Artivism

Fashion designer and illustrator Kris Keys joins Artivism host Linda Steele for a moving

conversation about the evolution of her brand, By Kris Keys. Trained at the prestigious London

College of Fashion, Kris has used her unique style of watercolor painting to work with fashion

and beauty brands in both the U.S. and U.K. She is currently crowdfunding for the mass

production of her flagship travel wear collection, Hematology. Together they discuss Kris’s

primary source of inspiration: a childhood diagnoses that required years of observation and

care by doctors and researchers at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN.

Linda sits down with Hollywood actress and native-Memphian, Elise Neal (Rosewood, Logan, The Hughleys, Scream 2) to announce her partnership with ArtUp! As an Executive Fellow, Neal is launching her own business, Elise Neal’s Masterclass Series, as a part of ArtUp’s award- winning Creative Idea Incubator. She discusses how the love for her hometown and a desire to share knowledge about the TV and Film Industry led her to ArtUp.

Artivism welcomes science fiction writer and editor, and two-time World Fantasy Award winner, Sheree Renee Thomas. Thomas is a Memphis native, and will take Linda on a guided tour of her journey from Memphis to the publishing houses of New York City. Her experiences have borne incredible insight, and they discuss how writing has always been a medium for social impact.

Patrick Henry, known professionally as Rich Fresh, is a Memphis native making a splash in the fashion industry with his crisp tailoring and bold menswear designs. After teaching himself to sew at the age of 13, Rich hasn’t looked back. He decided to pursue tailoring full-time when he was 20 years old, but shortly his passion took him to New York and his current station in Los Angeles as a tailor to the stars. He shares with Artivism the lessons he’s learned and what he thinks other creative entrepreneurs can take from his journey.

Acclaimed artist Carl E. Moore joins Artivism host Linda Steele to discuss the implications of his work, which is as beautiful as it is political. For the last few years, Moore has focused on the relationship between identity and color, comparing social ideologies about race, stereotypes, and belief systems to everyday colors and the perception of these colors in our environment. The narrative of the artwork speaks for itself, and Moore adds poignant experience to that dialogue during his interview.