Ayana Gordon is a self-taught Antiguan-Haitian photographer and multimedia artist based in Baltimore, MD. Working primarily with analog film and darkroom printing, she creates textured, immersive images that explore identity, heritage, and the spiritual connections between people and their environments.

Ayana’s practice celebrates Black identity, feminine strength, and the intimacy of place, memory, and legacy. Her images honor the relationships that shape us: between family and homeland, between ritual and daily life, between who we are and who we come from. By blending personal narrative with broader cultural histories, she creates space for reflection, connection, and a fuller telling of Caribbean and Haitian experience.

Cover art photo credit: Hassan Hunt

On this episode we feature Amanda Leigh Burnham, a visual artist based in Baltimore who makes drawings and large, site specific installations which are also drawings.

Amanda’s vivid, chaotic compositions incorporate a variety of materials, styles, and techniques which result in three-dimensional collages that leap off the walls. The effect is somewhere between a comic book and a stage set.

In 2025, Amanda was the recipient of the Sondheim Art Prize. This $30,000 juried prize is awarded each year through Create Baltimore - in partnership with The Walters Art Museum - to a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in the Baltimore region, targeting makers who are poised for a creative breakout.

A graduate of Harvard University (BA) and Yale University (MFA), Burnham is now a Professor of Art at Towson University.

On this episode we feature Adam Kaufman, the creator of Jewish Jerky Brand. After a move from Los Angeles to Baltimore and a few literal signs along the way, Adam has shifted his focus onto an unexpected project: snacks.

Made with Chutzpah, Jewish Jerky Brand has set out to create a new take on an age-old practice. Drawing on the spices, seasonings, and cuisines found in the places where Jews have settled throughout the world, Adam’s food challenges assumptions about what jerky can be.

Through passion and dedication, as well as support from Baltimore locals at his synagogue and other chefs he’s met along the way, Jewish Jerky Brand has arrived at places like the Baltimore Farmers’ Market. There, Adam is looking for more than just a point of sale. He’s interested in being in conversation and contributing to his community while providing an elevated product.