The Makers
A series highlighting creatives of color making an impact in the local arts scene.
WBUR Presents: The 2024 Makers
The work of these 10 artists of color inspires awe, creates joy and transforms communities.
Photographer Feda Eid explores Arab Muslim identity in luminous self-portraits
The Quincy artist stages elaborate images designed to challenge the exoticizing gaze so often directed at Arab women.
Visual artist Maria Servellón creates with a little magic and a lot of herself
The 34-year-old writes, produces and directs her own films. Her calling card is dreamlike, emotional authenticity.
Painter Jameel Radcliffe blends the natural world with the urban
Radcliffe takes inspiration from masters of the form, like John Singer Sargent and Diego Velázquez, but his work expands the canon of who gets to be a subject of fine...
Saxophonist Jonathan Suazo breaks new ground in Latin Jazz
Inspired by his late father, the Puerto Rican musician explores his Dominican roots on an album the New York Times selected as one of the best of 2023.
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Violinist Pranav Swaroop fuses music from around the globe
The 27-year-old began his musical journey in Bangalore, India. Now, his band Project MishraM brings its signature blend of traditional Carnatic vocals, guitar shredding and synthesizer to international stages.
Filmmaker Mushen Kieta wants to open doors for the next generation
The 34-year-old mentors teens at Artists For Humanity and also has a production company, Wunderus. His vision is to create a community of local talent in the film industry and...
Musician Naomi Westwater uses song to conjure new ideas of belonging
The singer-songwriter has always loved folk music, but the genre hasn’t always uplifted non-white artists. They are working to expand the perception of folk music to include people of color...
Elizabeth Mochizuki empowers dancers to bring their full selves to the stage
After dancing professionally for decades, Mochizuki decided to create change in the dance world. She founded a dance company designed to showcase the Asian American experience.
Curator Chenoa Baker uplifts artists of color while sharing her own story
With experience at both large museums and smaller local galleries, the 24-year-old aims to challenge inequitable systems in art spaces and contextualize art produced by people of color.
New media artist Caleb Hawkins sculpts with light
As design director at MASARY Studios, Hawkins executes luminescent, large-scale art installations using architecture, technology and algorithms.
These artists shared what inspired them in 2023
As we reflect on the year, and all of the moments that brought us joy, we checked in with a group of folks that have inspired us at WBUR: members...
WBUR Presents: The 2023 Makers
These 10 artists of color are interrogating the past, reframing the present day and imagining a better future.
Szu-Chieh Yun interrogates systems of power through art
For the 35-year-old painter, her work has provided an avenue to articulate feelings that may have been hard for her to speak or write about. "It's a way for me...
Rixy uses spray paint to create her own world and make space in this one
Growing up in Boston, the visual artist saw murals and graffiti and knew there was power in public art. Now, she paints her own works showcasing characters from an inclusive...
In the wake of loss, singer-songwriter Kimaya Diggs comes into her own
The Easthampton musician's new songs are emotive, yet unsentimental. Kind of like Diggs herself.
Gabriel Sosa explores language and justice in his multimedia creations
Early in his career, the artist worked as a court translator where he witnessed how power can be exerted through words. Now, he probes that idea through murals, collages and...
For Boston poet Dzidzor, performance is a lot like church
The artist might be best known for Black Cotton Club and her uncanny ability to draw people in. But beneath her warm stage presence is a politics of Black liberation.
Bridging Black America's past and present, Danny Rivera revives songs of the enslaved
The 22-year-old vocalist has been bringing back historic spirituals first sung by enslaved Black people in America. He says the works transcend time, “because they not only share what has...
Afghan pianist Arson Fahim fights for musicians oppressed by the Taliban
Since arriving at the Longy School of Music two years ago, he's made it his mission to pursue social justice through his music. "And actually 'fight' is a good word...