will learn how art can make their lives happier and more meaningful.

Caleb Hammond
Caleb works as an actor and director in theater, television, and film, as well as a studio and installation artist whose work has been performed and exhibited nationally and internationally. As a child, he lived with a vision impairment that went undiagnosed until the age of 14. This condition produced double vision and a general blurriness which was corrected via prescription lenses but continues to manifest itself in his dreams and the edges of the day – when he is tired or not wearing his glasses. He often recreates this experience in his work as an experiment to open up alternate ways of perceiving the world and to embrace ambiguities (spatial, aural, visual, and conceptual). Caleb’s undergraduate training was in studio art, and he also has an MFA in theater from Carnegie Mellon. He now lives in Staten Island with his partner and their cat teaching acting and performance at the college level. Moving from visual art into theater has given him a unique perspective and has contributed to an abiding interest in multi-disciplinary work. He has always been attracted to layered imagery and sound. He is interested in the slippery perception of memory and time. His work embraces mystery, it embraces deep, intangible events that nonetheless feel paramount to our lived experience. www.calebhammond.com/

Jolie Tong
Jolie is a third-generation Chinese-American New York-based artist. She has directed, devised, and produced numerous performances ranging from professional and educational productions to site-specific devised projects. She is committed to creating work at the intersection of artistic and civic practice, which explores culturally diverse narratives. Her work investigates and questions systems of power, engages the community, and reinterprets classical plays using a modern and critical lens. Jolie has taught theater classes and facilitated drama programs for nearly a decade to K-12 students in NYC public schools., but has since gone on to teach in higher education. She is now currently a full-time faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Drew University. Education: M.F.A. Brooklyn College, concentration in Theater Direction, and B.A. Sarah Lawrence College. As a deviser, Jolie has created: HOME: The NYCHA Storytelling Project, a community-specific interview-based theater piece; What should be the Fear, a one-woman show that tells the astonishing true story of co-creator Ralf Jean Pierre’s year-long, 4000 mile, one-woman street Shakespeare tour of the United States; and HΔRRY, a remix of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts one and two featuring an original rap score. This summer, Jolie will be a featured speaker on the panel: Revisiting the Past to Resist Power Structures in the Present at the 2023 Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference. She has previously led workshops on Devising for Social Change at ATHE and presented her research at the UCLA Asian Performing Arts on Stage and on Screen, Annual Symposium. www.jolietong.com/

José Raul Ocasio
José is a dedicated percussionist and advocate for traditional folklore music and Afro-Latin Rhythms. Born and raised on the south shore of Staten Island, he has spent over 20 years sharing his knowledge and passion for this art form throughout the boroughs of NYC. From an early age, José immersed himself in the study and research of traditional music, with a particular focus on Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena music. What truly sets José apart is his deep connection to the streets of NYC. It was through his musical friendships and encounters on these vibrant streets that he gained the majority of his training and experience. These interactions not only expanded his repertoire but also enriched his understanding of the cultural significance and historical context behind the music. José’s creative purpose lies in the preservation and celebration of this rich heritage. He is driven by a desire to ensure that rhythmic dance, songs, and cultural music are remembered and passed down to future generations. To achieve this, he continually develops innovative ideas that bring these traditions to life. In his creative process, José combines various artistic elements, including costumes, masks, singers, drummers, and dancers. These collaborative efforts serve as vehicles to share the beauty and significance of traditional folklore music. By embracing these expressive mediums, he hopes to reignite interest in this often overlooked and forgotten art form, sparking a renewed appreciation among audiences. Through his unwavering dedication and unwavering commitment, José has become a respected figure in the world of traditional music. His contributions have not only enriched the cultural landscape of NYC but have also inspired countless individuals to embrace their heritage and engage with the power of rhythmic expression.

Julia Aponte
Ms. JSolo (Julia Aponte) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, sound engineer, and producer based on Staten Island. Julia began playing in local bands at just 16 years old and has been pursuing a career in music ever since. Some of her accomplishments include producing and orchestrating a full-length album during her time as a signed artist, performing at notable venues across NYC, and running a female-focused recording initiative last year. She currently puts her skills to use as both a producer and songwriter, working collaboratively in a diverse array of genres. Ms. JSolo’s current creative endeavor is composing and orchestrating cinematic and classical pieces. This is the newest genre she has worked in, and she believes this will be the next step in becoming a well-rounded and diverse composer and producer.

