The Manuel Zapata Olivella Center

Ama recently wrote about herself “… I love what I do. Each creation is a jewel to me. I create from life around me and whatever I could get my hands on. I create from happiness, clear observations and ancestral support. My style is me, passionate, unique and changes with the seasons. Like every living tradition, my art tells a story you choose to hear. So come inside the, swim around, talk story with each piece if you like. Art is about the experience, I hope you have a great one here!... OceanFire Creations is an online storefront here to offer you creations out of AmaBE Free Studios by me, Nana Ama Bentsi-Enchill. OceanFire supports new traditional art and crafts inspired by ancient wisdom, current media, and one humanity. I am and artist, self-taught and empowered by ancestors. My art explores multi-media, including acrylic paint, digital photography, poetry, collage and found objects. I am happy to create with my hands from my heart.” oceanfire.ecrater.com

Cheryl was born in Miami Beach, Florida. She began her studies in art during 1990 in New York City in a class at the Art Student League taught by the late, Ernest Crichlow. She has been living in Washington, DC for the past 13 years. Cheryl has exhibited in many shows in the Washington, DC area.  Cheryl has a studio in Takoma Park, District of Columbia. Cheryl is a member of the Strathmore Center for the Arts League; Capitol Hill Arts League, and a Board member of the A. Salon Studio, a non-profit art group. Her interest in art stems from her fascination of the human body as a whole. Her medium is oil, and egg tempera. After 15 years of painting nudes and portraits she has become fascinated with nature and how it relates to humanity. She says, "...the transfer of an image to canvas begins from the process of having the ability to capture the spirit of a person or object being observed.” “... the person's soul shines through the process of capturing the light and dark areas. Art allows me to travel into all realms of possibility. As I look at my life, I have found that I have always chosen ART..." Cheryl's studio is located at 6925 Willow Street, Takoma Park, Washington, DC. Please contact her for viewings and/or visit her website, www.yessy.com

Sisto was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1965. When he was just five years old he migrated with his family to the U.S., where he lived for seventeen years. At a very early age he began to study art and participated in numerous art contests and workshops. By the age of 18 he had achieved much recognition for his works to include the Scholastic Art Awards finalist with 2 gold keys, a painting at the Goddard Space Flight Center's collection, finalist at the Kennedy Center's Readers Digest Art Contest, ASTAG art awards. He also won scholarships from the Corcoran Art College, the Maryland College of Art and Design, the Baltimore Art College, the Pratt and many more. In 1987 he returned to Uruguay with a degree in Fine Arts from the Maryland College of Art and Design (now School of Art & Design at Montgomery College), including an Associates Degree in Fine Arts. In Uruguay he established his Art Studio and began teaching. From 1987 to date he has had his works exhibited in almost all of the main Uruguayan art galleries. During the last twenty years he has also made it possible for over 6,500 children, adolescents and adults to somehow be involved in his continuous art projects, thanks to the collaboration of many companies and his students. In his studio he has taught over 1,000 students, he has also worked hard in helping change the way art is taught in Uruguay through his conferences, where he has made many aware of the fact that art forms part of our day to day life. His studio is recognized as a formal art studio from the Ministry of Culture in Uruguay. There are very few studios in Uruguay that have this official registry. He has worked as an art consultant to many private firms and embassies including the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo. In 2007, as part of the celebrations for 20 years of exceptional work in Uruguay, he had five successful art exhibits. http://www.sistopascale.com/