2019 Program

Olivia Evans is a Multidisciplinary Visual artist based in Spokane, WA, working in video, photography, drawing, and film. She is an Associate Producer with The Alliance, working on exhibition programs in the Pacific Northwest. A recent graduate of EWU with a BFA in Studio Art, Olivia was selected to participate in Saturate 2017, a competitive, city-wide collaborative exhibition in Spokane for artists of color, galleries and local businesses.

Gemikia Henderson has garnered national acclaim for her RYSE music videos using powerful imagery and storytelling to bring to life the music of her peers. Her award-winning first video, Street Literature, was made in response to the murder of Oscar Grant, and along with her other videos, Ryse Up and Change Gon’ Come, have screened at film festivals in New York, LA, New Orleans and Philadelphia.

Kafi-Ayanna Allah is a professional librarian working for Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough, North Carolina as the Adult and Teen Program Coordinator. She works to create and facilitate programming for patrons from middle school age to elders. Much of her work with youth is centered on the Teen Advisory Board, a group of young people who act as liaisons between the teens in the community and Library staff to ensure that it is a welcoming, nonjudgmental space for teens and teen expression as well as a resource for information of particular interest to teens.

A Southerner, salsa lover, type enthusiast, traveller, and perfectionist, Julia manages NOVAC’s Born Digital Youth Media Program. Operating at the intersection of design and programming to create new learning experiences for young people and adults alike, the Born Digital Youth Media Program develops young future creatives, ages 8 to 24, from diverse background in South Louisiana who can use digital media training opportunities to develop high wage and low barrier entry to careers.

Lee Edwards is a multimedia/digital journalist who recently became the program manager of The Real Chi, an experimental "learning newsroom" based in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood for enterprising young adult journalists.Prior to joining the Free Spirit Media, Lee spent the last six years as a digital journalist covering a wide spectrum of news beats across the Chicagoland region as a former reporter with Block Club Chicago, The Chicago Defender, Austin Weekly News, and Times Republic.

Jalena Keane-Lee is a director, dp, producer and the co-founder of Breaktide Productions, an all women of color video production company that has earned awards and recognition from Sundance, the Aspen Institute, the Washington Post, SXSW, ITVS, Cannes Lions, and TEDx. Jalena’s short film PERIOD GIRL, follows Nadya Okamoto a young menstrual activist, premiered at CAAM and is now being adapted into a docuseries co-produced by Stick Figure Productions.

Seth Gadsden is an artist, filmmaker, and the current director of Indie Grits Labs in Columbia, SC. Focusing on public art, documentary filmmaking, and media installations, Seth has exhibited his personal work across the US and has completed murals and outdoor sculptures in places like Mexico, North Dakota, Boston, Houston and his hometown of Clover, SC. His work has been featured in Vimeo Staff Picks, the Tribeca Film Festival, Indie Memphis Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and the Blackstar Film Festival amongst others. Through Indie Grits Labs, Seth has curated a range of projects and produced works with over 80 artists including documentary films and new media projects over the past five years.

Willa Johnson is the daughter of a retired middle school teacher and coal truck driver, Willa Johnson grew up and has returned to her home community in Letcher County. She has served as an Appalachian Transition Fellow, is a co-founder of the Stay Together Appalachian Youth Project (STAY), and is a licensed foster parent. Willa recently worked for the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) Community Engagement team where she created FIREshare, a program designed in collaboration with The Holler to train teachers and students to use multimedia tools to tell their own stories about their schools and communities.

Since 2001, Tara Malik has worked with community-based arts organizations that center racial justice and youth power in Rochester, New Orleans, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Richmond, CA. She is passionate about supporting young people in exploring their identities and roots, constructing and sharing their own narratives, and advocating for the issues that matter to them most. In 2006, she co-founded One Bird, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with local communities to build media arts programs for children. One Bird projects have developed in partnership with community-based organizations in New Orleans, LA; Dharamsala, India; and Carrefour, Haiti.

Myah was a co-producer of The Alliance Youth Media Initiative and the Editor-inChief of The Issue. She currently works for the California Sunday Magazine.

Matt Rios began interning with the Austin Film Society in May of 2018 and as of September became involved in the education department as a part of its after school Film Club. Still with the Film Club Program, Matt has worked at 5 different schools in AISD teaching film to students from 8-12 years old. He also leads Summer @ Austin Public camps and teen workshops. In addition to his work with youth and education at AFS, he is a studio tech at the Austin Public location. Prior to his involvement with AFS, Matt attended St. Edward's University, where he studied psychology.

Aylee Shomali is a teen digital artist and filmmaker and a member of the advisory group for The Issue. She was a content contributor and a Youth Engagement Specialist for The Issue #2. Based in Portland, Oregon, Aylee was a teaching assistant, intern, content creator, and a participant of the Echo AiR program at Open Signal PDX. While being an intern at Open Signal, Aylee helped to prepare submissions for The Issue #2.

Larissa is an illustrator, muralist, and educator from Galveston, TX. She is currently an Artistic Associate at Creative Action, and Assistant Director of Color Squad where she co-facilitates the public and community art teen program. Larissa studied Advertising and Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, and received her BS in Communication Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. She continues to dedicate much of her time honing her craft, building relationships with artists and community members, organizing arts events, and painting murals.