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Laura DAlessandro

Visual Artist: Photography

Laura D’Alessandro is a Cleveland-born fine art photographer, writer, and educator. For seven years, Laura volunteered for the New Orleans Photo Alliance and festival of photography (PhotoNOLA). Currently, Laura, and her team, are in the process of founding the Cleveland Photo Fest. Laura’s Avant Garde photography is included in numerous private and museum/institutional collections in Cleveland and throughout the country.

Sheela Das

Musician; Singer; Teaching Artist; Visual Artist: Painting

Sheela Das is a multi-disciplinary lead teaching artist in music, art and stage performance. She has created performance opportunities for youth in Northeast Ohio for over ten years. Highlights include: Composed over 300 songs to teach academic curriculum to students with an emphasis on teaching English to recent immigrants/refugees. Kennedy Center for the Arts, Artistic Residency with international producer and musician, Todd Rundgren, 2016 in Notre Dame, Indiana. Vocal performance and appearance in the internationally acclaimed, My Blind Brother, soundtrack and movie, 2015. Performances at Brooklyn Folk Festival, 2014 with the Spyder Stompers and Sugar Pie. Teaching artist workshops and camps in Ohio, West Virginia and Boston, MA. Performs with the Blues Devils (vocal, guitar, flute), Spyder Stompers and Sugar Pie (guitar, penny whistle), and Red-Haired Girls (flute, penny whistle). Designed and conducted hundreds of in-school residencies teaching song writing and performance to students in Lorain and Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Simmie Davis

Actor; Musician; Poet; Singer; Teaching Artist; Writer; Storyteller, family historian, performer,healing arts, herbologist,intuitive

I am a singer, vocalist, griot, healer and chanteuse. I am known for my expressive style, especially in jazz interpretation and the American Songbook. I have an extensive musical history, starting first as a trombonist and baritone/tuba player and then moving on to acting and vocals in community groups and theatre. I have performed locally at many different types of venues, such as : Weathervane ( in the musical, “Tintypes”),Beck Center, Cory United Methodist, Beulah Baptist, Friendship Baptist, HCFW Chapel, The Music Settlement, The Happy Dog, Rock Hall of Fame, Dobama, East Cleveland Library, Callaloo Café, Miss Dee Dee’s (after hours), Burke Lakefront, Mahall’s, Gentleman’s Quarter, Art ‘s Seafood, The 20 Grand, 30/30,Woodmere Family Fest, PorchFest , Shaker Festival, The Emporium in Kent, and was the first opening act for both Sixth Street Under, and the Robin’s Nest. I have worked with the best musicians in the business: Eddie Bacchus Sr. and Jr, Art Blakey Sr., James Moody , Slide Hampton, L.R. Smith, Paul Samuels, David Certain, Jimmy Coe and his Big Band, Vince Robinson and the Jazz Poets, The Brothers Cody, Michael Calhoun of the Dazz Band fame, Jackie Warren, Timbara Band(which I co-founded), Ismail Douglas and his group Good Things, Cecil Rucker and Good Vibes, the late Dewey Jeffries, Skeets Ross, and James “Pete” Martin, to name a few. Music is my healing medium, and she is the Queen of My Soul.

ANTHONY DEMARCO

Visual Artist: Photography; ENAMELING and JEWELRY

ANTHONY DEMARCO PHOTOGRAPHY -ENAMELING/JEWELRY 1967 – BS Art Education Kent State University, 1971- Kent State-Masters of Arts Degree in Art Education with an emphasis on cinematography. Taught art at Parma Senior High for 31 years. I taught photography/filmmaking, enameling and jewelry. I taught classes at Brecksville Art Center, PAFAC, and Tri-C West. My work has awarded me honorable mention, jury selection and best in show in various gallery exhibitions named below. I have donated work to WVIZ Auction ad to other charitable events in the community. Gallery Exhibitions: Art at the Power House EIO Gallery Group, Cleveland, OH-Art Metro Colonial Arcade Cleveland, OH – Art Space Cleveland – PAFAC- Cleveland Clinic slide presentation – Parma Community Hospital Publications: Ohio Art Education Association Journal, “Film Apperception” Articles published in Sun News, Plain Dealer, NEA Journal, Ohio educational publications on art. My photography is a combination of photographic design coupled with cinematic mood. The use of line, shape and contrasting light and dark areas, create a visual design no matter what the subject. Each photograph is like a single frame in a full-length movie. I ask each viewer to allow that mood and their imagination to complete the story I also work with non- objective photos. My enamels and jewelry are contemporary in design using a number of techniques like cloisonne, and interesting use of materials to create free-form abstract designs.