Julie Maniscalco
Staten Island-based composer, educator and musician Julie Maniscalco draws inspiration from the world around her. Her debut project, Terroir: Music for Jazz Orchestra, was the recipient of the 2020 New York City DCLA Premier Grant, which premiered as a virtual performance in July 2021. From her up-tempo, post-bop piece, We, the Mighty—inspired by her students—to the orchestrated cross-terrain adventure of Open Air (Tomorrow’s Journey), Maniscalco aims to bring a fresh approach to the jazz idiom as she gleans connections from home. Her other composition achievements include a nomination for the Composers Now Residency Program in Fall 2021, and special judge’s selection for Ithaca College’s 2022 Jazz Composition Contest for her piece DeflatedI. Later that year her composition, Songbird of Hoyt was performed at the illustrious Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall by the Susan E. Wagner High School Jazz Band as part of the New York International Music Festival. More recently, she received a commission by the ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street Music Settlement, which will premiere her first ever band composition, Medusa at Carnegie Hall in June 2023. Julie also won the WaHi Jazz Contest Commission, which will premiere her work State of Affairs at the WaHi Jazz Festival in November 2023. In fall of 2022, she also ventured outside the jazz and classical world by contributing horn arrangements to the track 17 Days on the EP release, It’s been a day, a week, a month, a year for singer/songwriter Ann Marie Nacchio. www.juliemaniscalcomusic.com

Marisa Tornello
Marisa is a composer, vocalist, poet, performance, and video artist. Their work explores themes of mental distress through graphic score (musical composition with art/images rather than notation) and structured improvisation, addressing stigmatized topics in our society, like self-harm, dissociation, and suicide. From and based on Staten Island, Marisa is an alum of the Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program and received their Masters in Music at the New School in 2021. Stemming from a classical voice tradition, Marisa fuses various artistic mediums like live looping, body paint, sound poetry, and living score (creating visual musical scores live with materials like food and paint) into performance. Whether it’s fruit smashed onto cardstock, overlayed distortion of mobile user interface art, or live looping extended vocal technique, creating unique worlds that communicate different themes of the human psyche is the core of Marisa’s work. In 2022, they premiered two graphic score performances through the Jerome Foundation Artist Commission at Roulette Intermedium (Shatter) and the Nafas Festival at the Invisible Dog Center (Fruit Scores). Previously, they have shown their works at The Tank (Ladyfest), Judson Church, Target Margin Theater, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Vital Joint (Exponential Festival), JACK, Gallery128, and La MaMa ETC. They are part of Yoshiko Chuma’s School of Hard Knocks, ECHO Ensemble, and Tarellian, and have previously worked with Pioneers Go East, Queer Van Kult, and Infrasound. Marissa is always searching for new mediums to explore that have become commonplace, like basic user design on smartphones or the way a leaf decays in the Fall. www.marisatornello.com

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Mayah Lourdes Burke
Primarily a director, Mayah has always had a passion for various forms of performance and self-expression. As an artist, she embraces different disciplines and continuously seeks to expand her knowledge. She envisions a world where she can freely express herself, creating art and telling stories that are personally significant and represent her as a queer, Black woman. She thrives on making theater that empowers Black/Brown and queer artists, allowing them to take center stage and share stories that go beyond tokenism and truly represent their communities as whole individuals. Using her platform as a writer and director, she is committed to bringing diverse representation to the stage, embracing all bodies and identities. Body autonomy and positivity are particularly important to her, encompassing aspects such as shape, size, skin color, features, and gender. Understanding the challenges faced, especially by minorities, she believes that fostering self-love and appreciation for differences from a young age can contribute to a better world. Mayah’s main mission as an artist is to help herself and others find a resting place for their art. Creating a “resting place” means entering spaces with authenticity and receiving the necessary support, whether emotional, physical, or financial, for artistic endeavors. She strives to ensure that everyone has equitable opportunities to collaborate and share creative space with one another. www.mayahlourdesburke.com

Omnia Hegazy
The daughter of an Egyptian-Muslim father and an Italian-Catholic mother, Omnia Hegazy grew up in New York City as a citizen of the world, with a passion for music and storytelling. Omnia started singing around the age of five and became a dedicated classical violinist at the age of ten. Looking for more artistic freedom, she picked up the acoustic guitar and discovered songwriting as a medium of self-expression. After scribbling her observations in a notebook on her trip to Egypt in 2010, she wrote half of the material for her first EP Jailbird, and released the project independently a year later. Her sound is informed by guitar-driven American pop/rock, maqam-based Arabic folk, and the politically charged singer-songwriters of the past and present. Her sophomore EP entitled Judgment Day was released in May of 2013 and met with major press, including features on The Huffington Post, Fox News, The Daily Beast, and Arabic news outlets Al Sharq Al Awsat and Al Hurra. She aims to challenge social norms and promote working-class consciousness through her songwriting. Omnia is a graduate of the prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied music production and the music business. She performs frequently at venues and universities in the United States and is currently one-half of the soul-pop duo HEGAZY.  www.omniamusic.com

