Programs
HOMEMAKERS
HomeMakers is KST’s new and reconfigured version of the Artist Council. Taking inspiration from bell hooks’ essay “Homeplace (a site of resistance)“, HomeMakers is a committee of Pittsburgh Artists and community members that work with KST Staff to advocate for and support Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s programs and supported artists.
Comprised of six artists and/or community members across a diverse range of identities and artistic disciplines, the committee brings their varied and unique perspectives to the table during meetings and programming panels as part of KST’s ongoing commitment to community dialogue, equitable practices, and engagement with the East Liberty community we call home.
HomeMakers are integral members of the KST Community. They act as community champions and leaders, helping KST Staff to spread awareness of KST’s programming and mission. This is achieved through quarterly meetings, promotion of and attendance at KST Presents events with community members, and participation as a panelist in the Freshworks residency award process.
Meet the 23/24 HomeMakers below! Interested in being a HomeMaker for the 24/25 Season? Check back for more details in spring 2024.
Scott Andrew (he/him/they/them) b. 1982, Waynesburg, PA, is a multimedia queer-oriented video, installation, performance artist, media designer, educator, and curator. His works have been exhibited at MoMA’s PopRally Performance Series (NYC), Ballroom Marfa (Marfa, TX), The Hammer Museum (LA), The J. Paul Getty Museum (LA), Whitechapel (London, UK), MIX (NYC), Anthology Film Archives (NYC), and The Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, PA), among others. Media Design projects include ‘Show Queen’, a 2023 NDP finalist and ongoing collaboration with Dance Artist Jesse Factor that grew out of our KST Freshworks presentation of ‘I Am A Haunted House’. scottnandrew.com
Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery (she/her) is a queer visual, performance, and dance artist from New York City. She is an alumnus of LaGuardia High School and received her BFA in Visual Art from Carnegie Mellon University with supplemental education from Alvin Ailey Dance School. Mitsuko has shown visual and performance work at the Brooklyn Museum, Andy Warhol Museum, Miller Gallery, BRIC Arts Media Gallery, among others. In 2015, Mitsuko co-founded MICHIYAYA Dance, a queer and femme-centric contemporary dance company with partner Anya Clarke-Verdery. As the co-Artistic Director of MICHIYAYA, Mitsuko creates visual and contextual landscapes for the dance artists to engage with. michiyayadance.org
Rickia Davenport (she/her) is a native of Pittsburgh’s Hill District and South Hills. She has been shaping the lives of students through dance and fitness for over 12 years. Rickia has a background in Hip-Hop, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Fitness. Rickia attended Potomac State College in West Virginia where she performed in the musical “Chicago”. Currently, Rickia serves as the Arts Education director with K-Theatre Dance Complex and is a lead Dance Instructor for Propel Charter Schools. She has also cultivated dance partnerships with Voices against Violence, Gwen’s Girls, Dance Junction, Be Healthy Be Smart Fitness and more!
Tara Fay (she/her) is a mother, conceptual artist, curator, writer, and arts worker from Buffalo, NY. She currently lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA. Fay’s work consists of a multidisciplinary praxis that is an exploration of identity, motherhood, Black womanhood, and taking up space. Through her practice, she mines her own lived experiences for subject matter, with a goal to intertwine her life with her work. Fay’s work has been exhibited at Carnegie Museum of Art, SPACE Gallery, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, and here Gallery.
RaiNE (they/them) is a queer artist and aspiring curator who grew up in West Virginia. They are now based in Pittsburgh, PA. RaiNE received their art degree from PSU in Oregon. They are very drawn to art that depicts everyday life. The joys, the sorrows and everything in between. Some major themes include living in a fat brown body and our connections to the earth. RaiNE creates self portraits, sculptures, video art, and performance. Often mixing multiple mediums. They are very inspired by traveling, meeting people, seeing different landscapes, and engaging in storytelling.
Ys1 (he/him) Yusef Shelton Da First is a Homewood Bred Hip Hop Artist and family man who raps to ignite purpose. Yusef has performed at Pittsburgh venues including Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The New Hazlett Theater and more. Ys1 has released three consecutive mixtapes. His most recent album, Ignite, released as a live album and theatrical production in the New Hazlett 2023 Community Supported Art Performance Series.