Sissy Rosso is a Dominican art director and designer from Providence, RI, who builds vibrant visual worlds through collage, color, and storytelling.

Janelle Castillo is an interior designer by day, artist by instinct. She is a RISD class of 2021 graduate. Janelle blends kitchen design and storytelling into livable, expressive spaces. Currently, she is building businesses and relationships that shape better experiences, and hopes for the future.

Dorian (He/Him/His) is a multi-hyphenate creative and Product Designer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a Graduate from Rhode Island School Design, he received his BFA in Industrial Design. His love of community, basketball and footwear have inspired him to establish a brand — Blacktop Market — that aims to highlight the intersections of streetwear, and sport culture.

Through his creative endeavors he seeks to explore the capabilities of storytelling and the connectedness of people through those intangible moments that resonate within us all.

In previous displays of his work, many of the pieces  highlight moments in his life and black culture, both in sport and everyday, using recycled and donated materials. His aim is to explore new mediums, produce events and products that build community, and facilitate space for evolving dialogue through individual and collaborative design efforts.

Dorian (He/Him/His) is a multi-hyphenate creative and Product Designer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a Graduate from Rhode Island School Design, he received his BFA in Industrial Design. His love of community, basketball and footwear have inspired him to establish a brand — Blacktop Market — that aims to highlight the intersections of streetwear, and sport culture.

Through his creative endeavors he seeks to explore the capabilities of storytelling and the connectedness of people through those intangible moments that resonate within us all.

In previous displays of his work, many of the pieces  highlight moments in his life and black culture, both in sport and everyday, using recycled and donated materials. His aim is to explore new mediums, produce events and products that build community, and facilitate space for evolving dialogue through individual and collaborative design efforts.

Caterina Maina (she/her) is an Italian-American artist based in Providence, RI. Primarily a Fine Art Photographer and also working across fashion and portrait photography, she blends visual storytelling with a distinct artistic sensibility. Her work explores themes of memory, family, and connection through contemporary photography. Her latest project marks her first dive into installation art and the use of archival imagery. Her practice reflects a deep commitment to preserving personal histories and evoking the emotional resonance of everyday moments. 

Caterina’s art has been exhibited in galleries across New England and nationally. She’s notably been exhibited at the Susan Eley Fine Art Gallery (NYC, 2021), Delaplaine Arts Center (Frederick, MD, 2022), and Fitchburg Art Museum (Summer, 2025). She earned her BFA in Photography with a minor in Sustainability from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she received numerous awards for her projects and artistic vision.

Ariel Tavares believes in the power of prayer, words, people, imagination, and a lil sweet treat after a meal. Born and raised in Providence, RI, she was shaped by a big Cape Verdean family, music-filled rooms, and yellow porches. A multimedia artist and performer, her work spans poetry, photography, collage, crafting, curation, and digital art, all driven by the question “What if?” a thread that runs through her spirituality, creativity, and occasional outfit choices.

She’s a 2024 alumna of the Sweet Dreams Society Residency, where her Garden of Dreams exhibition earned a state citation. Currently, she’s part of the WaterFire Accelerate Program and the Summer CRC Spring 2025 Artist3 Residency, and was named Motif’s 2025 Spoken Word: Free Verse Poet. Ariel left her corporate marketing job in May to pursue art full-time, build her creative consulting practice, and explore play as a revolutionary act.

Liz is a ceramic artist and instructor with 10+ years of experience in the arts and founded Anyhow Studio in 2021. She has a background in Gender and Sexuality Studies and Furniture Design, and has utilized both disciplines to create a viewpoint and aesthetic that’s all her own. Liz loves to teach beginners, especially those who think that they “aren’t artistic.” When Liz isn’t at the studio, she’s walking her dog Daisy, working on a crossword puzzle, sewing, or eating an ice cream cone.

My name is Amber Jackson, and I am the owner of Black Leaf. I’m a Chicago native with a passion for tea, people and Black culture. April 11, 2019, I launched The Black Leaf Tea & Culture Shop to share my love for tea, engage with the community and celebrate Black Culture.

Using my background in food science, I design all the tea blends myself. They are just as unique as the people who drink them. Whether you’re looking for a little spice in your life or something to calm you after a long week of work, I’ve got you covered. My tea blends are here to spread joy and inspire all who sip to be as creative and bold as the blends they drink. The Black Leaf Tea Cafe opened in October 2023 in Providence, RI where customers can enjoy tea lattes and mocktails, explore our culture corner filled with books by Black authors, and purchase pouches of tea and tea accessories. The cafe also serves as a space to host community events like tea blending workshops and artist pop-ups. Black Leaf has truly become a reflection of who I am and what I’m passionate about.

