Desi Shelton
Using theatre to educate and uplift urban students
Desi founded Camden Rep—a theater arts and music program—to highlight urban female voices and attract new theatergoers to the community. A playwright, actress, and director, Desi’s mission is to empower and level up Camden students for bright futures through the arts and through the organization’s PACE program (Preparing Artists for College Entrance) that offers college and career support to young artists.
Kristy Whilden
Putting the Deaf Community in the Theater Spotlight
A long-time music educator, Kristy lost her hearing due to a progressive condition. She pulled herself out of a severe depression to pivot professionally and personally, and earned a degree in Deaf Studies/American Sign Language alongside her daughter, Hailey. She and Hailey co-founded Hands Up to encourage the d/Deaf and Hard Of Hearing communities to learn about the performing arts and encourage the hearing community to learn ASL and interact with d/Deaf and HOH peers. All actors and participants are taught American Sign Language and performances are performed 100% in ASL.
Samir Nichols
Raising social awareness through theater
Samir was only 14 when he founded this Camden-based organization, which provides an artistic outlet for residents, utilizing advocacy through dance, acting, film, and production management. Superior Arts Institute partners with local schools and community organizations to develop conscious skilled, superior artists. Samir recently collaborated on “Project: Pomona Hall,” written by Desi Shelton and produced in cooperation with the Camden County Historical Commission, about the lives of forgotten enslaved Africans in the area.
Patricia Kettenring
Sparking change, transforming community through glass art
Patricia founded GlassRoots in Newark to teach its students about glass arts while learning business development and entrepreneurial skills. The programs for young people and adults build hands-on skills, inspire confidence, ignite creativity, and impact economic vitality. GlassRoots has opened its own Newark Art Glass Center as an anchor institution in the neighborhood. Patricia passed away in 2023, leaving a profound legacy for glass artists in New Jersey and beyond.
Helen Stummer
Using photography to raise awareness of poverty’s dangers
Helen, who passed away in 2023, was a visual sociologist who photographed individuals living in Newark’s Central Ward over a 30-year period, as well as New York’s Lower East Side, rural Maine, and Guatemala. Beyond photographing her subjects and documenting the effects of poverty on their lives, she brought them food, clothing and toys (donated by friends and her students) and advocated for their housing needs. Learn more about her work here.
