MAKE BANK

Katarina Poljak (they/them) is an award-winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary performance artist whose work has been shown at The Kimmel Center, Vox Populi Gallery, Icebox Project Space, and several international film festivals. Poljak received a BFA from The University of the Arts, and was awarded the Shannon D. Moore major film award for their thesis film in 2019. Their work often evokes a sense of surrealist suspense, indulges in contemporary culture’s collective obsession with the spectacle of gore, and connects audiences to the visceral nervous system of the grotesque. Poljak’s latest film Incredible Machine Glass Body was selected, screened, and won at several international film festivals in 2020.  They are currently a professor at The University of the Arts, School of Film and an Artist in Residence at Mascher Space Cooperative. In these positions they continue to curate interdisciplinary performative work involving sculpture, projection, and the body and are working to bring a new short film, Source Architecture to life. To support this project or view more of their portfolio visit www.rageboxx.net

Alex Derwick (he/him) draws for a living. He taught printmaking at the University at Buffalo, was the art director at the Montessori Academy of Colorado, and met the Barenaked Ladies a couple times. He is a founding member of the Bigfoot Press and freelances in the illustration/animation world. And his 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Storch, says he works well with others. To learn more about Alex visit ww.alexderwickstudios.com

Cesar E. Viveros-Herrera (he/him) is an artist born in Veracruz, Mexico. With more than 25 years of experience creating public art in the United States and Mexico, he has been collaborating with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program since 2000. His public work is inspired by the communities he has worked with, and Cesar visually interprets their particular ideology, primarily focusing on documentary work that helps him visually translate these individual stories to be exposed to a broader audience.

Juan Dimida (he/him) is the most extraordinarily gifted artist this side of the Schuylkill River. This ain’t your grandma’s watercolor class, it is samples from Juan Dimida’s street art.

Khoumbare Semega (she/her) is a student of life, fixated on art’s ability to teach, communicate, and transform. As an artist, she strives to explore various mediums, with a particular focus on photography, visual arts, textiles, and literature. Outside of art she is a thinker, often reflecting on herself and the world around her. Khoumbare is currently a Bloomberg Arts Internship - School Year (BAISY 23-24) high-school intern at Ministry of Awe.

Jeremy Hayes (he/him) is a student of passion. He is focused on art’s ability to be interpreted in many ways and always wants to find the “deeper meaning”. As an artist, he has been exploring different art mediums, focusing on music, instruments and music making. Outside of art, just like Khoumbare, he’s also a thinker - usually reflecting on his actions and how they can affect him and others, not willing to make any mistakes. Jeremy is currently a Bloomberg Arts Internship - School Year (BAISY 23-24) high-school intern at Ministry of Awe.