Shanté is a singer-songwriter from East Oakland whose music blends soulful R&B, heartfelt storytelling, and messages of resilience, faith, and self-discovery. Through honest lyricism and a captivating voice, she transforms real-life experiences into songs that inspire, heal, and connect. Whether delivering intimate ballads or powerful anthems, Shanté’s performances leave audiences feeling seen, encouraged, and uplifted.

Michelle “Shell Heart” Miller is a Richmond-born DJ and powerhouse behind the turntables with more than a decade of experience rooted in Hip-Hop, LGBTQ+ culture, and community. She currently serves as the official DJ for the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries and has performed for major events and brands including the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend, Essence Festival, San Francisco Pride, Spotify, and the Golden State Warriors. A queer Black woman in music, Shell Heart is also committed to creating inclusive spaces and opportunities for the next generation of DJs and creatives.

San Francisco’s current Drag Laureate, Per Sia, is a first-generation Trans Mexican-American drag artist raised in South Central Los Angeles, with drag roots in San Francisco’s Mission District. Her multidisciplinary practice spans performance, curation, television, and storytelling, presented in spaces ranging from local bars to major museums, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, she is a co-founder of Drag Story Hour and an educator with Children’s After School Arts, with work featured on KQED Arts, National Public Radio, and CNN.

Mildred Howard began making art influenced by textiles and African Diasporic dance as early as the 1970s. Howard’s studio became a space for experimentation, where her work has referenced both personal history and collective, generational experiences—from World War I to her family’s roots in the Great Migration. Howard’s monumental public artworks—found across the Bay Area—have highlighted often overlooked histories, from the Black ship workers of Hunters Point to the musicians who defined San Francisco jazz. OMCA’s exhibition Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory brings together Howard’s renowned collages, found-object sculptures, and immersive installations that explore memory, identity, and the African American experience.

Adrian Burrell is a multimedia artist whose practice includes photography, film, installation, and experimental media. His work examines the intersections of race, class, and intergenerational dynamics, inviting moments where collective storytelling creates space for remembrance. Burrell’s work has been the subject of the recent solo exhibitions Venus Blues at the Minnesota Street Project Foundation (2023), and Sugarcane and Lightning pt 3 at the San José ICA, CA (2022), each investigating his own family history—archival, speculative, and fictional—as a means of understanding Black life, history, resistance, and liberation in America. A third-generation Oakland artist and US Marine Corps veteran, Burrell received his BFA in Film from the San Francisco Art Institute, CA and MFA from Stanford University’s Department of Art & Art History, where he was also a visiting artist with Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in Arts (2022).

Autumn King serves as Senior Director of Marketing, Communications, and Visitor Experience for Oakland Museum of California. With over 25 years of experience working in communications in varied capacities, including media relations, public relations, public information, marketing, and public engagement, her professional career has been primarily in nonprofit management and local government. A transplant, Autumn loves Oakland where she works, volunteers, organizes, and lives. Host of online show Trail Chats, she proudly shines a light on the natural beauty of the Town and the leaders who help it thrive. She can regularly be found trekking in the Oakland hills or at OMCA’s pond talking with the turtles.