N.Y. Nathiri: Preserve the town of Eatonville, Florida

N.Y. Nathiri

Truth be told, Black History Month isn’t a special time for N.Y. Nathiri, executive director of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C. for short). For her and the rest of the (mostly volunteer-driven) team that spends 365 days a year working tirelessly to preserve the town of Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated all-Black […]

Shawn Welcome: Orlando Poet Laureate

Shawn Welcome

Orlando Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome wants to be the frame for the local arts community. The frame is a term he coined when mentoring up-and-coming open mic show hosts and emcees. If a guest in an art museum walks away from a painting talking about the piece’s frame, he says, then they’ve missed the point. […]

Open Scene Orlando

Open Scene Orlando

Thamara Bejarano has a dream. When she closes her eyes at night, she sees the doors opening to a cultural center in Orlando. Inside lies a beautiful space where folks from local grassroots arts organizations can sing, dance, perform, exhibit, rehearse, and connect, all in their native tongues. Orlando is home to world-class arts institutions […]