What

Barbara Hionides was born in Philadelphia in 1990, and was raised near Mountain Olympus, Greece. Her first experience with art was oil painting at the age of 7. At the age of 11, she and her family returned to Philadelphia, a city known for its graffiti and mural history, with over 4,000 murals to date. She obtained a degree in Design and Merchandising with a minor in Fine Arts and Art History from Drexel University.

While in college she experimented with interactive public installations, fascinated by re-discovering meaning in overlooked spaces and lives. She studied neighborhood dynamics, demographics and histories. With her art, she strives for “togetherness”, which stems from her own battles with identity, sense of "home", and belonging as an immigrant.

She interned in fashion editorials and arts public relations in New York City. Following New York, she completed an artist residency in Berlin, Germany for Art Pro Tacheles, and eventually moved back to Greece as an advocate for youth art education during the financial and refugee crisis in 2014. She worked as the creative director and head designer for Odyssea; a social enterprise startup employing and educating refugees by up cycling life vests and boats. Furthermore, she worked as the Community Activities Director for Streetlights children’s center in the most diverse and densely populated neighborhood in Greece. She created large interactive installations, with hundreds of children and adults participating.

She moved to Jacksonville in 2018 and is currently an art teacher at The Foundation Academy, teaching K-12 how to think and create like artists. Her private artwork entails complex symbolism veiling deeper existential concepts. She uses her artwork as a healing process and a narrative of her internal world. She recently was part of two all women artists' mural productions located in Springfield Historic District, Jacksonville, and Wynwood, Miami. Interested in public art, graphic design and social entrepreneurship, she desires to use the arts to empower young people to develop their own meaning of beauty, community, and consumer power.

www.barabarahionides.com

Victor Toribio is currently the Jacksonville Science Festival Director and a full time science teacher. Victor is passionate about sparking interest in science and art and the advancement of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) for all. He is a graduate the University of North Florida, where he studied sociology and psychology. Victor is a self-made “Maker,” “Tinker,” and “DIY-er” (Do It Yourself-ER) and is proficient in 3D printing and micro-controller technology. He also has taught at the Cummer Museum where he has shared his talents and expertise.