WORLD BUILDERS & WORDSMITHS
Curated by FAITH ∞
Featuring: Afr0delic + S0ular System, Keyma, The Youth of Greenmount West Community Center, Retji, Obsidian, and Black Assets
June 2024 at the Maryland Arts Summit
Hosted at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Palm Card Design by FAITH McCorkle.
World Builders & Wordsmiths was a captivating session showcasing performing artists who wield poetry, sounds, and language as tools for crafting vivid realms of imagination and expression. Through their practices, selected artists revealed connections where storytelling transcended conventional boundaries, inviting the audience to explore the depths of the human experience through the instances in which we share collective goals toward artistic expression. Attendees at the Maryland Arts Summit witnessed the power of words and sound to shape realities as these skilled storytellers shared their insights and histories, empowering viewers to tell their stories in innovative ways.
Curated by Baltimore-based creative FAITH McCorkle, this gathering of visionaries redefined storytelling, offering glimpses into realms where every word, sound, and verse births new dimensions of wonder and inspiration.
Documentation by Niajea Randolph
ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Afr0delic + S0ularSystem
Maren Yoloviya Wright-Kerr, also known as afrOdelic, is a Black, Caribbean-raised, Baltimore-based multidimensional creator and DJ who makes vivid, afro-surreal acrylic and digital paintings, drawings, animations, poetry, and sound-based art that explores and reactivates ancestral connections to our inner and outer worlds.
Ma’issa Sayidana Soliya Hassanah Wright-Kerr, a 25-year-old Howard University graduate, is a national slam poet, writer, curator and multidisciplinary artist. With a B.A. in Strategic, Legal, and Management Communications, she's currently delving into creative writing for children and young adults while crafting her debut book. As a former member of the DC Youth Slam Team at the 2018 Brave New Voices International Poetry Festival, Ma’issa champions the power of communication, particularly through poetry. Her passion lies in encouraging others to authentically express themselves through her art, aiming to inspire honesty and self-expression in all who encounter her work.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Keyma Flight
Keyma Flight exists today as an earth poet, host, and chicken box connoisseur born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She was on the Baltimore City Youth poetry team for three years in a row. Keyma holds the titles of Hyperbole Slam Champion of 2019, 1/6th of the Brave New Voices Champion in 2018, and 3rd place in the international Woman of the World Poetry Slam in both 2022 and 2024. Currently, she is a part of the non-profit DewMore Baltimore, where she works as administrative assistant. Keyma uses her platform to advocate for community healing, spirituality, and the advancement of black and LGBT+ individuals.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: Greenmount West Community Center
The Greenmount West Community Center Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in the Greenmount West neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. We are the place where exposure to opportunity and innovation collide.
We provide youth, families, and seniors with sustainable programming and innovative partnerships in a safe, restorative communal art space.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Retji
Retji is an interdisciplinary artist from Jos, Nigeria. He received his undergraduate degree in Digital Art from The College of New Jersey, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He recently completed his first feature-length film,“Nyam”, which has won several film festival awards and has been screened at various institutions internationally. Retji’s practice is one that uses expression, via different art mediums, as a means to shift our social paradigm to a better space.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Obsidian
Obsidian has been writing and performing poetry for ten years. She loves poetry and sharing her story with others and hopes she can inspire the people in her community to look with in and create without hesitation.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Black Assets
Ashley Lakayla Yates, also known by the stage name of ‘Black Assets’, the queen of the soulful bounce; is a dynamic queer vocalist/singer-songwriter from Baltimore, MD by way of Itta Bena, Mississippi, whose art is committed to reflecting the experience of Black people in the United States. She is an international recording artist and singer-song writer bringing soulful vibes to over 20 different countries around the world most recently Algiers, Taghit and Bechar. She is the creator of The Living Room Social (TLRS), a platform for musicians and music-lovers in the Maryland area to make and experience music together. For the past 3 years, TLRS has curated over 75 shows boasting loyal audiences of over 200 people per show. A natural leader, Ashley’s music is directly rooted within her community, love and life as she knows it the good the bad and the indifferent. Black Assets is surely a dynamic artist on the rise. Be sure to follow her on Spotify and support her works on all digital music streaming platforms everywhere! Check out Black’s latest release OTR(OAD) on all digital streaming platforms now!
This project was supported in part by Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA). To discover more about MCA and how they impact Maryland, visit mdarts.org!
Click the image above or here to access the 2024 Maryland Arts Summit brochure!
