OM Mission

Zahra Baker (she/her) is a performance artist recognized for her work as a folk and improv vocalist, dramatic actor and an engaging storyteller. She has performed at storytelling festivals, schools, museums, conferences and special events across the country. Zahra is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers(NABS), the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a 3Arts Make a Wave recipient, and an active participant in the national cohort, Creating Freedom Movements.

Shanta Nurullah (she/they) makes music primarily on sitar, bass, and mbira, and works as a storyteller and teaching artist. She co-founded two all-women’s groups, Sojourner and Samana, and currently leads the ensemble, Sitarsys. A 3Arts awardee, Shanta received a Lifetime Achievement Award from M3/Mutual Mentorship for Musicians and the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers, as well as the Illinois Arts Council's Artist Fellowship. She has performed and recorded with Nicole Mitchell, Dee Alexander, Junius Paul, Ganavya and others.

Kezia Waters (Director, he/they) is an anti-discipline artist whose work is deeply rooted in storytelling. Their practice leans heavily into sonic performance, guided by the principles of deep listening, where body and emotional intelligence hold central importance. Through their process, they engage with the immediacy of the moment, manipulating elements by repeating, elongating, reducing, and expanding them in ways that reflect intuitive response and Jazz sensibilities. Kezia’s upbringing under a Black Liberation Theology informs their artistic exploration, even as queerness reframes and reimagines those traditions. They received their MFA in Acting from Ohio University and an MFA in Studio Art from School of The Art Institute of Chicago. They have also served as an Adjunct Professor for Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. They have performed in the Biennale d’art Performative de Rouyn-Noranda of Canada, Dazibao Gallery in Montreal and Recto- Verso in Quebec City and numerous galleries around Chicago. Kezia was a 2023 In-Session Fellow at ThreeWalls, studying the Performance and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston.