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Artist Pipeline Program: Artist Cohorts

In February 2022, the Harvard Ed Portal launched the pilot of a new Artist Pipeline Program for early career artists across diverse backgrounds and mediums who live and/or work in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood. These artists, together, are learning to build a sustainable arts future. Through workshops, resources, and short-term projects, they gain boots-on-the-ground skills, get individualized support for specific goals or challenges, work towards an engagement opportunity at Harvard, and earn a certificate of completion.

Learn more about the artists and co-facilitators from 2022-23 cohort and the 2023-24 cohort below.

2024-25 Artist Cohort

payal kumar

Artist Statement:
payal kumar (they/them) is a multidisciplinary cultural worker, sexual and reproductive health justice advocate, doula, and organizer whose work is rooted in the in-betweens. Currently based on Massachusett, Pawtucket, and Wampanoag territories, they invoke the power of intergenerational community building to construct tender new possibilities of being beyond borders and capital. Their illustrations, zines, spoken word pieces, and workshops have found a home across Chinatown walls and grassroots protests, in gallery spaces like the Museum of Fine Arts and international TRANS* Future Archives, and through collaborative learning spaces like the Allied Media Conference and the School of Arts and Social Justice Boston.

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payal's visual work alchemizes folk art from their ancestral villages in Bihar with traditional Americana motifs to amplify peoples’ movements and explores the in-between spaces of trauma, coloniality, queerness, and embodiment. payal was a 2021 recipient of the Boston Foundation’s LAB grant. They are an organizer with Subcontinental Drift Boston, a monthly multilingual open mic centering South Asian diasporic voices, and with transnational organizing collectives fighting for labor, race, caste, and gender equity. Through creative strategies, they cultivate playful spaces that challenge the state's monopoly on Imagination so that we may all fully unearth and activate our collective power.

Prema Bangera

Prema Bangera (pronounced "pray-ma ben-gay-ra"), who is ethnically South Indian (from Tulu Nadu) of lower caste, born in Mumbai, and partially raised on the unceded land of the Wampanoag and Massachusett people (so-called Boston), is a multidisciplinary artist, a community organizer, a cultural worker, and an educator. Her writing and artwork has appeared in various publications and showcased at the Boston City Hall and painted on the streets of the unceded Naumkeag lands (so-called Salem, MA) as part of the Raining Project at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival.

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Bangera has launched a consulting community organization called Healing Empowers Ancestral Love (H.E.A.L) which offers three programs that are aimed to uplift QTDBIPoC (Queer, Trans, Disabled, Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community members by addressing systemic oppression through reclaiming our own identities using arts as a catalyst. She was selected by the Boston Women's Fund in partnership with the Boston Foundation for their 2022 Women of Color Leadership Circle. She was also a teaching artist & writer at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and at the United South End Settlements. Bangera is a perpetual evolving shapeshifter, a work-in-progress, with her core values of radical love and liberation intact.

Dyllan Nguyen

Dyllan Nguyen is a queer, Vietnamese-American, artist and educator based in Boston, Massachusetts whose work exists at the intersection of art, design, education, and advocacy. Life has drawn him to seek opportunities to build community and engage with the world through creative means—using his hands and mind to imagine and fabricate, teaching others to make, and tinkering with existing objects as a way to understand the world. His interests in distraction, systems of value, play, and empathy form the primary themes in his current work.

Brooke Scibelli

Brooke is an artist, designer, and educator who works to create more access to the arts and build community along the way. Her artistic practice has explored various media ranging from illustration to performance, to designing her own clothing. Brooke has worked as a creative and educator at the ICA, MIT, The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, Design Museum Boston, and beyond. She has taught visual art to students of all ages in a variety of settings—museums, Boston Public School classrooms, wood shops, community centers, even on the sidewalk!

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Brooke is Co-Founder of Non Issue Studio, a creative studio that produces hands-on art-making workshops and handmade goods. Partners have included the ICA, The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, Boston Children's Museum, Blick Art Supply stores, Resist, The Children’s Room, Samuels & Associates, Good Boston Living, and beyond. Brooke has earned a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design from the Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) program, and recently completed a User Experience Design Certificate program.

DeShaun Gordon-King

Known for his soulful tone and mesmerizing phrasing, Trevor James Alto Flute Artist DeShaun Gordon-King (aka Díjí Kay) has given performances as a soloist and principal flute in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. DeShaun grew up surrounded by griot traditions and jazz and gospel music. Inspired by the worlds and traditions of his upbringing, DeShaun grew passionate about programming that blends them all together to create unique and memorable concert experiences.

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As he has grown as an artist, DeShaun has come to understand the most impactful aspect of his artistry: healing. With a heart-centered approach to programming and performing, DeShaun invites audiences into carefully curated spaces of musical healing, restoration, and wholeness.

Fiona Scarborough

Fiona is an independent shoemaker and designer with a dream to make size and gender inclusive footwear. They are interested in reclaiming the craft of shoemaking from large industry, and becoming a local craftswoman proudly serving the queer community.

