ILLUMINATION 2023-24: Project Team

‘Michael Kay’ Klindt is a musician, multimedia artist, and educator with roots in the Pacific Northwest.  As a troubled teenager, MIchael learned to use a microphone, beat machine, and video camera to overcome adversity and persevere.  Now, he uses his more than 30 years of experience to help others overcome their own challenges through art and the use of creative technologies.  Michael currently teaches Digital Media Arts full time at Springfield High School.  

Marcus Holloway (m5 vibe) is an artist and U.S. Army Veteran from SE Georgia. After leaving the military, m5 found music to be a healing outlet. He specializes in songwriting, photography, AI art, and event production. m5 vibe also facilitates youth and adult performance and songwriting workshops. His music can be found under the name "m5 vibe".

Irene Rasheed was a commercial real estate portfolio manager and city liaison in the San Francisco Bay Area for 12 years. Her clients included investment professionals such as the former North Pacific Regional Director of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and several prominent Bay Area commercial real estate investors. She has an extensive history consulting on business branding, growth and expansion in competitive urban markets, and has formed growth models for a variety of clients and longstanding Bay Area businesses. 

Irene is also the author of several Afro-centered history books and curriculums for k-12 students. She has a diverse history supporting equity projects, namely focusing on youth and families, and is the former Vice Principal and foundational partner for the Xyayx Institute - a Brooklyn based national education institute supporting Black homeschooled students and families. She also sits on the Lane County United Way's Racial Justice Subcommittee.

Irene is a California grown dedicated wife and mother, lover of afternoon teas, sunshine, the ocean, and God. Currently she is the Program Consultant for the Black Cultural Initiative and curator for the Black Cultural Festival's Museum Without Walls. She also teaches 2nd grade Sunday School at the first Baptist Church of Eugene.