The Artists of Salon 9
Jessi Olarsch (she/her)
2024 Visual Artist-in-Residence
“Painter of purple people”
Jessi Olarsch is a figurative painter based in NYC. In her work, memory, image, and desire combine in a purple dreamscape that tells an unfolding story of queerness. Her paintings consider the shifting boundaries of public and private life, the raw tenderness of queer friendship, and the complicated joy of coming into your own.
Antonyio Artis (he/him)
2024 Performance Artist-in-Residence
“I create work that marries the nerd and the black experience within me!”
Antonyio Artis is an NYC based actor, singer, writer, and producer who graduated with his BFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. Since graduating, his work includes: “New Jack City: Live!” (National Tour), national ad work for “SiriusXM”, and, dearest to his heart, self-producing play to short film adaptations and his solo show (presenting at The Village)! At 16, he wrote and performed an original song on the “Hamilton” stage for the Broadway musical’s “Eduham” Program in 2016!
Tessa Bagby (she/they)
2024 Performance Artist-in-Residence
“Assembler of living collages”
Tessa Bagby is a Bay Area-born, Brooklyn-based director, dramaturg, and nurturer of original live performance. Proscenium-averse in practice, Tessa collaborates with candor, rigor, and care to develop and present new plays in community. Their work asks questions about the relationships between the spiritual and the corporal, desire, personal responsibility, environment, transformation, embodied queerness and unbalanced power.
Franco Giacomarra (he/him)
2023 Performance Artist-in-Residence
“Finding your place in between two worlds”
Franco Giacomarra is a New York City-based writer, composer, and performer who makes original works for the stage, page and screen. From an early age, Franco always knew that my path in life would be to cultivate my passion for music and writing in order to tell impactful original stories. Franco hails from the Philadelphia area, and maintains a borderline unhealthy preoccupation with all the requisite sports teams and cultural ephemera (Go Birds). He moved to New York to receive his B.A. from Fordham University Lincoln Center in Theatre and Music, and subsequently became radicalized about the importance of an asset-based approach to making one’s own work.
Franco’s obsession with collaboration has led to an eclectic body of original projects in media ranging from theater, to original music, short films, comics, and a touch of cultural criticism - all as either a writer, actor, composer, technician or some combination thereof. Franco identifies as a pop culture omnivore who draws from sources far and wide, often resulting in unique and idiosyncratic combinations of forms, genres, subject matter etc. He is most often drawn to writing about identity, and characters that feel ill-at-ease in different aspects of their being - whether it’s shapeshifting aliens acclimating to Earth, or a bicultural kid like him trying to roll his R’s just so.
Franco is currently an artist-in-residence with The Village, A Fenix 360 Artist to Watch, and a member of the Barrow Group and the Freeman Studio. His work has recently been presented with The Green Room 42, Alchemical Studios, The Latine Musical Theater Lab, The Crypt at Columbia, and more. Franco is proudly first generation Sicilian and Puerto Rican.!
Mayele Alognon (she/her)
“curious maker & avid procrastinator”
Mayele Alognon is a Beninese-born Togolese-American visual artist currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Mayele's work explores repetition, fragmentation, as well as the confusing and murky intersections of identity. She works primarily with graphite or gouache on toned surfaces such as cardboard, paper bags or raw canvas. In addition to making art, Mayele works as a teaching artist in schools all across New York City.
Annabel Hope (she/her)
“I am trying to catch the in-between feelings”
Annabel is a multidisciplinary artist from San Francisco based in Washington Heights. Her photography and paintings have been shown in Gallery Aferro's Tell Me More About Yourself (Self-Portraits and Other Autobiographical Endeavors) (2022), The Salon (2021), Wicked Cake (2022), and she has directed, edited, and filmed music videos for Mary Esther Carter (2022), Mermaid the G.O.D! (2022), and MC Pauze (2024). She curated Quarantitty, a pandemic-era zine, and self-published The Beach Is Calling My Name, an annual project focusing on the beaches of NYC. In 2020 she received the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights.
Maya Kitayama (she/her)
“Perhaps dance is the freedom we all seek”
Maya Kitayama is a dancer originally from the Bay Area and currently based in NYC. Credits include Beauty and the Beast (Drury Lane), Cole Porter's Can-Can (Porchlight Music Theater), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Scranton Shakes), and Holiday Inn (Mill Mountain Theatre). Maya is currently in the cast of Hypnotique; a new, late-night immersive show hosted by The McKittrick Hotel. She is also a member of Thistle Dance under the direction of Kristen Brooks Sandler. She earned a BFA in Dance & Political Science from Fordham University and is represented by LDC Artist Representation. She's excited to dive into work with her co-choreographer Andrew Kutryk, as they explore communication through the lens of dance, language, and vocabulary.
Andrew Kutryk (he/him)
"If they have something to say…People create."
Andrew Kutryk, a performer and choreographer from Ukraine, lives in New York City. He has been part of an ensemble that performed on the country’s finest opera stages, was part of a dance and acrobatic theater team in Europe, and worked in production on European cruise ships. Andrew is currently part of the cast of the "Hypnotique" immersive show at The McKittrick Theatre.
Murielle (she/her)
“lover of music and various artisanal hobbies”
From leading Destiny’s Child rehearsals on the playground to spearheading her own sound, Murielle (mu-ree-ELLE) has always interpreted music as a spiritual and bodily experience. The Belgium-born, Congolese-American singer, songwriter, producer and dancer grew up on the melodies and rhythms of Congolese Ndombolo, Rumba, Gospel and Opera, fused with early 2000s Hip-Hop, Pop and R&B. Paired with the smell of frying plantains, these contrasting soundscapes served as infinite inspiration. She mixes vocal production techniques of girl groups, ambient electronic elements and heart-beat like percussion to create her own world. Laced in her maman’s gold, fresh pressed tips and frosted lip gloss, it’s hard to believe that the multidisciplinary recording artist is just getting started. Through her sheer musical and creative expression, Murielle has garnered over a million likes on TikTok. Her music has also been featured on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Freeform’s “The Watchful Eye,” Genius, and a variety of editorial playlists across popular streaming platforms.
Mikaela Simon (she/her)
“f*ck it, oat milk.”
Mikaela Simon is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Working in the mediums of collage and playwriting primarily, Mikaela finds ways to be creative in all of her pursuits. She works as a teaching artist with 8th grade students in Paramus, NJ, spends time as an audio visual technician at Liberty Science Center, and sells her original artwork at shows and fairs all over the NJ/NY area. (Find her work at doodlealldayy.com.) She loves collaborating with other artists and could eat soup for every meal.
Jayquel Michael Williams (he/him)
“Hard work is worthless for those that don't believe in themselves.”
Jayquel is New York native with a keen eye for blending portraits with street photography, Jayquel creates captivating environmental photographs that tell stories of urban life. Fueling his creativity with matcha, Jayquel not only captures moments but also fosters a community of like-minded individuals through his Analog Nostalgia Club, where photographers, camera enthusiasts, and creatives alike come together to explore and celebrate their shared passion for photography.
Instagram (Personal) | Instagram (Creative Studio) | Website
Kayce Wilson (she/her)
"I want to turn inward to reveal everything"
Kayce Wilson is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and actor with a passion for movement based devised work. As an artist she is drawn to the poetic and the visceral. Her work explores themes and aesthetics of Black Feminism, Afrofuturism, Expressionism and Queerness. Born and raised in Washington DC she is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts with a BA in Theatre Performance from Fordham University. When not acting or creating she is a professional plant nerd and spends time caring for many plants around NYC.
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