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Fiona states, "Footwear is a morally injurious field, often representing the worst of consumer culture. We have more hype and more options around footwear than ever before, yet companies still cannot think beyond a mens'/womens' dichotomy. TGNC people are not only underserved by the sizing schemes, but the cisheteronormative politics behind them. I want to be different: T4T, local, upcycled, proud, compassionate, transparent, and approachable. Fashion choices, and the struggle to develop gender expressions, should never be morally injurious."

Eden Attar

Eden Attar is an artist, educator, and researcher who is focused on creating tiny utopian moments. Eden's past work includes the "St. Louis smolnet," a publicly accessible digital installation that challenges the centralization and commercialization of the web. She works as a welding instructor and mutual aid organizer at Artisans Asylum, a makerspace in Allston.

Madison Simpson

Whether it’s a touring artist at the Crystal Ballroom, a Wednesday night locals show at O'Brien's or the Sil, or a bustling DIY space, chances are better than not that you'll find Maddy Simpson at the gig. A musician and creative herself, Maddy has been living and working in Allston/Brighton for almost six years. She manages and performs in folk duo Sweet Petunia and indie rock band Winkler, runs sound and books free community shows at historic folk venue Club Passim, and proudly identifies as a member of Boston’s thriving DIY scene. To her, music and community run hand in hand, and she is as dedicated to uplifting the incredible musicians around her as she is to carving herself a place in the industry.

2022-23 Artist Cohort

Deborah Johnson

Artist Statement:
Deborah Johnson's artistic journey has always centered a deep connection to herself and her community. She utilizes bright and joyful colors and written affirmations, in her digital illustrations to address issues of mental health, the importance of intimate friendship and spirituality. As an artist and mental health professional, she emphasizes the importance of being multi-disciplinary and sees the way different art forms provide us the freedom to express and tap into different parts of ourselves.

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Deborah Johnson (she/they) is queer Indian-American multidisciplinary artist and creative care worker based in Boston, Massachusetts. Deborah studied political science at Oberlin College and is currently getting her Masters in Social Work. Her work ranges from digital illustration and writing to movement practices such as yoga and dance.

Nina Bhattacharya

Artist Statement:
"Making collages is an active process of reflection for me, a way to thread together my personal meditations on liberation, community, and spirituality. In a world that often feels so fast, it's a space of stillness, of introspection, of moving slow. My pieces stitch archival images with the visual details of scrapbook kitsch, and offer tender commentary on current moments and movements. I think a lot about indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer's words, 'All flourishing is mutual,' and I hope to evoke that same feeling of community and interdependence through my art."

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Nina Bhattacharya (she/her) is a designer, educator, and social worker. As the visual artist Radio Rani, she stitches together reflections on liberation, community, and spirituality through digital collage. In her work as an educator and facilitator, Bhattacharya designs learning experiences that nurture and amplify the agency, wellbeing, and creative power of young people.

Erin Jackson

Artist Statement:
Erin Jackson is a Boston-based Visual Artist and Art Educator whose work focuses on the relationship between curated environments and the audience. Through this experimental lens, Erin is able to create 2D and AR paintings that give the viewer the ability to explore visual art in a new space. Her work invites the viewer to explore their presence in a space as well as disrupt their preconceived notions of how to act within it.

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Erin Jackson received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in Painting from Lesley University College of Art and Design. She continues her involvement in the arts community through collaboration with the Brookline Arts Center, Harvard Ed Portal, and the Cambridge Arts Association.

Gustavo Barceloni

Artist Statement:
"My ceramic work is made for the Brazilian diaspora, the working class, and for all freedom fighters against capitalism. The doodles, speech bubbles, jokes, and patterns I scribble originate from old classroom notebooks, graffitied walls, and immigrant childhood memories. Portu-English, propaganda pottery, and people-centered slogans are my multi-lingual methods of communication. I sell, gift, and barter pots in hopes of promoting a class and cultural understanding of what I've lived and learned. Let’s pour a cup, discuss people power at the dinner table, and take our ideas to the streets!"

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Gustavo Tavares Barceloni (he/him) was born in Brazil and raised in Greater Boston. He creates illustrative tableware, installations, and community based projects that promote working class power and explore the complexities of living within the Brazilian diaspora. Gustavo holds a BFA in ceramics from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a M.Ed from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has taught middle school history, free community ceramics classes, and workshops on art activism. Currently, Gustavo organizes with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a revolutionary organization by and for the working class, that seeks to collectively build the necessary power to secure a future free from capitalism.

Greg Marquis

Artist Statement:
"Music and mental health have always gone hand in hand for me. Performance and creativity are like therapy. I am forever in awe and in service to the power of music to express what words alone cannot. From the loud, the painful, and the terrifying to the soft, the kind, and the delicate, there is no limit to the depth and range of human emotion, so I see no reason to limit my own expression thereof. I welcome and embrace it all and hope that others can find connection and community within that sincere vulnerability."