Aidan Payne is a filmmaker from New England who splits time between script supervising TV Series (HBO’s Julia and AMC’s Dead City) and directing short films. His short “Filmmaking” played across the country at film festivals including the Nantucket FF, San Jose FF, and was featured twice at the New England Online FF (2013 & 2021). His film “Blank Verse” played at the Block Island FF and at Triller!Chiller! His film “The Plant Mechanic” played at the Boston Underground Film Festival and was a Semi Finalist at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. His film the Sound of Fear won the Popcorn Frights Film Festival and was selected by multiple film festivals including the Rhode Island Film Festival.

Hannah Chung is an author-illustrator, design leader, and entrepreneur. As a storyteller, she loves creating stories with a sense of wonder and warmth. This fall, she published her debut picture book, THE MOST PERFECT PERSIMMON, with Astra Young Readers. As a design leader and entrepreneur, Hannah centers people’s emotions and experiences at the heart of design and strategy. She co-founded two award-winning organizations: Sproutel (children’s health) and Design for America (student innovator network). Her work has won numerous awards, including National Design Award, CES Best of Innovation, and Time Best Inventions. She is an adjunct professor at RISD and an advisor to nonprofits and startups. 

I’ve been making maps for over a decade. I studied environmental science at the University of New Hampshire and took a Geographic Information Systems course that turned into a summer job, then an Americorps position in the Coal Country of West Virginia, then to California where I settled in making maps of neighborhoods in Brazil for Apple Maps, maps of ground water contamination for environmental consulting firms and maps of power lines across Northern California for one of the largest utility companies in the world.

When Andy Nosal, the third owner of The Map Center, offered me the opportunity to be the fourth, I loved the idea of shepherding this local institution through its next chapter serving a community that loves being the home of New England’s oldest map store.

Andy still comes by every week or so to have lunch and catch up.

Bryan Michie is an architect and founder of Michie Design and Build. As a City Commissioner in Providence, Rhode Island, he is committed to creating inclusive spaces, demonstrated by projects like Michie House and Dancing Cats Bar, which provide affordable and welcoming environments. His journey exemplifies the impact of hard work, vision, and resilience, focusing on creating mindful architecture that enhances the city and supports the community.  Michie Design and Build is more than just a business; it is a symbol of hope and opportunity, promoting diversity, celebrating inclusivity, and aiming to make a positive impact on the community.

Adam E. Anderson is a registered Landscape Architect and Founder/Principal of Design Under Sky. His twenty years of experience have included hospital healing gardens, residential gardens, master-planning, campus plazas, rooftop gardens, and urban parks, as well as commissioned public art works.

His recent works — 10,000 Suns, The Living Edge, and the Roger Williams Park Gateway—have received critical acclaim at the local and national level and have contributed to the transformation of the urban landscape of Providence.

His work negotiates with the ever-changing landscape by understanding the unique phenomenological qualities and cultural influences inherent in a site and then deploying interventions to embrace, reveal and often embellish these qualities. “Nature” is abstracted in his projects, culminating in a celebration of wonder found in both the technological and ecological. He continues to maintain several of his projects in the city, viewing maintenance as a “sculptural act” and redefining the role of “weeds” as a collaborative partner in re-wilding spaces in the city.

He received his Masters in Landscape Architecture (MLA II) from the Rhode Island School of Design where he was an Olmsted Scholar and Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from The Ohio State University. He has taught at RISD in the Graduate Landscape Architect Department since 2014 and currently also at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2021 he was inducted into the DESIGNXRI Hall of Fame as an emerging designer. Adam also serves on the board of the Downtown Providence Parks Network as well as PVD World Music Organization.

He is a licensed Landscape Architect in RI, MA, CT, NY, and PA

Danielle Sturm is Co-Founder of The Nest. Her deep passion for secondhand clothing and thrifting–mixed with a love for the local and underground art scene–has led to a personal mission to change people’s mindset of how we consume and support our local communities.

Danielle graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Johnson & Wales University Providence. She got her start working in marketing and communications for startups and nonprofits in the medical technology and life science industries. Through her work, she has also produced two podcast series.

Danielle has interest in encompassing communication and culture, specifically through how music, sound, art, and history bring communities together. At The Nest, she has found the perfect avenue to successfully connect people over a sustainable cause and create a community of inclusion, culture, and fun.