Alaiyo Bradshaw

Alaiyo Bradshaw is an Artist, Illustrator & Graphic Designer. She is currently an associate professor and Director, First Year Program at Parsons School of Design. She has taught digital and traditional drawing, printmaking, clay building, illustration, and art history. Her current intensive curriculum teaches first-year students about drawing, painting, making, and color study using both digital and analog tools and methods.

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Alaiyo works as an illustrator for magazines, books, and other publications. Her clients have included McGraw Hill, Amsterdam New, The Jewish Theatre of NY, Metropolitan Junior Baseball League, Inc., PSE&G, 20/20, The New York Times Magazine, Ward’s Communication, Actors Theater Workshop, The Advocate Magazine, and others.

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She is a board member of the New York Artists Equity Association, Inc., and the president and signature member of the Brooklyn Watercolor Society.

Candance Damon

Candace Damon has devoted her 30-year career to crafting sustainable urban redevelopment strategies for cities across North America.

Her specific areas of expertise include supporting master planning efforts for large-scale revitalizations, ensuring the long-term viability of urban open space, leading organizational planning for non-profits and institutions, and addressing the financial challenges of making commercial and multifamily residential buildings energy efficient.

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Candace is a member of the Board of the City Parks Alliance and the Urban Green Council, a founding partner of G. Works, a member of the New York City YMCA Real Estate Advisory Committee, and a member of the Advisory Board and President Emeritus of the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation.  She received the “Women of Influence Award” from the Real Estate Forum in 2008.

Alicia Degener

Alicia Degener is a NYC landscape painter focused on the terrain of Southern Brooklyn, particularly Coney Island and its quintessential landmarks. A longtime resident of Bay Ridge, Degener explores the relationship between the natural world of beautiful tree-lined blocks with two-family homes and startling sunsets.

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​Alicia Degener majored in Fine Art at Parsons School of Design, University of Michigan School of Art & Design and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Leon Taylor

Director of Community Media, Leon Taylor, has dedicated over 21 years to public access media, beginning at BCAT, MNN, and later BRIC. As BRIC's Director of Community Media, he champions local voices, enhancing support, and community engagement. His initiatives, like "B Scene" series, celebrate diversity in media, empowering underrepresented creators in Brooklyn and beyond. Taylor is the 2023 recipient of The Jewell Ryan-White Award for Cultural Diversity.