Artists

Artists are at the core of our work at Hi-ARTS. What unites this diverse group is that they share similar aesthetics and ideas about the transformative power of art and the importance of community. Our goal is to continuously nurture this spirit at Hi-ARTS. From a creative and artistic perspective, our artists have made Hi-ARTS the organization that it is. Below is a sample list of artists we have recently worked with. Tap an artist's name to learn more about what they do, and hit the archive further down for a look at who else the organization has been involved with over the years.

2025, SKY LAB MJ Martinez 2025, SKY LAB MJ Martinez

Yang Sun & Poets

SKY LAB Artist Yang Sun (she/her) is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, and director, working in the intersection of movement, color, and poetry. Her strong bond with movements started with improvisation practices in the field, cafeteria, corridor, riverbank, and other non-traditional spaces.

Sitting at the intersection of dance and installation, The Stranger spans generations of immigrants and resident aliens in the United States. Capturing their stories and those of the lead artist, the work employs the use of dozens of common polyester woven storage bags as a metaphor for the immigrant experience. Alongside her company collaborators, she will engage with five non-dance immigrant community members to join her in the development and presentation of the work.

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SKY LAB, 2024 MJ Martinez SKY LAB, 2024 MJ Martinez

Najee Omar

Najee Omar (he/him) is an award-winning writer, performance artist, and organizer whose multi-disciplinary practice is rooted in cultivating spaces of healing and community building. Named a New York Times Visionary, Najee’s work invokes themes of home and love, specifically at the intersections of blackness and queerness.

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SKY LAB, 2024 MJ Martinez SKY LAB, 2024 MJ Martinez

Jourdan Ash

Jourdan Ash (she/her) is a New York creative who works via her online platform True To Us, to center Black and Brown womxn as the foundation of the streetwear and sneaker industry. Jourdan uses her creative practice to bridge the gap between consumers and brands while opening the doors for those seeking a variety of opportunities within the streetwear and sneaker industry.

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SKY LAB, 2023 MJ Martinez SKY LAB, 2023 MJ Martinez

Claudia Luna Fuentes & Pepx Romero

Claudia Luna Fuentes and Pepx Romero join Hi-ARTS in a first of its kind engagement as resident artists of theurbanX.org, an international Artist Residency Program, currently being supported through our SKY LAB Residency program. Think of it as a residency within a residency!

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SKY LAB, 2023 MJ Martinez SKY LAB, 2023 MJ Martinez

theurbanX.org

theurbanX.org is an international arts residency program that connects Black and Brown creatives across the diaspora through the lens of urban culture. theubanX harnesses the power of urban culture and the arts to build bridges across borders, share knowledge and resources in community, and empower creators of the global majority.

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2023, SKY LAB MJ Martinez 2023, SKY LAB MJ Martinez

Sadah Espii Proctor & Nicholas "Gio" Giovino

Sadah Espii Proctor (she/her/Espii) is an award-winning multimedia director and composer/sound artist working in theatre, dance, opera, installations, and extended reality. Her work centers around themes of memory and diaspora, social issues, and presence within physical/digital/virtual spaces

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