Meet the Periscope Class of 2021! Each week we will be introducing this year’s creative class leading up to the culminating Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase on Sept. 8! Meet Tosha Pendergrast, Ty Swint, Keisha Becerra, Kyshona Armstrong, Tyler Champion, Terrell Johnson, and Lindsy Davis!
Sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation and Fifth Third Bank.
Tosha Pendergrast
Multidisciplinary
I am Tosha Marie, a Nashville born and raised dancer, actor, singer, choreographer, director, and producer. I recently launched my business, TMProductions, as a collaborative performing arts complex in the heart of Nashville. I have dedicated my life to help build this home for a community of driven artists and entrepreneurs whose goal is to not only survive, but thrive in the local arts scene.
Through Periscope I was able to meet many talented artists and entrepreneurs who have helped and supported me on this process, some of whom are now housed in, and partnering with, TMProductions.
Ty Swint
Multidisciplinary
I am a multi passionate creative who shares my journey of self love along with my return to my first love, the arts via my blog The Love Channel with Ty. On The Love Channel with Ty and its social media platforms, I capture my journey through my photography, passionately with my spoken and written words, via my songs and playing my cajon, with my visual art ideas and more. I hope to encourage that which is most important in the world, love, staring first with self love. I also hope to inspire others to live a life they love by doing what they love.
It’s almost hard to put into words my Periscope experience. It has been such a wonderful journey. I gained more confidence as an artist, especially when it came to the topic of knowing my worth and being given direction on how and what to charge for my art. The topic of knowing my worth also spilled over into my personal life which was a very valuable part of my self love journey.
Each week builds upon the next, the break out sessions are the best. And having a business mentor is so valuable. I would definitely recommend Periscope for any artist who wants to make a living from their art.
Keisha Becerra
Visual Art
Keisha Becerra is an artist living in Rutherford County, TN. The child of two military officers, this artist grew up traveling the world. Her early exposure to diverse cultures and people influenced all parts of her art. Throughout her travels as a child, she often drew illustrations of her surroundings’ people and cultures, finding the little unique things that made her subject matter beautiful. Keisha’s love of people and culture led her to become an educator, eventually earning her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. But her passion for art was never far away; she often found ways to use art to educate and inspire. When Keisha was not educating she freelanced as an illustrator for companies such as Resilient Walker and a twice-featured artist for Pixit LLC. In 2019, Keisha launched XavierArts.com, publishing multiple multicultural art books, stationery, and surface pattern designs.
Kyshona Armstrong
Music
Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel they have been silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients–the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, an endeavor that led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and songwriting culture.
Since then, she has learned how to balance her music career with her passion to heal the hurting through therapeutic songwriting. When she is not touring, Kyshona spends her time helping veterans, youth, the incarcerated and the isolated turn their stories into songs.
Tyler Champion
Visual Art
Tyler Champion is a freelance illustrator and designer. He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New Jersey to develop his passion at The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art. After graduating in 2010 he headed back south to Nashville, TN where he currently resides with his girlfriend, and two sons.
Tyler has produced work for magazines, comics, design companies, and children’s books; including work for Sony Music, F(r)iction magazine, Capstone Publishing, and Tell-a-graphics.
Terrell Johnson
Multidisciplinary
Terrell Johnson is an African American artist living in Middle Tennessee. He is an extremely passionate and hard-working individual with many large-scale pieces in and around the middle Tennessee area. With no focus in one particular area, he remains versatile and ready for new challenges. His art is loud and colorful in hopes of creating a positive influence on the youth and helping beautify that particular area for years to come. In December of 2020, Terrell finished his largest project to date. He was contracted to complete 9 individual murals on 9 Domino’s Pizza buildings across the state of Tennessee.
Lindsy Davis
Visual Art
Lindsy Davis is an American artist known for her gesture and negative space work that push and pull the eyes’ perception of space and depth. Lindsy works prolifically in series, her compositions question ideas of perceived perception through Gestaltism. Lindsy has shown internationally, was a National Parks Artist in Residence during their centennial year, she is featured in collections throughout the nation, Canada and South Africa. She has worked with world-renowned artists Ibrahim Miranda and William Kentridge. She is a recipient of the National Artist Relief Grant. Lindsy received her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/ Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts in 2014. She was raised in northern New Jersey, born in 1990, and currently lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee. Lindsy is represented by The Red Arrow Gallery in Nashville.