C2ST works with Chicago-area artists to create new content and develop creative ideas to fulfill our mission. The residency includes programs and content planned in conjunction with C2ST and our Artists in Residence aiming to explore themes of art, science, and their intersection, in whatever form is the artists’ preferred medium.
Jordan Holmes
Jordan “Dxtr Spits” Holmes was raised in Prince George’s county Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. His curious mind led him to become a jack of all trades as a scientist/engineer, musician, spoken word artist, and entrepreneur. Holmes relocated to Chicago in 2014 after graduating from Virginia Tech where he got his degree as a Materials Science Engineer and met his mentor Dr. Nikki Giovanni.
He began the pursuit of his music career as Dxtr Spits, a witty, impactful, and energized lyricist. Holmes is the Founder and CEO of “Onli Packs,” an apparel and backpack brand that utilizes art from local artists. He prioritizes community reinvestment and creates community support initiatives utilizing his company and brands. His versatility and hustle have landed him attention locally and nationally including NPR, The Chicago Tribune, Vocalo Radio, Voyage Chicago, & These Days News.
Shonna Pryor
Shonna Pryor is a nationally exhibiting artist, art programs producer, and an educator at the esteemed School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her multidisciplinary art practice is inspired by references to food theory and its peripheral objects and concepts as a sociocultural lens through which to examine the politics of identity, memory, power, and play. Through these lens, the influence of STEM –ologies are also apparent in the visual/conceptual aesthetic of her work. Pryor’s participation in the fields of art, culture and science is enhanced by her award-winning art-based broadcast media work that has sought to create equitable space and expanded reach through a cross-disciplinary approach in the advancement of these fields collectively. She is a 2018-2019 Emmy Award, Midwest winner and was shortlisted for the 2017 Harvard University Knight Visiting Neiman Fellowship Award. Shonna’s visual art has been exhibited in major cities such as Chicago, Detroit and New York, with esteemed artist residencies at Hyde Park Art Center and High Concept Labs, respectively. Her community engagement and outreach collaboration with organizations and institutions such as AT&T Community Youth Development; Carole Robertson Community Center west Chicago; and Baker College Prep High School class curriculum have been instrumental in employing visual art to encourage young people toward Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math futures. https://www.shonnapryor.com/
