Art Over Dinner

Masud Ashley Olufani (MAO) is an Atlanta based actor and mixed media artist whose studio practice is rooted in the discipline of sculpture. He is a graduate of Arts High School in Newark, N.J., Morehouse College and The Savannah College of Art and Design where he earned an M.F.A. in sculpture in 2012. Masud has exhibited his work in group and solo shows in Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans; Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Richmond, Virginia; Lacoste, France; and Hong Kong, China. The artist has completed residencies at The Vermont Studio Center; SCAD Alumni Artist in Residence in Savannah; The Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences in Rabun, GA.; and Creative Currents in Portobello, Panama. He is a recipient of a 2015 Idea Capital Grant; a Southwest Airlines Art and Social Engagement grant; a recipient of 2015-16’ MOCA GA Working Artist Project Grant, and is a member of the 2014-15’ class of the Walthall Fellows. He has appeared in numerous television shows including Being Mary Jane, Devious Maids, Satisfaction, and, Nashville, and will be a featured actor in the feature film All Eyez on Me: The Tupac Shakur Story.

Jayme Alilaw thrives in the operatic, classical, and spiritual repertoires. Jayme has performed roles from the standard operatic repertoire as well as the contemporary canon, often premiering original works. As a resident artist with The Atlanta Opera, Jayme often performs for studio tours and community outreach engagements. She recently join Dad’s Garage Theater Company as a General Company member and is a founding member of ImprOper, an operatic improvisation team. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Ms. Alilaw frequently sang for military ceremonies throughout the United States and Middle East.

Driven by a passion for traditional spirituals and an advocate for the performance of works by African American composers, Jayme is highly sought to perform concerts and recitals and present her research at academic conferences, colleges, and museums across the country. Jayme is currently working on La Femme Noire, a program that highlights works by African American female composers and poets while celebrating the contributions of African American female operatic performers. Jayme owns and operates Music After School, offering group and individual music lessons as an enrichment through aftercare programs, in home lessons, summer camps, and workshops.