ARTIST MwazaCarol & Miiyaya Adero
TITLE Untitled
LOCATION Bustani Ya Upenda (“Garden of Love” Shed) – 5059 Vernon Ave.
WARD 10
FOLLOW @mwazacarol & @miiyayatheartist
MURAL LOCATION
ABOUT MWAZACAROL & MIIYAYA ADERO
MwazaCarol
I am a painter, ceramics and metal worker, photographer and community art instructor with a BFA in Art. My interest in traditional African art and culturally thematic art was fostered through my education at Fisk University. I have been working in the arts community for over 30 years through African/Caribbean drum and dance, vocal music, visual arts and culinary arts.
I have participated in several group exhibitions and my solo exhibitions at UrbArts Gallery in St. Louis, include: Journey of the African Spirit, Visual Sound, My Life In The Sunshine, and Woven Spirits. I have designed and I teach a healing art curricula, am a Community Arts Training Alum, an Urban Bush Women SLI Fellow, and a master gardener. I also teach art to elders several times a week, to youth in community programs and several afterschool programs. These classes help to foster connectivity and well being for the elders and the healing arts program helps to foster well being for our youth participants.. I also do activities for groups such as birthday Face painting, event booths for selling items and paint and sip classes for community events.
Miiyaya Adero
[The artist] was born in Saint Louis, MO but raised in a village. She believes that it takes a village to raise a child. She is a creative designer, dancer, choreographer, visual artist and mentor. With her first love being dance her, at the age of 3 she danced professionally with a company call Fundisha Enterprises (African Dance) with Mama Lisa Gage. Later she found the love for Hip Hop dance and joining a dance group called Matiff Dance and Entertainment company. Which she became the youngest choreographer in the group.
2010, [the artist] attended Tennessee State University. During her time in Nashville, TN she created a dance group called 3D “Divine Diverse Dance”. While still dancing she started to develop a passion for mentoring. Once she moved back to St. Louis she began working at Wohl Community Center where she started a girls mentoring program called “G.E.M Girl’s Empowerment and Mentoring Program While running G.E.M she began to coach dance and cheerleading. In 2016 she started working on her brand “Invision Your Empire”. After many inquiries from her family and friends to customize their clothing. She began her Clothing line I.Y.E Wear. A Clothing line that focused on hand painted clothing. Ayanna was introduced to art by her mother at a very young age. She began to start her canvas work being inspired by her mother and close family friend Dayo Johnson. Both artists that have given humans strength, love and Joy through their Art. That motivates her to want to continue their legacy beyond. As she developed her love for art she realized that Black Culture inspires her to be more persistent and intuitive. While still dancing her Brand Invision Your Empire is a brand created to build a platform that brings insight to black people of all ages, empower others to follow their dreams, and give other artists the opportunity to expand rather than suppress their abilities.