Collective: A Black Queer Gallery Show — Opening Reception

Come celebrate the opening reception of Collective — a Black queer gallery show centered on the themes of community, acceptance, and liberation.

The show features nine DMV-based Black queer artists ranging from photography to mixed media displaying their take on the shows theme.

The opening reception is on Saturday, January 17th from 6-10 PM at miXt food hall in Brentwood, MD (right on the border of DC). See below for more information about parking + metro accessibility.

The event is free with RSVP, and there'll be a variety of food + drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for purchase.

We can't wait to see you soon!

(from top left to right)

Sim Ireti (they/them)

Sim Ireti is a Baltimore-based photographer, originally from Nigeria, who works with both 35mm film and digital photography to capture everyday moments. Drawing inspiration from artists like Carrie Mae Weems, Ernest Withers, Roy DeCarava, and Pete Eckert, their practice serves as both an outlet for managing anxiety and an exercise in gratitude. Their photo work is rooted in a desire to preserve memories on film. Guided by the vantage points of their own lived perspective, they gravitate toward stills and portraits.

IG: @sezamedia

Website: bakerartist.org/portfolios/sezamakes

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Savannah Imani Wade (they/she)

Savannah Imani Wade is an interdisciplinary artist organizer, grant consultant, and Creative Director of OARA based in Baltimore, MD. Wade holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art with honors as a scholar of the Eddie & Sylvia Brown Foundation. They have performed and collaborated with Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Omar, Bread & Puppet Theater, as leading actor in the play, Thicket, Theater for the New City, and The Kennedy Center. In 2023, Wade founded Our Art Room Agency (OARA),  a creative and care-centered initiative focused on advancing financial liberation, holistic development, and community-supported sustainability for emerging artists, prioritizing QTBIPOC creatives. They currently work as the Creative Director for OARA, as well as a grant consultant for creatives and large organizations. 

IG: @savannah.imani | @our.art.room.agency

Website: www.savannahimaniwade.com

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Success Ellington (he/they)

Success is a talented mixed media artist, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, who has been passionately creating art since the age of eight. Growing up, art was not just a hobby but a way of life - an expression of their innermost feelings and observations.While they've had little formalized artistic training, their unwavering love for creativity has driven them to explore various mediums, and has consequently resulted in a diverse portfolio that encompasses digital photography, digital photo manipulation, acrylics, mixed media, and geometric drawings.

IG: @Successartstudios | @successthegr8

Website: successartstudios.com

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Katryna Carter (she/her)

Katryna Carter is a Washington, DC-based designer, visual artist, and writer with over 15 years experience and formal training from Howard University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her art and design practice supports community-based organizations and entrepreneurs in creating beautiful and inclusive spaces, artwork, and services. Katryna has built joyful, healing spaces with Black and Brown communities, from small business headquarters for organizations such as Oyin Handmade to cutting-edge art exhibitions with the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her approach is influenced by my grandmothers’ impeccable style and celebration of Black Queer joy and culture.

IG: @katrynacarter

Website: katrynacarter.com

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Brittany Mona' (she/they)

Brittany Moná ( Mo-Nay) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Maryland. Specializing in Black abstract and figurative portraiture. Her work blends neo-expressionism, graffiti, and African art. Through her practice, Brittany explores themes of liberation, joy, memory, and transformation. 

IG: @Brittanymonacreates

Website: brittanymona.com

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Muse Dodd (they/them)

Muse Dodd is an Anti-disciplinary Artist, Curator and DJ from Severn, MD based between Baltimore, MD and Jamaica, NY. Their work centers on the questions, How do you remember and what do you choose to forget? Through the act of remembering, Muse uses their body to map the lived experience of Africans in America. Muse channels trauma to connect with, process and alchemize pain; both personal and collective through movement, ritual and collective dreaming. Muse holds a BA in Film Production from Howard University and studied at the Film Academy in Prague. Muse was a 2022 Artist in Residence at Stove Works and the summer 2022 Workspace Resident at Squeaky Wheel. Muse was a 2020 Corrina Mehiel fellow and  a 2019-2020 Leslie Lohman Museum Artist Fellow and was the 2019 DCAC Curatorial Fellow. A former Artist-in-Residence at the Flux Factory, they were also a 2018 Artist-in-Residence at the ARoS Museum in Denmark. Muse video work has been commissioned for performances at The Shed, Mabou Mines Theater, and Dixon Place. Through their work, Muse hopes to create space for Black people to be free, if only for a frame.

IG: @museofire

Website: moniquemusedodd.com

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Morgan Davis (she/her)

Morgan Davis is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, creative director, and founder of Morganeliz — a platform that merges plus-size fashion, graphic design, photography, storytelling, and community events to explore identity and belonging through the lens of a Black queerness. Her creative journey began at 17, when she launched her first plus-size clothing line and blog. After earning her BFA in Fashion Design from Howard University in 2015, she founded Distinctly Creative — a DMV-based initiative and storefront that supported Black creatives through workshops, retail, and curated events. In 2020, she launched Morganeliz as a size-inclusive cut-and-sew line, which has since evolved into a multidisciplinary studio where fashion, visual storytelling, and cultural commentary meet. Across mediums, her 16 years of creative experience honors Black, queer, and plus-size identities, creating intentional, joy-filled spaces that affirm and inspire.

IG: @_morganeliz

Website: morganeliz.com

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Jordan DeLoach (any pronouns)

Jordan N. DeLoach is a Maryland born-and-raised storyteller, artist, and activist fighting for Black liberation. From 2017 through 2020, Jordan was the lead editor and designer of MelaNation, an art zine in the DC metro area. From 2018 through 2020, Jordan led communications and design for DECRIMNOW DC, a campaign fighting against the criminalization of sex work and fighting for resources, especially for Black trans sex workers who are among the most marginalized in our society. Overall, Jordan uses storytelling to help bring experiences that are in the margins to the center, exposing power dynamics and supporting other Black folks with expressing themselves and pursuing their dreams.

IG: @j.n.deloach

Website: jndeloach.com/illustrations

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Miracle Kendall (they/them)

Miracle Kendall is Black Queer artist in their twenties, on a mission to create and live with unwavering intention. Their artistic journey encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including photography, painting, drawing, and ceramics, with a special place in their heart for mixed media work and photography.  Upon entering the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Miracle embraced a spirit of artistic exploration, allowing themselves the freedom to pursue any art practice or style that piqued their interest. Their work serves as a profound means of expression, enabling them to convey emotions and energies that may be challenging to articulate verbally. Through their art, Miracle invites people to glimpse into their essence in one of its purest forms.

IG: @mir.acle | @milagroxstudio