Chelsea, MA No. 22 - Paul Willis - youth focused arts education professional headlines out show at our NEW SPACE Spencer Gallery Lofts! Brynna Boyd features and Essmaa Litim hosts! We are joined by artists Towana Wright, Chelsea Botanicals, Pottery by Sladja and Jaleel Davis!
Chelsea, MA No. 22 - Paul Willis - youth focused arts education professional headlines out show at our NEW SPACE Spencer Gallery Lofts! Brynna Boyd features and Essmaa Litim hosts! We are joined by artists Towana Wright, Chelsea Botanicals, Pottery by Sladja and Jaleel Davis!
This event is all about building community through creativity and raising spirits through poetry and art. Everyone is welcome. As our community is in need especially now and especially around the holidays, please bring canned goods or other non-perishable items that will donate to the Chelsea Micro Pantry.
📆 Saturday, Nov. 22nd
⌚️Doors at 7:30pm/show at 8:00pm -9:30pm; followed by mingling and music until 11:00pm.
📍Spencer Lofts Gallery 60 Dudley Street, Chelsea, MA 02150
🎫Tickets: $15.00; Open Mic Poets free: Spoken Word, Vocalists, Musicians all welcome. Please email
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🅿️ Free street parking
ABOUT OUR HEADLINER:
Paul Willis' latest work is defining the ABC’s of rap with an album, book, and curriculum offering on Hip Hop Leadership. Since July 2023, Paul has been awarded multiple grants to complete the Hip Hop Leadership album, book and curriculum, which he piloted with Beat The Odds - Boston, a creative youth development nonprofit organization, Conservatory Lab Charter School, Neighborhood House Charter School, and with Frugal Bookstore through a series of author talks and community events. When he’s not in the classroom or the studio, you can find him on stage speaking, performing, or working behind the scenes with creative leaders and organizations that are aligned with his mission, vision, and values. If you’re a fan of Talib Kweli, Black Thought and Common, then you’ll love Paul Willis’ music and message.
ABOUT OUR FEATURE:
Brynna Boyd (she/her) is a writer from Texas, currently based in Boston. She has always had a love for writing and has found community through sharing her work at slams, open mics, and local writing groups. Brynna teaches middle school and finds great joy in helping students explore their creative power! Her writing is informed by her lived experiences, readings, musings of better worlds, and the everyday.
ABOUT HOUR HOST:
Essmaa Litim is a dynamic storyteller, community builder, and cultural curator whose work lives at the intersection of art and activism. She uses the power of her spoken word poetry to ignite conversations around justice, equity, and healing. She has performed in spaces like SOB’s in NYC, WGBH, Puma, Sofar Sounds, and Voices in Power at City Winery. Her latest piece, “The Laundromat”, which highlights gentrification in her neighborhood of East Boston, was published in the anthology How We Take Up Space by Nakia Hill in 2024. Essmaa has taken her love of writing to community and educational spaces where she’s hosted writing workshops at Tufts University, Bentley University, and with Boston-based community organizations. These spaces are more than a creative outlet—they are sanctuaries for truth-telling, resistance, and collective growth. With a fierce commitment to liberation through language, she nurtures new generations of storytellers, equipping them with the tools to speak boldly and unapologetically.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS:
Towana Deann Wright was born in Mobile, Alabama. Although she moved from Alabama at an early age, the impact and the culture of the south would remain influential and serve as artistic inspiration for much of her work and shape her as an artist. After getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services, Towana pursued a lifelong dream and attained an MFA in Creative writing. She graduated in 2015 and went on to participate in several prestigious workshops and residencies including traveling to Oxford University. Her passion for writing and artistic expression found its way to the canvas where she has blossomed and delighted many with her colorful and dynamic signature pieces. Being a self-taught artist, Towana takes pride in embracing her local artist community. They have offered tremendous encouragement and support. Artist and entrepreneurs have welcomed her into their close-knit circle. She is forever grateful.Towana enjoys using her art in many forms including T-shirts and notecards. Her notecards can be found at “All That Matters Antiques” in Belmont, MA.
Sladja Vukovic is a creative soul who finds beauty in every form of art and expression. A self-taught painter and lifelong writer, she has been crafting poetry since her teenage years and has self-published two books (one in Bosnia and, more recently, her first English collection). A lifelong lover of literature, she is book-obsessed and deeply appreciative of all forms of writing, with a dream of one day owning a cozy bookstore filled with all kinds of art. Her latest passion is pottery, where she creates functional yet artful pieces that bring warmth and personality into homes. With a background in Psychology and Criminal Justice, it somehow feels fitting that her full-time work is in real estate—connecting people, spaces, and stories in ways that make life more beautiful and meaningful."
Jaleel Davis Artist Statement:
Hi, my name is Jaleel Davis. I come from Somerville, MA. My work has been in exhibited in the Wellin Museum in Clinton, NY.I specialize in portraiture creating original paintings with impactful use of color, expression, and composition. I have been drawing since I was 5 years old drawing from how-to draw books drawing characters from my favorite cartoons. My focus as an artist has always been improving my skills in visualizing the world around me. My use of oil paint translates into my practice of digital art. My art focuses on culture, music, society, and the emotions and feelings we go through as people every day. Art has given me a voice and I utilize my passion to reflect on society through my own lens. Portraits speak to you and gives you a feeling of relatability. I was blessed to study Fine Art and Economics at Hamilton College where I graduated in 2019. My passion for art has only grown through my education in drawing, painting, photography and ceramics. It will never fade and I will always draw.
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