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Greg Marquis (aka Marquis Lavoie) is a musician and activist who has been part of the Boston music scene for about 12 years. His two main acts illustrate the dynamic dichotomy of his stylistic range as a singer, songwriter, and performer, from the cathartic screaming of post-hardcore band Actor Observer to the delicate finger-picking and crooning of his solo indie folk act Marquis Lavoie. Having graduated in 2014 from Northeastern University with a degree in Music Industry, Marquis has a penchant for being hands on with every aspect of his music career, from managing and merchandising, to booking and visual creative direction. Marquis is a jack of all trades, with experience working for numerous Boston venues, self-releasing multiple albums, and advocating for artist resources and affordable housing with his grassroots civics group Boston Artist Impact.

Grace Givertz

Artist Statement:
"My songs reflect on living life with chronic illness, but also about living life as woman of color in this day and age—whether that be deep societal injustice or the more every day being a 24 year old attempting to be an adult in 2022. Creating music has always been the most healing experience for me in life. Creating music has always been the most healing experience for me in life. Whether that be during a flare up or a devastating breakup, during a time of joy or a time of sorrow, music has always been my salve."

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Grace Givertz (she/her/hers) is a Boston-based indie folk singer songwriter. With a large voice packed into a tiny body, Givertz pairs her witty and honest lyrics with various instruments to bring a refreshing sound to folk.

Co-Facilitators

Zakiyyah Sutton

2022-23 & 2024-25

Zakiyyah Sutton (she/her) is an artist-activist who utilizes music and visual media to explore themes that centralize marginalized communities. She also serves as a racial equity consultant with Arts Connect International, supporting arts organizations in reassessing their practices through the lens of equity and creative justice.

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Zakiyyah is an artist-activist who utilizes music and visual media to explore themes that centralize marginalized communities via her production company, Black and Bold Productions. As an actress and classically-trained singer who is well-versed in Opera, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and R&B, she employs her versatile skillset to reach a broad range of audiences and craft a sound that is uniquely her own—including her most well-known, "Hip-Hopera". She's had the pleasure of bringing these sounds to numerous audiences, from the House of Blues to the United Nations.

In addition to her artistic practice, she teaches voice at Harvard's Holden Voice Program, and serves as a racial equity consultant with Arts Connect International, supporting arts organizations in reassessing their practices through the lens of equity and creative justice. Her recent Tedx Talk, "Being Good Is a Privilege," highlights the repercussions of overlooking class in our quest for DEI and social change.

She's delighted to return as the co-facilitator for the second year of the Harvard Ed Portal's Pipeline program, where she can support artists in cultivating their own agency and taking control of their futures.

Resides on the land of the Massachusett peoples, in Dorchester, MA.

Mel Taing

2024-25

Mel Taing (she/her) is a Boston-based Cambodian American photographer, community artist, and educator. Specializing in creative portraiture, exhibition documentation, and community engagement, Mel seeks to celebrate the vibrance, radiance, and joy of the intersecting communities in her life. 

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Mel documents arts exhibitions at several institutions in the greater Boston area such as the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Rose Art Museum, and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Her museum work has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, Boston Globe, ArtNet, Boston Art Review, Hyperallergic, WBUR, and more. 

Beyond the camera, she is deeply interested in increasing cultural equity within the arts and culture sector of Boston. Mel collaborates with institutions such as Arts Connect International, Harvard Ed Portal, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, and the Office of Justice, Transformation, and Equity at MassArt to advocate for equity in and through the arts. Mel was most recently a visiting lecturer at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, teaching the course "Art, Life, Money" which offers knowledge about financial literacy to students as they become professional artists and designers. It is rewarding and fulfilling for Mel to share her knowledge so that all makers, artists, and designers can advocate for their full worth and value.

Mel is a proud alumni of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and holds a BFA in Film/Video. She is Vice-Chair of the Alumni Leadership Council, a volunteer cohort of alumni that work to connect alum to each other, to the college, and to the broader MassArt community.

Alyssa Liles-Amponsah

2022-23

Alyssa is a Visual Artist who currently works as Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion at Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. Additionally, Alyssa is a consulting Director with Arts Connect International where she supports initiatives to create more equity in the arts and culture field. Alyssa's studio is located in the BOK building in Philadelphia, PA.

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Alyssa grew up spending time in local art galleries in Norfolk, VA with her father, artist Ted Liles. Those early experiences in galleries that supported and included the surrounding communities inspired Alyssa's interest in art. Alyssa earned her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MA in African American and African Diaspora studies from Indiana University, Bloomington. Alyssa then moved to Boston and taught in an alternative school called YouthBuild where she was inspired by the young people she worked with and became concerned about the lack of arts learning opportunities available to them. Hoping to learn more about these issues, Alyssa attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned an Ed.M in Arts in Education where she focused her studies on race in education and issues of accessibility to the arts within urban education.

After graduating Alyssa worked as a Teaching Fellow for two years for the Arts in Education graduate program at Harvard. She then went on to work with youth/social justice oriented arts non-profit organization, The Urbano Project, while also completing a year long Silk Road Connect Fellowship in art education. Alyssa also worked in museum education at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum where she did outreach and helped produce educational programming. Additionally, she served as a Resident Tutor for Education and the Arts at Lowell House at Harvard University. Alyssa recently worked at Temple University as an Associate Director of Diversity Initiatives, and now is the Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion at the Please Touch Museum.

Resides on the land of the Lenape peoples, in Pittsburgh, PA.