artist in residence
2025 – 2026
A program that recognizes the vital role of artists in advancing social justice and sustaining democracy in Boston.
The Embrace Artist in Residence Program uplifts artists from diverse disciplines in the creation of their work. In our ongoing commitment to support a broad range of creatives working across various media, the residency offers both emerging and established artists the opportunity to explore new projects and ideas.
Launched in 2021, the program hosts one cohort per year, connecting artists to Embrace’s network, providing full access to our staff, and creating opportunities to engage with our growing community.
Meet this year’s cohort.
DJ MEZ.WAV
Originating from Dorchester, DJ Mez.wav has emerged as a compelling presence in Boston’s music landscape. Known for his discerning ear and dynamic versatility, he’s become a trusted name across the city’s premier clubs, lounges, and among its most promising emerging artists.
As the creator and resident DJ of ‘VIBRATION’—a bi-monthly open-format dance experience—and resident DJ and one of the driving forces behind ‘Slow Gemz’, an intimate fusion of hip-hop and R&B, Mez.Wav curates soundscapes that balance nostalgia, innovation, and raw energy. His deep-rooted passion for the craft continues to shape unforgettable sonic experiences throughout the city.
IG: @mez.wav
Marlene Marmolejos AKA Motion Mami
Marlene Marmolejos is a Dominican-American motion designer, director, and co-founder of Motion Mami, a creative studio she established with her partner, Frandiego Veloz. Their studio specializes in motion design and direction, aiming to empower women of color both on and off the screen.
Marlene holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mixed Media and Graphic Design from Emmanuel College. Her work often celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture and explores themes of identity and belonging through animation and motion graphics. She has collaborated with prominent clients such as Google, BET, and Roc Nation, and has worked with artists including Alicia Keys, and Young Thug. Beyond her design work, Marlene is active in community-building initiatives.
IG: @motionmami
Marcia Kimm Jackson - curator and narrative builder
Marcia is a founder and creator of the Living Histories of Color Exhibit, an artistically inspired, pictorial, and narrative-based installation. She strongly believes in preserving history and identity through living, positive, truth-based participatory dialogue. She is a Boston-based professional whose work as an executive coach, racial equity advocate, leadership and community development practitioner, and visionary curator bridges community storytelling and visionary curation. With over 30 years of experience in HR, adult education, and nonprofit leadership, she has built a legacy of supporting and shaping communities through narrative and collective action. A doctoral candidate in Leadership Psychology, Marcia holds certifications in emotional intelligence coaching, appreciative inquiry, and nonprofit leadership.
As founder of the West Fairmount Hill Community Group and president of Together Hyde Park, which includes the Forum for Racial Equity via Educational Experiences (FREEE), Marcia creates spaces where belonging, advocacy, and imagination meet. Her work—spanning the Juneteenth Joy Celebration, the Healthy and Well Hyde Park Initiative, The Dignity Collaborative/The REJ Book Club, to community leadership forums—amplifies untold stories of dignity, creativity, and resilience.
In 2023 she launched the Living Histories of Color (LHOC) Exhibit, a groundbreaking work that celebrates the achievements and cultural legacies of Black and Brown residents, reframing how Boston’s communities of color are seen and remembered.
As she reflects on her curatorial vision, Marcia affirms:
“The Living Histories of Color Exhibit is more than an installation—it is a declaration. Our communities are places of dignity, resilience, and creativity… Boston’s legacy is alive in the stories and leadership of today’s communities of Color.”
Soul Solid Visuals - Lois Missowou
Soul Solid Visuals specializes in creating high end, scroll stopping Video & Photography for Headshots, Portraits, and Events, for Corporate Professionals, Businesses, Organizations, Entrepreneurs, Actors and Influencers. We do MORE than just create the content, we work with you to understand your goals and vision and determine the best way to achieve the best final product.
Videographer Lois Missowou and photographer David Hill have lead the Soul Solid Team and have been working with Embrace since the unveiling of The Embrace (2023). They’ve worked with us over the years to transform how they capture our activations in order to tell stories not just of an isolated, singular event, but of legacy, belonging and inclusion.
IG: soulsolidvisuals
Zakiyyah Sutton
Zakiyyah is an artist-changemaker who utilizes music and visual media to explore themes that centralize marginalized communities via her production company, Black and Bold Productions.
As an actress and classically-trained singer who is well-versed in Opera, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and R&B, she employs her extremely versatile skill-set to reach a broad range of audiences and craft a sound that is uniquely her own–including her most well-known, “Hip-Hopera”. She’s had the pleasure of bringing these sounds to numerous audiences from the House of Blues to the United Nations. In addition to her artistic practice, Zakiyyah has served as an educator, teaching voice through the Hamilton Garrett Music and Arts Academy and Harvard’s Holden Voice Program. She also served as the Season Partner for Boston Children’s Chorus’ 22-23 fiscal year and provides workshops on Creative Disruption at various schools throughout New England. Her Tedx Talk, “Being Good Is a Privilege” highlights the repercussions of overlooking class in our quest for social change. Now her album, African Import, provides a window into both the beauty and complexity of the black diaspora, and the significance of its consumption by mainstream society.
Website: www.zakiyyahofficial.com
White Snake ProjectS - Cerise Jacobs
White Snake Projects is an activist performance company founded and led by Cerise Jacobs, an immigrant woman of color. Committed to integrating social activism with original music theater, the company partners with other activists to cross-promote important social issues, redefining how music theater is made.
We envision a world where the power of music theater expands our collective understanding of community and transforms lives through creative storytelling. Our stories span multiple platforms using 21st-century digital technologies, including an audio plugin—Tutti Remote—whose development we fostered, that enables live synchronous performance from remote locations. The Company has produced groundbreaking works such as the Ouroboros Trilogy, a trio of grand operas including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Madame White Snake; and the Pandemic Trilogy, a series of live virtual performance. Alice in the Pandemic, the first in this series, was acquired by the Library of Congress for its artistic originality. We use music theater not just as performance, but as performance with purpose, a vibrant and vital art form that is also a champion of change.
Website: www.whitesnakeprojects.org