Our Team
Credit: Jill Fannon
Deyane Moses, Director
Deyane Moses (she/her) is a veteran, artist, activist, educator, and archivist based in Baltimore, Maryland. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art (BFA Photography ‘19 and MFA Curatorial Practice ‘21).
Her work and research interests include photography, Black History, community archives, and design. In 2019, she made history by exposing the racist history of her alama mater MICA. Her archive, exhibition, and demonstration caused the president to issue a letter of apology for their racist past. It has also galvanized art institutions across the nation to confront their pasts.
Deyane is currently the Public Access Archivist for AFRO Charities Inc. She also founded Blackives, LLC in 2020 to provide Black communities with research, archival expertise, and design services. When in session, Deyane also teaches Exhibition Development Seminar and graduate elective Archival Activism at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
In 2021, Deyane was chosen as the Community Archives Fellow for Johns Hopkins University Billie Holiday for Liberation Arts. And has held positions at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Aperture Foundation in NYC, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Walters Art Museum, and the University of Baltimore Special Collections. She is frequently requested to speak at universities, conferences, organization meetings, and individuals across the state about not only best practices for preserving Black History but mobilizing communities around the acknowledgment and celebration of our accomplishments.
Deyane is an active member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and served on the governing board of Baltimore Speaks–an ADHOC Oral History Collaborative. She is also a member of Mid-Atlantic Region Archives Conference (MARAC), Association of African American Museums (AAAM), the Association of Museum Curators, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and other Baltimore History and Culture Collaboratives.
Natovian McLeod, Project Manager
Natovian McLeod has been an elementary art teacher, curriculum writer, and K-12 Social Emotional Learning curriculum writer. She was awarded Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) Novice Art Teacher of the Year, nominated for BCPS Teacher of the Year, and in 2022 she was awarded MAEA's Maryland Elementary Art Teacher of the Year. She has facilitated district and state level professional development focused on culturally responsive practices, anti-racist teaching and student engagement. Her passion for contemporary art led her to be a panelist moderated by Davis Publications and Art 21's discussion on how to use contemporary art in the elementary classroom and inspire students to become change advocates.
Natovian has been the program coordinator for MICA's Art and Design College Accelerator Program (ADCAP) and MICAs Pre- College Art and Design Residency Program. She is currently the Director of Youth Programs and Community Education at MICA. Committed to arts education, she hopes to promote more access and educational opportunities to youth and adults in Baltimore City.
Imani Haynes, Design
Imani Y. Haynes is a Curator, Exhibit Designer, Historian, and Arts Administrator. In 2014 she graduated from the illustrious Savannah State University with a B.A in History; she graduated in May 2020 from The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), earning her M.F.A in Curatorial Practice with a concentration in Critical Studies.
During her time between degrees, Imani has worked for many museums and cultural institutions throughout Maryland. She was Curator and Museum Educator for The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum and Historian and Grant Administrator for The Baltimore National Heritage Area. She has also worked as Assistant Curator at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art and was the Museum and History program assistant for the Prince George's County National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.
While working towards her M.F.A at MICA, Imani was the 2018-2019 GBCA UAL Fellow, 2019 MICA Grad Show Curatorial Fellow, and 2020 Leslie King-Hammond Graduate Fellow. While a fellow, Imani worked at the Walters Art Museum as the Education Curatorial Fellow developing interactive exhibits in their 4 West education room. Imani's M.F.A thesis has since become the Black Woman's Museum, a double-door 40 ft shipping container dedicated to the life, legacy, and achievements of Black Women. Post graduate degree Imani worked as the Education Program Manager for the Josiah Henson Museum and Park in North Bethesda, MD. She now serves as Curator for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore, MD. Imani's mission is to curate and interpret the experience of those who often are silenced or ignored by society.
Kumari Adams, Writer
Kumari Adams is a Baltimore-based mother and writer who grew up in Brooklyn, NY.
She graduated from Spelman College with a B.A. in English. Her work has been published in local journals such as the Free State Review. She recently enrolled in the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop to develop a novel set in a slightly mad and slightly magical Baltimore City.
She lives in Old Goucher with her dog and two cats.
Beverly Carter, Advisor
Beverly B. Carter, Esq is a retired Maryland attorney. She served as an administrator in various agencies within the state’s criminal justice system, most recently as Court Administrator for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. She is a past or current member of the board of directors for numerous civic, professional, philanthropic, and governmental associations including Monumental City Bar Foundation, Afro American Newspapers, Afro Charities and the Baltimore City Planning Commission. She was selected as a member of Maryland’s Top 100 Women and is a graduate of The Leadership Baltimore program.
Mrs. Carter has a passionate interest in African American art, history, and culture. She owned and operated Objets D’Art, an art gallery that showcased the work of local and national African American artists. She served on the board of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and various committees of Baltimore’s established arts institutions. Her current projects include serving as Historian for the Dubois Circle, an African American women’s group in Baltimore, which has been meeting continuously since it was organized in 1906 to support the activities of W. E. B. Dubois’ Niagara Movement. She also serves on the board of the Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project, Inc whose mission is to uncover the forgotten past of the thousands of African Americans who remain buried under a shopping center on Belair Road in Baltimore.