Artifice

Renowned paper artist Yulia Brodskaya is redefining the boundaries of the centuries-old craft of paper quilling. Originally trained as a graphic designer and illustrator, her journey into paper began almost by accident. In spelling her name “YULIA” with strips of paper in her very first paper artwork, she unknowingly set out to reinvent the centuries-old craft, pioneering a technique of drawing with paper strips—representing each drawn with an edge-glued strip that lifts the drawing into the third dimension. Soon after discovering her unique voice, Brodskaya earned international recognition for her innovative paper illustrations and was named Creative Review magazine’s “Breakthrough Star” of 2009. Her early work focused primarily on paper typography, quickly attracting an extraordinary roster of clients. Over the following years, she completed more than 200 commissions and collaborations, working with renowned brands including Neiman Marcus, Hermès, Issey Miyake, Wimbledon, Paramount Pictures, and The Balvenie. Yet alongside this commercial success, Brodskaya continued to explore the deeper expressive potential of paper. Gradually, her focus shifted toward portraiture and natural forms, where she could fully develop her signature technique of Painting with paper. Her book Painting with Paper — Paper on the Edge documents this pioneering technique, revealing how tightly folded paper strips can function like 3-dimentional brushstrokes, with colours blended and layered in a process analogous to mixing paint on a palette. The result is work that possesses all the richness of painting, while adding the tactile presence and dimensionality. Through her teaching and sharing of these methods, Brodskaya has inspired a global community of paper artists. Many have been able to follow in her footsteps, developing their own practices and livelihoods through this medium—first by learning to “draw” with paper, and now by exploring its full painterly and expressive potential. Today, her work continues to evolve. Her latest portrait experiments blur the boundary between paper quilling and Impressionist painting, demonstrating the extraordinary capacity of paper to convey light, emotion, and human presence. Through her hands, paper transforms from a simple material into a living medium, giving rise to a unique visual language the art world has never seen before. https://www.instagram.com/yulia_brodskaya_artyulia/ www.artyulia.com www.yuliacourses.com

Kitty McNamee is an artist, a creator and most importantly a collaborator. Her passion for the human heart, psychology and storytelling fuels her work with non-dancers and dancers alike. KItty’s early years in LA were spent honing her craft as Artistic Director of Hysterica Dance Co., a consistently prolific and creative collective that redefined dance in Los Angeles. Her unique approach to direction and choreography was declared by Dance Magazine to possess “an outsize talent for that most elusive gift, originality.” Kitty’s dance films have screened at over 50 festivals worldwide. Coming to dance late, Kitty’s deep appreciation and hunger for engagement has kept her creative practice at the forefront of her life ever since. She is deeply committed to the dance community, serving as mentor and advocate for the next generation of dancers and choreographers. Kitty spearheads, with Dance Camera West, LA POPS UP a dynamic program which is a rare opportunity to see the raw, disruptive, and authentic artistry of LA dance filmmakers together in a cinematic setting. Kitty has a long and fruitful relationship with the LA Philharmonic. Opera work includes Turandot, Marriage of Figaro, Romeo et Juliette, La Traviata, Don Carlo, La Rondine, Lucia di Lammermoor and Tales of Hoffman for LA Opera, San Francisco Opera , San Diego Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. https://www.kittymcnamee.com https://www.lapopsup.com

Amy Gross was born on Long Island, New York, and received her BFA from the Cooper Union in New York City. After a residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, she started a graphic design company, and worked as a surface designer, specializing in textiles, children’s products and toy design. In 2000 she moved to South Florida, and fascinated by the subtropical environment and the intricate natural growth there, began making hand-beaded jewelry. Her work expanded to embroidered canvases, then sculpture merging observed natural elements with invented life forms. In 2006, Gross received a grant from the South Florida Cultural Consortium, was the finalist for the Southern Prize in 2019, and received an Artist Innovation Fellowship in 2020. Her mixed media sculpture is represented by Momentum Gallery in Asheville, NC. Selected exhibits include the Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles, The Minnesota Museum of Art, the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, the Asheville Art Museum, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, The Bascom Center, and fairs Art Wynwood and SOFA. Her shadowboxes are part of the permanent collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and, as part of the Art in Embassies program, installed in the new American Embassy in Papua New Guinea. Her work has appeared in Fiber Arts Magazine, American Craft Magazine, The Washington Post, Luxe Magazine, Create Magazine and the art and culture blogs Colossal TreeHugger, ArtMag and The Jealous Curator. She was featured in an article in the Spring 2016 issue of Fiber Art Now Magazine, and was the issue’s cover artist. She appears in three Schiffer Press books, Artistry in Fiber, Sculpture, Dimensional Cloth, Sculpture by Contemporary Textile Artists, and Stitched: Journeys with Birds. Her work will appear in the upcoming Phaidon book Fungi: The World of Mushrooms. She lives and works in Delray Beach, Florida. Amy Gross amygross.com Instagram: amyla174 momentumgallery.com

Texas-based rock singer-songwriter Mark Winters creates acoustic-driven songs that balance melody, groove, and quiet attention. His work blends poetic reflection with a background in aerospace engineering, shaping music that values both emotional clarity and thoughtful structure. Winters first picked up a guitar to play a song for his wife, discovering a deep connection between songwriting and presence. Since then, his music has grown into a body of work that draws from blues-influenced phrasing, acoustic rock sensibilities, science and a lifelong love of poetry - especially haikus, inspired by his grandmother, who encouraged him to express himself through words. His debut album, Slipstream (2019), introduced listeners to his lyrical storytelling and science-inflected metaphors, earning widespread praise and surpassing one million streams worldwide. He expanded that vision on Boundary Layer (2022), an album exploring momentum, growth, and the spaces where change happens. With a nod to Albert Einstein and his science roots, Winters released E=MC2 (2024) embracing science and poetry through tracks like Speed of Light and a radio friendly version of Boundary Layer. Winters released Acoustic Me (2025), a stripped-down record centered on voice and intimacy, followed by the poetic and nature inspired single “Man in the Sky.” A seasoned touring artist, Winters performs primarily as a solo act, using guitar, piano, and subtle looping to create listening-forward shows that reward attention and restraint. In 2025, he launched the Good Vibes Highway Tour, bringing these intimate performances to rooms across the U.S. and Canada - places where songs can breathe and connection can form naturally. Mark Winters’ “Boundary Layer” will put you in the high frequency energy state to feel ultra confident to release your old boundaries. - Americana Highways Winters writes songs that are catchy and engaging that will brighten your day and lift your mood.” – Indie Band Guru “Mark Winters is a mad rocket-scientist who finds his charm through the magic of poetry and music” – Testing Melodies “And when Winters sings? Man, he pours his heart and soul into it. You can practically feel the passion in every note. His voice climbs, and it’s like he’s sending out this wave of hope and positivity.” - Music Arenagh Website: www.markwintersmusic.com Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dfXqjPrnIgC5fM9HtITAT?si=5OIoeTEQQJeAzq1lrfYqoQ

Deanna Kei is a NYC based fashion and beauty illustrator, specializing in live event art and detailed fashion branding, blending luxury fashion with New York street style. After a decade as a womenswear designer, she transitioned into illustration, and now works with brands such as Gucci, Dior, Burberry, Givenchy, and more. Her commissioned illustrations have been gifted to celebrities including Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively. Deanna collaborates with luxury fashion and beauty brands to create elevated, storytelling-driven illustrations and imagery that inspire customer engagement while honoring each brand’s identity. She is also known for her live guest sketching at NY Fashion Week events, brand activations, luxury retail experiences, galas, corporate events, private parties, and weddings. Her live sketches celebrate guests’ unique personal style, capturing the details that make each look memorable. Since her first live sketching event in 2018, Deanna has illustrated thousands of guests. Her work is deeply influenced by her background in fashion design and her upbringing in New York City. She is a Fashion Institute of Technology alumna with over a decade of experience across women’s contemporary sportswear, outerwear, athleisure and performance, juniors, childrenswear, and menswear design categories, as well as professional styling roles. Deanna’s illustrations have been featured across television commercials, magazines, newspapers, digital platforms, market week promotions, press trip packages, and live fashion week events. Her extensive knowledge of garment construction, fabric, silhouette, and fit informs every project, allowing her to approach illustration, design, and styling with precision and intention. Through her art, Deanna aims to encourage confidence, individuality, and positivity—celebrating personal style as a powerful form of nonverbal communication, always with a distinct New York edge. For more information or to discuss a new project contact [email protected]!

Perla Sanchez is a Dominican American artist and illustrator whose work explores identity, self-trust, growth, and reflection. Through expressive figures, bold color, and botanical elements, she creates intimate scenes that celebrate strength, becoming, and the beauty of quiet moments. Her immersive work invites viewers to pause, reconnect with themselves, and find inner peace and joy. Website: https://www.perlyblooms.com Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/perlyblooms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perlyblooms

Singer-songwriter Elthia creates indie pop music that leaves her listeners marveling at her wordplay and vibing to her ethereal, dreamy style. Combining real stories with fantastical elements, Elthia writes character pieces and ghost stories that she sets to music in each of her songs. In her own words, “I want my songs to feel like paintings that you sit in front of and stare at for a long time, getting completely entranced by them. I want you to listen to my music and continue to get lost in that world.” She enhances her artistic image by creating wearable art pieces, using dripping candles, demitasse spoons, and skeletal claws, all featured in her music videos. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o650cPIv3LQmts2yph8F1?si=fmmmtU-DQ7KxCV_eV6XjcQ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/elthia

Alex Josephson OAA, M.Arch (University of Waterloo), B.A.S (University of Waterloo) President Born in Toronto, Canada. Alex Josephson studied architecture at the University of Waterloo and in Rome. He co-founded PARTISANS in 2012 after dropping out of the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA). Alex is the only Canadian to have received the New York Prize Fellowship at the Van Alen Institute, he was named 2015 Best Emerging Designer by Canada’s Design Exchange. He currently lectures at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture. Alex is a registered architect in Ontario. https://partisans.com/ https://www.instagram.com/alexanderjosephson/

Christopher Ramos is currently serving as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He conducts the UVU Wind Symphony and directs instrumental studies within the music education area. He additionally teaches courses in conducting, music education, and music appreciation. He received the DMA in instrumental conducting at The Hartt School, studying with Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming. While at Hartt, he assisted in conducting Hartt's instrumental performing ensembles and the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble, and as part of the adjunct faculty he taught courses for graduates and undergraduates in conducting, brass methods, diversity and belonging, jazz pedagogy, and in the core music theory sequence. Before Hartt, Chris served as a band director at Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia where he taught Western classical and jazz music in performing and theory courses across grades 6-12, and his students were invited to perform in international festivals across Southeast Asia. He is also an active scholar working at the intersection of musicology, wind band studies, and music education with his latest publications forthcoming in the Music Educators Journal (NAfME) and the Utah Music Educators Journal (UMEA). In 2022 he received the Goldstein Award from the University of Hartford, and in 2016 he received the Joanne Kealinohomoku Prize from the Society of Ethnomusicology Southwest for his scholarship. He holds additional degrees from the University of New Mexico where he studied with Eric Rombach-Kendall, and from East Texas A&M University (formerly Texas A&M University-Commerce) where he studied with Phillip Clements (conducting), Luis Sanchez (piano), and Mike Morrow (horn). In addition to his conducting, researching, and teaching, he actively performs both on the French horn and at the keyboard. He has produced, performed, and conducted on records for the Naxos, Summit, and Parma record labels, and he has performed in and conducted ensembles in concert halls, stages, forests, and patios across the United States and Asia. An avid supporter of new music, he has been part of numerous commissioning projects for solo horn, chamber ensembles, and wind ensembles. He is a second-place winner in The American Prize for conducting and in 2025-27 he holds the Harry Begian Conductor Scholar Award at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He is an active member in the College Band Directors National Association, Utah Music Educators Association, Utah Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, American Musicological Society, and National Association for Music Education, and is an honorary member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity.

Makoto Chi is a visual artist, born and raised in Canada, and currently living in Western Massachusetts. His artistic backgrounds are in tattooing, drawing and painting, occasionally eddying into sculpture and installation. These practices cross-pollinate and share thematic through lines: Queer eros, ritual, diasporic desire for belonging, dualisms, and revisiting and refracting personal memories. Research into the visual cultures, mythologies and spiritualities of his Japanese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritages are important touchstones, where the fractured narratives of fleeing homelands, internments, of receiving and enacting grave violence are given space to speak and merge together. For Makoto, Chi, eroticism within anthropomorphic bodies is a means of queer refraction and reimagining of these histories and myths; they re-knit severed relationships to his heritages while opening space for new meaning and surprises. Makoto Chi Graduated from Emily Carr University in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in illustration. He currently lives in Western Massachusetts at Lupinewood Collective, an intentional living space and community project. Important links: https://www.patreon.com/makotochi https://store.lupinewood.com/ and https://www.lupinewood.com/evergreen/ https://www.instagram.com/makoto.chi/ https://www.makoto-chi.com/

My work is fueled by the complex dissonance of a modern human experience—dominant over and separate from the natural world. A dance between grief and hope, my art evokes visual representations of ambiguous loss of natural entities and celebrations of persistent patterns, teachers, medicine and kin. Trees are my primary source of inspiration. My mediums range across fiber arts disciplines and include felting, weaving, paper and book making, and basketry. Process is essential to comprehension of my felted work as it represents a personal expression of ritual, and the fusing of individuals into collective; an echoing of earthly interconnectedness, mycelial networks and coalescence. Bent knees allow flat palms to meet earth, expressing acts of care, reverence and patience–a physical prayer of grief, gratitude, and remembrance. This ritual of wet felting and its physically demanding process help me to expel grief, loss, frustration and anger. In turn, because of the labor intensive process, I must give myself fully to the piece knowing I will sacrifice my body’s abilities in the days following. I view this dynamic as an exploration of “how much do we live in reciprocity with our earth?”. While traveling, basketry has been my most consistent medium choice as it allows me the flexibility of a gradual less demanding process.  My work aims to evoke an environmentally conscientious community through a declaration that we are a global community, equally responsible for the protection of Earth.  Materials sourced from nature engage environmental agents as collaborators, not merely subject matter. I have been traveling/volunteering fulltime since the summer of 2024. After the completion of my degree, I craved education from life beyond the realm of academia and the insular scope of American understanding. I have since been to 11 countries. This experience has helped me flourish in problem solving, communication, forgiveness, my understanding of international relations, the connectedness of our human experiences despite nationality or social position, that positive land relationships exist everywhere, and the importance of my relationship with myself, my artwork and my spirituality. Links: Contentsofcricket.com @contentsofcricket ig