Kyemah McEntyre is a 21-year-old mixed artist, fashion designer, and fine artist from East Orange, New Jersey, who is most well known for going viral on social media when she made and wore an African print prom dress she designed in 2015. She reflects on that experience and talks about how her art focuses on black empowerment and representation, and what it was like to have her designs worn by ex-3LW member Naturi Naughton, Tyra Banks and most recently, Janet Jackson.
Created, hosted and produced by WBGO media-fellows Stephanie Avila and Mariah Matthews, the art & isms podcast features artists who use their craft to challenge the 'isms' in the world. "Isms," in this context, refers to the multitudes of oppression that exist to dehumanize and remove people of their agency. At the center of the podcast is this core belief: musicians, poets, fashion designers, and fine artists have the power to combat these 'isms' and promote social change through their art forms.
Stephanie and Mariah interview what they call artivists to understand what makes them tick, why they commit their lives to social change through artistic expression and what they believe are the most important issues right now.