Somaya Akbib: Moroccan Made

Fashion is one of the key ways we express ourselves. Grunge, goth, athletic, preppy it's the easiest and most recognizable way to tell the world what we want them to see. It would make sense that fashion designers would be held in such high esteem. Even more so fashion designers who specialize in creating designs for major life milestones. Moroccan fashion designer Somaya Akbib has carved herself into the world of wedding dress designers in the Spanish capital.

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Kia Cooks: A Different Type of Flavor

“It was confusing at first, I was like I have the drive. I have the energy…’why not me?’”

-Chef Kia Damon

Chef Kia Damon, also known as Kia Cooks, said it took her a while to figure out why people weren’t taking her seriously in the world of culinary arts at the very beginning of her career in Florida.

“No one saw me as anyone serious and it was really confusing for me at first because I had the drive and the energy to do it, so why not me? It took a little while to be like ‘oh okay’ it's because I’m a Black woman, and that’s weird for a lot of people,” she explained.

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Shanina Dionna: Mental Health & Art

Mental health is an issue glazed over and forgotten about, even though it affects nearly everyone. The artistic world reveres its historical “tortured” geniuses, such as Vincent van Gogh or Kurt Cobain, but often fails to address the mental health issues within its own community. Artists must fight on their own to promote mental healthcare and promote awareness, as the world around them seems to ignore it in favor of the work they produce. One of these artists is Shanina Dionna, a Philadelphia based artist who works in education and mental health awareness.

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Megan Mosholder: Pulling it Together

Art and architecture typically come together in packages. With installation art, you can’t have one without the other. Half of the piece is the structure, and the other half is what the artist puts into it. Installation art is typically thought to be in a physical gallery, where people pay for tickets and quietly look at the art in short intervals. But, installation artist Megan Mosholder, has continuously broken out of the traditional way of creating art,  with her extraordinary installation pieces. 

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