About the Moderator

Dalisha Phillips is an Artist, Art Therapist, and Abolitionist who finds her freedom in creating, healing through art, and investing in the mental health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities of color. She brings her art based therapeutic work to collective spaces through counseling services for youth, educators, community, and offerings of personal/professional development on social and emotional learning and restorative practices. Her private Art Therapy practice, Love Light Energy Art Therapy, can be found in Georgetown, Seattle.

About the Panelists

Iván-Daniel Espinosa is a Latino choreographer of Live performance based in the Olympic Peninsula. His recent multimedia dance installations exploring mycelium fungi networks, bio-sonification and mycelial bioacoustics are at the forefront of INTERSPECIES PERFORMANCE. Iván-Daniel has presented his ecology-themed artwork nationwide at venues such as the world-renowned La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York City, the Seattle International Butoh Festival, Seattle ARTS IN NATURE Festival, CASCADIA NW Arts & Music Festival and numerous academic forums including the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center’s BUTOH NEXT symposium, Performática International Forum of Contemporary Dance and Movement Arts at the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico, Goddard College M.F.A in Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program, York (Toronto) University’s Imagining Differently: Research-Creation Practices in Urgent Times conference, and the 2021 International Federation for Theatre Research conference hosted by the National University of Ireland Galway. Iván-Daniel’s choreographic approaches to performance are highly influenced and inspired by his intensive studies of Japanese Butoh. Iván-Daniel has studied and trained with veteran Butoh artists Hiroko & Koichi Tamano, Natsu Nakajima, Keiji “Semimaru” Morita and Dai Matsuoka of the world-renowned Butoh dance troupe SANKAI JUKU, Eiko Otake of Eiko & Koma, Diego Piñón, Seattle Butoh pioneer Joan Laage and Sheri Brown. He frequently collaborates with avant-garde musicians and electroacoustic sound artists, as well as with mycologists and art-makers of various mediums, to create sensorially immersive environments. Iván-Daniel holds a Master of Arts degree in Performance Studies from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (NYU).

Devonte Pearson is a multi-talented Hip-Hop artist and Audio Engineer who dons the moniker of T.S The Solution. T.S The Solution is a very different and uniquely wired musician who isn’t afraid to break the rules and push the boundaries of our perception with his deeply layered and well-crafted production. Born in Long Beach, California, and raised in Kent, Washington, his drive and tenacity will lead him to become an unstoppable force in the independent music circuit. T.S The Solution is making music that is driven by a desire to motivate, inspire, and tell his story his way.

Music is the vehicle by which he expresses himself. He writes rap lyrics that draw from his experiences and by using his musical acumen he articulates stories and shared perspectives that will connect with audiences across the spectrum. T.S The Solution combines various unique and experimental sounds with his intricate wordplay and often dabbles in various contrasting flows resulting invHip-Hop centered fusions that are still firmly stitched together by emotive undertones. T.S The Solution cites icons such as Nipsey Hussle, J. Cole, and Russ as the pivotal influences in his music. He also draws inspiration from his family namely his older sister, cousins, wife and twin children. This all culminates in T.S The Solution producing an enjoyable, and easygoing musical experience that is authentic and grounded in reality. His overarching ambition is to empower people through his gift and to inspire artists who are facing adversities as parents to take a risk to find success.

Ben Yisrael is a visual artist, performance poet, and storyteller. The Individual World Poetry Slam 17th ranked poet in 2012, and the National Poetry Slam Haiku Champion in 2014. He is the co-founder of Mic Check, one of the longest-running poetry readings in Texas, and is a founder and curator at Alchemy Poetry Series in Seattle, WA. He released his debut poetry collection “A Gorgeous New Language” in August of 2020.

His short film 84DD debuted at the Bloom FR exhibition at Common Area Maintenance in Seattle, WA in 2022. His visual art focuses on indigenous identity, power, and spiritual symbolism. His solo visual art exhibition “salon of the indigenous gods” debuted at City of Light Gallery on June 23rd, 2022. His art was showcased in the XO Seattle Exhibition during Seattle Art week. He has several literary and visual art projects in progress.

About Artist Trust
Artist Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and encourage artists working in all disciplines to enrich community life throughout Washington State. Since its founding in 1986, Artist Trust has invested over $15 million in individual artists through grant programs and provides a comprehensive suite of professional development training and resources to help artists achieve their career goals. Learn more at artisttrust.org.