CO-DIRECTOR

Fernanda (she/they) was born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, where she studied psychology and painting. She enrolled in a cultural exchange program and landed in Massachusetts, where they found that both of their passions were actually a real profession, deciding to become an expressive arts therapist.

After finishing her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy at Lesley University, she wanted a space where healing through the arts was possible, in the city she called home. The multilayered richness and culture of Lawrence, MA provided all that she needed to manifest their vision — with many trusted hands, they were able to open the doors to La House with her friends Issa, Renée, and Jenna.

You can often find Fernanda roller-skating, frolicking in her garden, and making mermaid splashes at the beach.

CO-DIRECTOR

“...queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent, create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.” — bell hooks

from the Hood to the World, like rain on a tin roof, jayvie song (he/they) is a writer, cultural worker and teaching artist of mixed Afro-Indigenous descent. his interdisciplinary approach is rooted in the music, the language, and the images of their childhood spent between Lawrence, MA and the Dominican Republic.

jayvie has 8+ years of experience as a teaching artist and cultural worker, having spent these last few years crafting space(s) for himself and his communities to heal, transform and grow.

CO-DIRECTOR

Y-Bình (they/she) is a proud daughter of American War in Vietnam refugees, descendent from a rural farming community in An Giang, Việt Nam, and situated in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

They are a communal mythology storyteller, multi-media artist, budding agriculturalist, and avid eyeliner enthusiast.

Their writing focuses on eco-resistance sci-fi, transgenerational trauma & healing, critical compassion, queer coming of age love stories, diaspora hustles and bustles, and visionary fiction by way of recognizing the power of making space for past, present, and future ancestors to heal and create new worlds.

Y-Bình also uses their 10+ years of experience with ceramics to build new forms.