Mariah Ivey, recently muraled as a ‘Keeper of Culture’ in Indianapolis, IN by visual artist Ashley Nora x GangGang, is a nationally renowned poet, musician, scholar, and curator. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies and Philosophy and is currently fulfilling her Master’s in English Creative Writing at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. While her love for poetry has landed her across national stages including TEDx, the ‘Art is Life’ east coast poetry tour, as well as having opened for cultural icons like Beverly Bond, founder of Black Girls Rock, Anthony Hamilton, Arrested Development, and more, she’s found great passion behind the scenes for intentional space-making—curating accessible arts and cultural experiences for all. Since 2015, Mariah’s had the pleasure of curating live shows + conceptual art workshops as the visionary and founder of local performing arts hub, That Peace Open Mic, centering spoken word, hip-hop, and visual art as a form of resistance and communal healing. Over the last three years, she’s co-curated the annual Indy-based arts and wellness festival, The RE-UP, and served on the 2021 curatorial committee for March Madness, booking over 200+ local artists across several stages. Mariah currently serves as the Programs and Outreach Manager for the Madam Walker Legacy Center and is the inaugural Board President of the Naptown African American Theatre Collective, Indy’s first Black Equity Theatre. With community in mind, Mariah continues to use her work as a catalyst for reimagining Black futurity, joy, and togetherness through the preservation of Black and Brown stories. Her latest publication, “Rest and Fire, Black Child,” can be found in Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ fall issue of genesis: a literature & art magazine.