Megan Diamond

Visual Artist; Metalsmithing, fibers

Megan Diamond is a Cleveland based mixed media artist who has earned an Associate of Arts from Lorain County Community College as well as a BFA in Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University. Much of their work reflects the lasting effects of loss and the influences that childhood memories play in our adult lives. Their pieces use many found materials as both a conceptual element as well as an environmental message. Megan finds items and deconstructs them to their base materials. These are then used to create new pieces. Megan utilizes techniques of metalsmithing and textile art to create their eccentric and colorful artwork. Their pieces have been featured in multiple exhibitions including the Sixth Annual World Championship Belt Buckle Exhibition, the Society of North American Goldsmith’s 2020 Exhibition in Motion, and the 2019-2020 BGSU Presidential Suite Exhibition.

Benji Diaz

Graphic Artist; Visual Artist: Illustration, Painting, Sculpture

Benji Diaz is a Cleveland-based graphic artist and painter who explores art through an intimate and narrative approach. He incorporates childhood nostalgia and folklore influences, as well as traditional and non-traditional mediums in his subjects. He received his BA in Studio Art: Graphic Design from Cleveland State University in 2014 and has studied painting and sculpture throughout his education. His design experience has been seen in print/digital productions and illustrations for nonprofit organizations, independent publishers, and creative collaborations in the Cleveland area. He has curated the Queer Art Show during CLE LGBTQ+ pride month, 2016-19 and has been featured in exhibitions at 78th Street Studios, Mansfield Art Center, PopEye Gallery, The Galleries at CSU, and much more!

Maria DiDonato

Actor; Musician; Singer; Teaching Artist; Band Manager

My love for music began when my parents signed me up for piano lessons at age 3. Ever since then I was hooked. Singing, dancing, playing, acting, I do it all. My main goal in both my performance and my teaching is to touch people and ignite their passion for the arts. I want people to forget about their lives for a bit and make them smile, or help them to remember times or people that they love. I want to be able to share my joy with those around me, and the arts enable me to do that. Whether it be with a young student, or a senior, or an entire receptive audience, I want to reach people’s hearts and speak to them with what I do. For booking inquiries contact me at Maria.DiDonato18@aol.com

Emily Dietz

Dancer

Emily Dietz grew up in Mountain View, California, receiving most of her training at Western Ballet under Alexi Zubiria. She attended summer programs with ABT, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and American Repertory Ballet. She continued her dance education at Butler University, graduating with a BS in Dance Arts Administration in 2016. During her time at Butler, she performed in ballets such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake and toured with Butler Ballet to Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Following graduation, she has danced professionally with City Ballet of San Diego and American Contemporary Ballet, where she danced in repertoire such as Betsey Wistrich’s Raymonda, Balanchine’s La Source, and Geoff Gonzalez’s Four Seasons. She is currently enjoying her first season with Verb Ballets in Cleveland.

Deanna Dionne

Designer; Graphic Artist; Visual Artist: Illustration, Sculpture; Contemporary Jewelry Artist

Deanna Dionne grew up in Michigan, as the daughter of a sculptor and a novelist. In 2014 she moved to a warehouse studio in Cleveland, Ohio, to have space to pursue art interests more fully. Within two years she launched Cleveland Street Glass, jewelry made from the glass of car break-ins. When not working on her own art and jewelry, she loves designing products, illustrations, websites, and marketing materials for startups, makers, and companies. View her work at DeannaDionne.com

