De Nichols is a multi-hyphenate changemaker, a force for good and an ever-buzzing idea catalyst. She is an arts-based organizer, social impact designer, self-described serial entrepreneur, and keynote lecturer. Her impressive list of accomplishments and accolades is proof that she puts in the work, approaches it authentically, and delivers on an ever-growing vision to improve communities and systems…
“The National Youth Art Movement Against Gun Violence (NYAM) is the first non-profit project in Chicago and in the U.S. to use a combination of art activism, commercial billboards, and Augmented Reality technology for large-scale, youth-led campaigns for social good. Our art is mobile and interactive. Each piece is developed by youth between the ages…
Mata means “Mother” in Hindi and is a tribute to Shakti, the female creative power in all of us. That is exactly the power I felt when I first laid eyes on a pair of Mata Traders earrings many years ago. With an existing penchant for bold jewelry, particularly with an international flair, I was…
I remember seeing Sam Kirk‘s work shortly after I’d moved to Chicago in the winter of 2010 and it was unlike anything I’d seen before – the line work, the colors, the aesthetic – it was incredibly bold and original, and I wanted to know more. I’d been keeping up with new works from Sam…
What does ‘being aware of and responding to one’s surroundings’ mean to you, and how does it relate to what you do? Leigh Vogel: I have read and listened to powerful interviews about instinct and how certain cultures outside of the U.S. utilize instinct as a seventh sense, while here in the U.S., we are…