Ramon Tenefrancia
Ramon is an operatic tenor, arts administrator, and producer. Originally from the Philippines, he moved to Staten Island in 2015 to pursue voice studies at the Manhattan School of Music under Neil Rosenshein. As a multi-faceted artist, Ramon views opera as a fusion of artistic disciplines that converge to serve the story. His background in painting and visual art influences his artistic expression, shaping the characters he portrays on stage and informing the projects he self-produces. Since his graduation, Ramon has established himself as a versatile singing actor, showcasing his talent in a wide range of roles with various professional companies. From benevolent rulers to scheming villains and enamored adolescents, he has demonstrated his versatility on stage. Recent professional credits include Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) with Long Island Lyric Opera, March Hare/Card#2 (The Garden of Alice) and Le Prince Charmant (Cendrillon) with City Lyric Opera, Nanki-poo (The Mikado) with The Bronx Opera Company, and Little Bat McLean (Susannah) with The Lighthouse Opera Company. One of his notable self-produced projects is Art Song Anonymous, for which he received the 2022 Staten Island Arts DCLA Premier Grant. In this project, Ramon reimagined the art song performance format by incorporating constructed art as costumes to enhance storytelling and challenge biases and racial prejudices in the industry. The project featured three artists donning elaborate headpieces representing the colors of the pride flag, transforming them into living art and encouraging audiences to judge their creative output rather than societal biases. Ramon also utilizes his artistry and producer skills for philanthropic endeavors. In December 2020, he served as the executive producer and tenor soloist in an online fundraiser production of Handel’s Messiah. The production, in partnership with The Philippine Independent Arts Ventures Inc., raised funds to provide food to impoverished areas in the Philippines that were severely impacted by the pandemic. www.ramontenefranciatenor.com

Tina Thompson-Pope
Tina is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and fitness ambassador. She received training at renowned schools including Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Dance Theatre of Harlem while attending The Julliard School. She has performed at American Dance Festivals, City Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Alice Tully Hall, Continental Airlines Arena and throughout Romania. Tina was the first choreographic award recipient for the Welcome back to Brooklyn Festival at 17 years of age. In 2019 she started a work in progress of her newest premiere Jungian Fruits and Josephine’s Cotton (off-Broadway Revue) based on the life of Josephine Baker. Tina has been the director of SKIN- The Tina Thompson Dance Co. for the past 20 years and producer of the off-Broadway production of Josephine’s Cotton – The Revue. She is an eight time Ms. Fitness USA/World Competitor and has been an award recipient for the National Endowment of the Arts in Dance and is currently the Executive Director of Staten Island Contemporary Dance.  She is currently the recipient of the 2023 Josephine Baker Legacy Award. www.skindancecompany.com

Ariana Andretta
Ariana is a interdisciplinary artist from/based in New York City. In 2021, Ariana directed/choreographed her original dance narrative entitled Love & Other Stories. Her work has also been shared through festivals like New York Theatre Barn & Jazz Choreography Enterprises. Ariana has danced with creatives such as Al Blackstone, Billy Griffin, Jena VanElslander, & Yancy Greene for NYC-based projects. Her regional theater credits include The Wizard of Oz (Capital Repertory Theatre) and Mary Poppins (Potsdam Music Theatre). In educational settings, Ariana enjoys passing on the gift of movement to her students and sharing in the engagement of community. www.arianaandretta.com

Ariana’s research proposal is rooted in storytelling in which dance & movement are driving the plot forward and working in tandem with the music. She recently sketched a piece entitled Don’t Lose Sight that features music from the Hotel TV album by Lawrence. She plans to develop a new dance narrative with the album being her guiding force for the plot. These stories navigate: romantic heartbreak and love in the lives of young artists; the passion and perseverance necessary to pursue your dreams; and the gift of community that holds us together in moments of doubt. She plans to gather with other dance artists and continue to play with and further establish this vision.

Christopher Paige
Christopher has been dancing since childhood. He’s competed in closed circuit and open ballroom and Latin dance competitions throughout the United States. Career Highlights include:16 years as an instructor and choreographer at Arthur Murray Dance Studios, four years as the coach of the Rutgers University salsa team. His TV Appearances include spots on MTV and ABC (Good Morning America). He maintains active participation in the dance community, including Ballroom for Seniors, and as a volunteer coach for youth dance teams in New York City.

