My name is Robert Rawluk, or, as I’m known to many young and elder people, Bob the Beekeeper.I have worn many hats in my life. A laborer, a plumber, an artist, an art teacher, a florist, a furniture store owner, a cabinetmaker, an engineering teacher, and finally, a...
My name is Apoorva Sonavani. I was born in central India. I am a watercolor artist, a percussion enthusiast, and a Kathak dancer. Kathak is a classical dance form from India. In my childhood, my parents enrolled me in a dance and music class for creating a treasure to...
I was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. At a young age, my parents were my inspiration. My father is an artist and a musician. He loves to sing, play the piano, and paint things that remind him of Puerto Rico. My mother is also a talented musician who likes to sing music...
Born in Armenia, I spent my childhood in the historical Armenian highlands of Artsakh where my grandparents indulged me in various traditional arts and crafts. A master of needlework, my grandma fashioned ornate and beautiful linens embroidered with traditional...
Jianling (Ling) Yue teaches Chinese language and culture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Her teaching and academic pursuits have earned her numerous awards and commendations. Jianling is also an expert in Chinese paper-cutting (or paper-cut)...
Tai Chi philosophy, one of the pillars of Chinese culture, is intricately connected to the theories of the five elements and Yin and Yang. These principles permeate various aspects of Chinese culture, including medicine, martial arts, and traditional painting. With...
Tonia Loran-Galban (Mohawk, Bear Clan) resides in Farmington, New York and is a Haudenosaunee Culture Bearer.  She is a native traditional basket maker who has worked at Ganondagan State Historic Site (site of a 17thcentury Seneca Town) in Victor, NY as a Senior...
Sara Milonovich is an award-winning songwriter and fiddler from the Mohawk Valley who performs nationally and internationally with her alt-country band, Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter. A 2023 winner of the Bluebird Golden Pick Contest (Bluebird Cafe/Taylor...
Meet Ahmad Shah Wali Flying a kite is one of the most exhilarating experiences a child or an adult can have. A sense of pride, joy, and accomplishment washes over them as their eyes watch this object that they built fly into the sky. Flying kites helps family...
Hayden Haynes is an antler carving artist working deeply in cultural arts revitalization and teaching. Born in Claremore, OK, Hayden grew up on the Seneca-Cattaraugus Territory in Western New York. It is from here where he draws inspiration related to land, history,...
Vicie A. Rolling of "Framing the Past", is a storyteller and oral historian who concentrates on telling the stories of African American life in the twentieth century. She says, "With historical research, I craft dialogue and narratives of their lives. I sometimes...
Step dance, also known as stepping, is a style of percussive dance where a dancer uses their entire body as an instrument to make rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken words,and hand claps. Traditionally stepping was rooted and developed after the...
Pamela Badila is a folkteller artist and co-founder, along with her late husband Elombe Badila, of the Diata Diata International Folkloric Theatre. Pamela Badila is a visual and performing artist with a background in education. As part of of Diata Diata...
Maxwell Kofi Donkor is an internationally recognized artist and master cultural educator who is most known for his performances and teaching of African Drumming and Dance, through the Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble. For many decades, he has focused on...
Lalita Ramnauth was born and raised in Guyana where, at a young age, she and her family discovered her natural talent for singing. Having moved to the United States from Guyana in 1992, she eventually relocated to Schenectady.  Lalita possesses a large repertoire of...