Our Team
Image by Kyle Pompey (@niceshotkyle)
Deyane Moses, Director
Deyane Moses (she/her) is a veteran, artist, activist, and archivist based in Baltimore, Maryland. Blackives, LLC was founded in 2002 to provide Black communities with research, archival expertise, and design services.
Her work and research interests include photography, Black History, community archives, and design. She is currently the Public Access Archivist for AFRO Charities Inc. a nonprofit partner to the Baltimore AFRO American Newspaper. The AFRO is the nation's #1 Black newspaper, the oldest Black-owned business in Maryland, and the 3rd oldest Black-owned business in the country.
She currently teaches Archival Activism at MICA. This graduate electives explore the history of the university and Baltimore as well as how students can utilize archival resources in their artistic practice and community involvement. The course has multiple goals with the first consisting of learning from students and the community as they engage with this history. The second is to empower students to embrace alternative historical narratives directly from community partners and primary source documents. The final goal consists of developing visual materials and mobilizing data for future generations.
In 2021, Deyane was chosen as the Community Archives Fellow for Johns Hopkins University Billie Holiday for Liberation Arts. She has also held positions at the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Aperture Foundation, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Walters Art Museum, University of Baltimore Special Collections, and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Deyane is an active member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and served on the governing board of Baltimore Speaks–an ADHOC Oral History Collaborative. She is also a member of Mid-Atlantic Region Archives Conference (MARAC), Association of African American Museums (AAAM), the Association of Museum Curators, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and the Baltimore History and Culture Collaborative. She has spoken to numerous art organizations and schools in Baltimore City.. She has been featured in BMOREArt, Artsy, Art Examiner, Art Forum, Art & Education, and Baltimore Magazine to name a few. She has received numerous awards for her research and activism in the community.
Deyane is a Black cultural heritage professional. She attended the Maryland institute College of Art (BFA Photography ‘19 and MFA Curatorial Practice ‘21). She intends to enroll in the Master of Library Information Science Program at the University of Maryland in Spring 2023.
Natovian McLeod, Project Manager
Natovian McLeod has been an elementary art teacher, curriculum writer, and K-12 Social Emotional Learning curriculum writer. She was awarded Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) Novice Art Teacher of the Year, nominated for BCPS Teacher of the Year, and in 2022 she was awarded MAEA's Maryland Elementary Art Teacher of the Year. She has facilitated district and state level professional development focused on culturally responsive practices, anti-racist teaching and student engagement. Her passion for contemporary art led her to be a panelist moderated by Davis Publications and Art 21's discussion on how to use contemporary art in the elementary classroom and inspire students to become change advocates.
Natovian has been the program coordinator for MICA's Art and Design College Accelerator Program (ADCAP) and MICAs Pre- College Art and Design Residency Program. She is currently the Director of Youth Programs and Community Education at MICA. Committed to arts education, she hopes to promote more access and educational opportunities to youth and adults in Baltimore City.
Imani Haynes, Design
Imani Y. Haynes is a Curator, Exhibit Designer, Historian, and Arts Administrator. In 2014 she graduated from the illustrious Savannah State University with a B.A in History; she graduated in May 2020 from The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), earning her M.F.A in Curatorial Practice with a concentration in Critical Studies.
During her time between degrees, Imani has worked for many museums and cultural institutions throughout Maryland. She was Curator and Museum Educator for The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum and Historian and Grant Administrator for The Baltimore National Heritage Area. She has also worked as Assistant Curator at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art and was the Museum and History program assistant for the Prince George's County National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.
While working towards her M.F.A at MICA, Imani was the 2018-2019 GBCA UAL Fellow, 2019 MICA Grad Show Curatorial Fellow, and 2020 Leslie King-Hammond Graduate Fellow. While a fellow, Imani worked at the Walters Art Museum as the Education Curatorial Fellow developing interactive exhibits in their 4 West education room. Imani's M.F.A thesis has since become the Black Woman's Museum, a double-door 40 ft shipping container dedicated to the life, legacy, and achievements of Black Women. Post graduate degree Imani worked as the Education Program Manager for the Josiah Henson Museum and Park in North Bethesda, MD. She now serves as Curator for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore, MD. Imani's mission is to curate and interpret the experience of those who often are silenced or ignored by society.