Christopher looks forward to using this opportunity to return to the process of creation. He has been so absorbed for years perfecting the art of teaching and unfortunately he feels in that process, he hasn’t been able to expand his artistry as a dancer as much as he’d like to. Christopher would like to incorporate moments where he can show his teaching as an art instead of just a matter of delivering information. Part of this process would require him to identify himself more as an artist. He aims to gather information from similar artists to see what he can’t see outside of himself by getting feedback and direction from those who have experienced his art. He will research works of dance that he feels have similar style/feeling to his own. After this, he hopes to have a better idea of how to flesh out the process of creating art without boundaries.

DB Lampman
DB is a multidisciplinary artist who specializes in large-scale sculptural installations, video, and performance art. Born in Roswell, NM, she was raised in the desert southwest. For the past 20 years, she has made Staten Island, New York her home. Trained and worked as a classical ballet dancer in her youth, much of her work focuses on how the body moves in relationship to its environment. She obtained her BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1994 and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1996. Her artwork has been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Museo D’Arte Contemporanea Roma. Notable public art projects she has undertaken include “Bachmann’s Knot,” a permanent sculpture commission for the Stapleton Waterfront Park in NYC, and “The Dance” (2014-2015), a temporary large-scale sculpture installed in Tappen Park and Conference House Park as part of the NYC Parks Art in the Parks program. She co-founded Makerspace NYC, a non-profit community workspace with locations in Staten Island and Brooklyn, providing artists and craftspeople with access to industrial and advanced manufacturing equipment as well as dedicated working space. www.dblampman.nyc

DB is developing a video and performance art series entitled Invasive Species in which she creates sculptural swimming costumes that reference living creatures such as sea snails, water birds, cephalopods, and more to create unique hybrid human/animal characters that interact with water in various ways. Her goal is to create personal archetypes that highlight our relationship to the water as it sustains us on earth. These archetypes are described by the sculptural costumes they wear and their interactions with the environment they inhabit. She is interested in the sculptural quality of the costumes and how they move in water environments, but she is ultimately trying to expose humans as the ultimate invasive species on the planet.  Her artistic goal with this project is to explore how she can integrate video, costume, sculpture, and movement into a unique visual experience. For this proposal, she will develop a hybrid performance art and video installation that uses layers of projected video footage and sound and choreographed movement. The installation will feature DB as a costumed swimming creature that transforms a giant net into a home that she is both protected by and trapped inside of. She has filmed some of the outdoor footage but needs time and space to engineer the giant net and choreograph how the character will move with it and how to integrate it with the projected video. She aims to be the sole live performer that interacts with a projected video of herself in a multifaceted dance that explores the idea of home, identity, movement on land and in sea, and ultimately how we as humans impact our environment. These are all technical questions that will be answered over the course of the development of the piece.

Melisande Echanique
Melisande, a lifelong mover, began her journey as a dancer/choreographer at Prescott College in Arizona. She studied Dance and Improvisation with Delisa Myles, deepening her artistic connection. After graduation, she toured with Jay Ruby’s Carpetbag Brigade and pursued solo work. Returning to Staten Island, she immersed herself in the local arts scene, joining the Deep Tanks Butoh group and showcasing her work at various events. Melisande collaborated with Melissa West and played an integral role in the Creation Dance Collective/Staten Island Dance Project. Her passion for dance continues to fuel her artistic exploration. www.melazond.com

The Forgotten Language of Physical Presence – Melisande wants to  investigate the potential for dance to help us recover and reconnect with ourselves and others, especially during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased feelings of isolation and a heightened reliance on technology for social interaction. She will examine the repetitive patterns we create within these technological bubbles and how to break them, using meditation and more profound movement work. As well as explore the collective trauma of the pandemic and how we can help each other heal. Incorporating outdoor explorations and immersion in the local environment will encourage a renewed appreciation for the natural world and its influence on our well-being and creativity. In exploring the significance of physical presence, interpersonal connections, and our bond with the natural world, Melisande aims to encourage us to transcend the limitations of screens and virtual environments and encourage a deeper and more meaningful connection with ourselves and others.

