Atlás Josue Alvarado Estrada, a Guatemalan-born visual-audio artist based in Providence, uses their art to empower marginalized communities. Co-founder of QTBIPOC-centered spaces like Planeta and Que Dulce, they create revolutionary, safe gatherings through art and performance. Atlás shares knowledge with youth through programs like City Arts and AS220. A firm believer of mutual aid, they envision a future rooted in decolonization, collective power, and cultural transformation.

On their spring 2026 assembly tour, Atlás will share the history of DJing as a pillar of hip-hop culture, the Afro-Latine history behind the art form and their own musical selections, and why and how they became a DJ as a career path. Students will be engaged with a music demonstration to get them up and dancing and will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Silvermoon Mars LaRose (she/her) is a citizen of the Narragansett Tribal Nation and the Assistant Director of the Tomaquag Museum. She has worked in tribal communities for over 20 years, serving in the areas of health and human services, education, and humanities. As a public servant, Silvermoon serves on the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, and is the secretary for the Charlestown Conservation Commission. Additionally, she is the vice chair for the Avenue Concept supporting local public art ecosystems, and a board member of the Rhode Island Foundation. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a minor in Justice Law and Society from the University of Rhode Island, and continued her studies at Western Washington University in Rehabilitation Counseling. As an artist and educator, she hopes to foster Indigenous empowerment through education, community building, and the sharing of cultural knowledge and traditional arts.

As a returning FirstWorks artist educator this school year, Silvermoon will be conducting an interactive storytelling session for Narragansett Pre-K and Kindergarten students during Read Across America Week.

Founded in 2000, Grupo Ondas is the only dedicated Capoeira group in Rhode Island. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art with deep roots in the history of enslaved African people in Brazil. It emerged as a complex cultural practice that combined fighting techniques, cultural customs, dances, rituals, and resistance against oppression. Today, Capoeira embodies the spirit of rebellion, cultural remembrance, tradition, resilience, freedom, and community. Grupo Ondas have performed at many well-known cultural events, including WaterFire and FirstWorks Summer Beats, sharing the rich, cultural traditions of capoeira with our community.

We welcome Grupo Ondas to Narragansett Pier Middle School to lead Maculelê workshops for the 7th and 8th graders this March!

Mishki Thompson (she/her) is the artist behind Red Fern’s BOWtique and a member of the Narragansett Tribe. With her creative and youthful flair, she merges the contemporary with the traditional, specializing in hair bows, beaded earrings, and ornaments. She also loom-beads and cross stitches accessories, sews leather regalia and ribbon skirts, and makes moccasins. A wife and mother of three, she developed her art practice into a small business in order to contribute to her family despite her disability. She enjoys making bows and headbands for children to inspire them to feel confident and beautiful. She is constantly learning new techniques to enhance her work and style, taking extra care to make things beautiful and durable. Mishki is proud to teach beadwork and her other practices to her family members and the broader community.

You can find Mishki’s work at the Tomaquag Museum gift shop and on Facebook at Red Ferns BOWtique.

Carlin Ash (she/her) is a hand-sewing specialist and professional mender from the Philadelphia area. She earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021, where she studied illustration with a concentration in fiber arts. Over the past four years, Carlin has apprenticed and worked as a tailor in Northern Michigan and Rhode Island. Her practice now centers on clothing repair and visible mending as a way to combat textile waste and extend the life of garments that might otherwise end up in landfills. In addition to her studio practice, Carlin teaches sewing and mending skills to a wide range of age groups, intending to make stitching accessible to all and empowering others to care for and maintain their clothing. Her work advocates for longevity, sustainability, and a more intentional relationship with clothing and labor.

Carlin will be leading an after school workshop series for 8th graders, hosted by Shea Fashion at Hope Artiste Village this May. Stay tuned for registration details!