Mindy Yanish, Creative Alliance Project founder, is committed to inclusiveness, community building and sharing love. Her life’s work is connecting people more deeply through myriad art forms in order to reawaken the creative, healing essence of the human spirit. As the owner of Offerings Gallery in Katonah NY from 1990 to 2020, she provided exposure and support to hundreds of artists. Her gallery is online at www.OfferingsGallery.com/
“Melanie Dyer is a creative improvising musician and composer living in New York City who breathes passion and a commitment to equity and inclusion into the soul of CAP. She studied viola and orchestral repertoire with William Lincer, Lee Yeingst, John Jake Kella and Naomi Fellows and at the University of Denver’s LaMont School of Music. Melanie has performed with Sun Ra Arkestra under Marshall Allen, Tomeka Reid, James Brandon Lewis in Dead Lecturers and Heroes Are Gang Leaders, She’s played and/or recorded with Henry Grimes, Donald Smith, Nona Hendryx, Joe Bonner, Reggie Workman, Howard Johnson, David Haney, and many other notable musicians in Europe, South Africa and the U.S. http://melanievioladyer.weebly.com/wefreestrings.html!
Floyd Rappy is a creative director, graphic designer, artist and teacher. Drawing and painting are his first loves, especially drawing from the live model where his intention is to express the innate beauty, and light that resides in each one of us. When painting, his desire is to simply “bring joy to the viewer and make some connection”. He sees himself as a “seeker”, always looking for ways to go deeper into his spiritual life. He has also run his own creative agency, Studio Rappy for over 30 years. His fine art website is www.floydrappystudio.com
Sallie Sillis is a teacher of gardening, theatre, yoga, and taekwondo and has spent many years running farm camps, theatre camps, martial arts camps, and sleep-away camps. After years in Montana, she arrived in Bedford Hills years ago and has been weaving a Northern Westchester creative Community ever since.
Rashida Lee is a civil rights activist and crisis intervention liaison. Her deep appreciation of art as a universal truth informs her work in the world . Her active role as advisor to the Creative Alliance Project is to broaden its social and cultural exploration through an artistic lens. Her essential perspective informs our understanding that providing an inclusive space for all artists is where the work of equity begins.
Deirdre Breen is a Katonah native devoted to the hamlet of her childhood. She joins the Creative Alliance Project with a focus on The Art of Consciousness. As a yogi and health coach, Deirdre’s work assists individuals in creating self-care practices that maximizes their effort and time and cultivates consciousness in body and soul. www.deirdrebreen.info
Kristin Rose Kelleher is a theatre artist, musician, traveler, and yogi. Her journey to a life in theatre began at age 4 when the kids at preschool refused to refer to her as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, which was clearly who she was (that day, at least). She inherited her dad’s love for music and her mom’s wanderlust and is beyond grateful to spend her life exploring the world while collaborating with incredible people and doing what she loves. For more visit KristinRoseKelleher.com.
Patti Ivry: I have always had a passion for the arts. Now in retirement after 38 years in academia, I am pursuing that passion as a painter and a writer. I am thrilled to be part of the Creative Alliance Project as I am able to connect with others who share my passion, and at the same time contribute to my community.
Allison Chernow is a long-time non-profit arts professional whose career has delved into a wide range of the arts, including music, books, and visual arts. A producer of live broadcasts at WNYC, New York Public Radio, audiobook editor for Simon & Schuster, Museum leader at the Katonah Museum of Art and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Particularly passionate about the intersection of art and social justice, she is currently the Board Co- Chair of Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), which helps incarcerated people develop life skills through the arts.
Michele Miller is a writer of plays, fiction and poetry who makes a living as a fundraising consultant and grant writer for non-profit clients. Her plays have been seen on stages and in festivals throughout the New York metro area and most recently presented by theatrical institutions across the country on Zoom. She enjoys producing site-specific works with varied casts of both children and adults. She is delighted to write and participate in local theatre as co-founder of Open Arms Theatre with Carolyn Nielson.
Michael James Gullusci is the program creator for One Drum Movement; dedicated to bringing forth a culture that celebrates creative expression and the cultivation of unique artistry and individual transformation. One Drum Movement’s commitment to individual artistry and personal and collective empowerment is aligned with that of CAP’s mission website www.onedrummovement.com
Inness Hancock has painted in over 28 World Heritage UNESCO sites, as well as many National parks. Her work exemplifies her commitment to conservation of historic and natural landmarks as well as natural resources and wildlife. She founded Children’s Prayers for the People, a non-denominational international arts-based project involving children from the ages of 4-16 to share their art among international communities of varying faiths, languages, and lifestyles.
Desiree Sanchez is the Executive Artistic Director of Aquila Theatre in NYC. She brings an essential vision to the community through her work with veterans, refugees, immigrant and marginalized teens to utilize the arts in targeted ways to facilitate community healing and integration. www.aquilatheatre.com
Trent Dawson is an actor, playwright and director who has performed on Broadway, Off Broadway and in Regional Theaters across the country. His passion for classic plays inspired him to found Katonah Classic Stage, a non profit, professional theatre in Katonah, NY. Additionally, he has appeared in film as well as in nearly 600 hours of television, where he received three Emmy Nominations. www.katonahclassicstage.co