Melissa West
Melissa, a choreographer and curator from Staten Island, NY, has been showcasing her work at NYC venues since 2008. She has held residencies through Staten Island Arts, CUNY Dance Initiative, and other institutions. West holds degrees in dance and performance studies from Hunter College and New York University. Currently, she serves as the Director & Senior Curator at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor. West is also an accomplished dancer, has co-founded dance projects, and advocates for the local dance community. She has organized roundtables and choreography showcases and served on panels for Dance/NYC, Hunter College, St. George Theatre, and SYEP/UAU. Continuously collaborating with Staten Island Arts, Dance/NYC, and other partners, West remains dedicated to creating and sustaining spaces for dance on Staten Island. www.mwestdances.nyc\

Melissa is developing two interdependent dance pieces that look at the edges between the body and the environment, earth and sea, and the psychological/interior and physical/exterior landscapes we embody. These concepts are part of her ongoing dance research into our relationship with place. Her process will involve studio and site-based rehearsals, solo and group explorations, and filming on location.

remnants/ruins is a process of excavation, looking at the material and immaterial traces imprinted on an environment. Using choreography, scores, and archival methods, West and her collaborators will move through sites that contain discarded objects and structures in states of decay. In relation to these objects, they will manifest a conversation with past and present communities, fragmented histories, and ecologies. This idea originated in 2020 during the pandemic when she found herself moving through isolation and feelings of social and physical disruption. She created brief movement scores at South Beach and would like to expand on this concept. Having just marked the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, this phase will explore the transformation of the Staten Island shoreline, namely estuarine marshes, maritime dune vegetation, sea walls, and the intertidal zone. This process will illuminate what the edges between land and sea can teach us about borders, their porousness, and the impact of climate change on our bodies.

lure is a companion dance piece that beckons the wild feminine. Working with several female dancers, West aims to create a dance that builds on the pelvic floor, conjures energy from below, and embodies the lunar rhythms of the tide. Starting from a place of breath, percussive movements, and syncopation, lure will study the landscapes of the self and the collective.

Michael Freeman
Michael, a passionate dancer and choreographer, discovered his love for dance at 19. He quickly joined the ‘Chautauqua Ballet Company’ directed by Jean Pierre Bonnefous and performed at Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. Following his move to Philadelphia for studies at the College of Performing Arts, he trained with Dance Theater of Harlem and the Merce Cunningham Studio. As a choreographer, he has collaborated with notable artists and showcased his work at renowned venues. Alongside his dance career, Michael is an accomplished writer, receiving awards and recognition for his memoir play Butterfly Strokes. His talents have been honored with the DCLA Premier Artist Award, City Artist Corps, Pen America, and the Dramatists Guild.

Michael is in the planning process for his first film about ‘the art of aging’. The theme is exploring dance as an expression beyond time rather than exploring the frailties of aging—a theme of empowerment, that age is indeed wisdom and getting older is something to be proud of. Elders often are willing to go further because they have nothing to lose. He often sees so much focus on youth in the performing arts but he also sees the fear that they have because these new generations aren’t like the old. They are becoming more isolated and overprotected and that isn’t going to teach them to just get out there on stage and be themselves. Michael plans to conduct interviews and collect research from the history of dance and juxtapose that with attitudes about the facility of the elderly. The point that he wants to drive forward is that hope can still be a driving force at any age and that it is all about adaptation for the aging dancer.

Tina Thompson-Pope
Tina is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and fitness ambassador. She received training at renowned schools including Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Dance Theatre of Harlem while attending The Julliard School. She has performed at American Dance Festivals, City Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Alice Tully Hall, Continental Airlines Arena and throughout Romania. Tina was the first choreographic award recipient for the Welcome back to Brooklyn Festival at 17 years of age. In 2019 she started a work in progress of her newest premiere Jungian Fruits and Josephine’s Cotton (off-Broadway Revue) based on the life of Josephine Baker. Tina has been the director of SKIN- The Tina Thompson Dance Co. for the past 20 years and producer of the off-Broadway production of Josephine’s Cotton -The Revue. She is an eight time Ms. Fitness USA/World Competitor and has been an award recipient for the National Endowment of the Arts in Dance and is currently the Executive Director of Staten Island Contemporary Dance.  She is currently the recipient of the 2023 Josephine Baker Legacy Award. www.skindancecompany.com

Tina plans to develop a dance work on how gravity affects human emotions in movement and communication by asking the questions – is gravity having an impact on our brain in ways that we don’t realize? How do we connect to gravity every day? And, as dancers, how can we explore this effect through our emotions? Thompson-Pope states that gravity is our sensory signal. Earth’s gravity is a constant acceleration, but we cannot ‘feel’ it. We sometimes don’t perceive gravity. Yet gravity is the most persistent sensory signal in the brain, and it silently contributes to lots of different things in our daily lives, like walking, jumping, lifting objects, etc. We have evolved in a terrestrial environment and she is looking to research and monitor the magnitude and direction of gravity and its constant pull-on human connection here on Earth.