Nina Domingue

Actor; Teaching Artist; Playwright, Director, Intimacy Advocate

Nina Domingue, a New Orleans native, entered the world of theatre through the art of Storytelling. She has written many one-person shows including Ya Mama! which she developed and performed at Cleveland Public Theatre, also performed at the New York International Fringe Festival and Hollywood Fringe Festival. Currently, she is a Cleveland Public Theater Premier Acting Fellow for the 2020-2021 Season. She is developing The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Ms. Joan Southgate as the 2019-2020 Catapult Artist at Cleveland Public Theater which began under the Nord Family Foundation Playwriting Fellowship, which she is honored has been included on The Kilroy’s List 2020: The Lost Plays. Other solo shows include Mo Pas Connin and Wade In The Water. Plays for families and young audiences include Jinle and the Great King, which was commissioned for and performed by the Theatre Elite Ensemble of the Cleveland School of the Arts. A Jewel of a Tale, and Jack and Jill’s Supercolossal Storybook Adventure which performed at the Cleveland Play House. Nina was also commissioned by Talespinner Children’s Theater to write and co-direct Sundiata: Child of Lion and Buffalo. In the 2019-2020 theatrical season, she was also a Barbara Smith Writer in Residence at Twelve Literary Arts, Inc.

Sheffia Dooley

Actor; Teaching Artist; Director

As a member Actors’ Equity Association Sheffia has extensive acting experience having appeared as Mama Nadi in the Ruined, the title role in Caroline, or Change and a reprised role in Simply Simone as Nina Simone 4 at Karamu House. Regional credits include: The Crucible, The Tempest and Blithe Spirit at Great Lakes Theatre; Pulp, Our Town, The Secretaries, and Nickel and Dimed at Cleveland Public Theatre, and RESPECT, a Musical Journey at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theater. Other notable credits include: Sophia Jones in Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea, Aiofe in Open Mind Firmament, as well as a recurring role as Butter Rum in The Loush Sisters Do the Nutcracker, and The Loush Sisters Love Dick’ns: Great Expectations and The Loush Sisters Get Hard for the Holidays (Yippe Kai Yay Mother Loushers) all at Cleveland Public Theatre. Directing credits include Jiminirising and The Book of Grace at Cleveland Public Theatre, Aida and Fences (AD), Sister Act and Aladdin at Karamu House, and Sister Cities at Baldwin Wallace University.

Emily Dove

Visual Artist: Illustration; Writer

I am an illustrator and author who relocated back to Cleveland after seven years in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am grateful to be back near Ohio’s winding rivers and fall foliage, which never cease to inspire me. As a certified naturalist, I strive to use illustration as a tool to educate and inspire others about the natural world. I have illustrated several children’s books, including ‘Wendell the Narwhal’ (Simply Read Books, 2016), ‘Spencer and Vincent: The Jellyfish Brothers’ (Paula Wiseman Books, 2019), and ‘Hello Honeybees’ (Chronicle Books, 2019). Find more nature-inspired images and stories at www.meetusinthewoods.com, a collection of work created by myself and fellow illustrator Julia Kuo.

Bob Drake

Musician; Teaching Artist; Sound artist

bbob drake is an improvising musician and electro-acoustic luthier from Cleveland. He designs, builds, and plays electronic instruments in the tradition of Don Buchla and David Tudor, performing on these electroniums plus electro-acoustic and extended-technique traditional instruments. His performances span free and structured improvisation, new music composition, noise, and minimalist “lowercase” musics. He’s also done sound installations, soundtracks, consulting on public sound art projects, and leads workshops on building and playing electronic instruments. He teaches sound art, media installation, and electronics at Cleveland Institute of Art.

Laura Drapac

Graphic Artist; Teaching Artist; Printmaker

BFA 2008 from Ohio University in Printmaking and Graphic Design. MFA 2012 from University of North Texas in Printmaking. Former adjunct faculty at UNT. Current graphic designer and co-owner of Triple Threat Press and Threefold Gifts. Illustrator and printmaker at heart.

Sharon Dundee

Visual Artist: Painting; Mixed media/Collage

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.” – Georgia O’Keeffe Throughout my career in digital graphic design/marketing, I have circled back to my “hands-on” art periodically, though not nearly often enough. The upside of COVID was allowing me the time and focus to hunker down and go back to my artist’s roots. The freedom I feel when working, guided strictly by my inner self, is the perfect counterpoint to the more restrictive “rules” of graphic design–which are often dictated by outside influences–clients, corporate branding, etc. Without the space to create by myself, for myself, I would not be able to function as a creative person. My preferred approach is abstract collage in various media. BIO Sharon Dundee, BFA, has been creating art and teaching art-related courses and workshops for many years. Her most recent works are focused on abstract expressionism and its connection to the inner self/subconscious. Her artwork has been accepted and awarded at various juried shows, and her skills in graphic and publication design have been recognized throughout her career.

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