About Us
Who's behind all this silliness anyway? Creative people just seem to find each other, and we're proud to be working together to create a fun and colorful way to support a small local business that's been affected by the global pandemic that's happening right now. When we heard about our local aquarium needing support due to temporary closure, we jumped into action to help out - we love BIOMES Marine Biology Center, and wanted to help keep the fishes fed! It seemed a natural fit to ask our local mer-people to help out, and thus, our 2021 Calendar project was born! We hope you'll enjoy it as much as we have!
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Nancy Rafi, Creative Director
A mermaid at heart, Nancy loves to take on creative projects that make people smile. From producing book signings with Gloria Steinem, to working backstage off-Broadway, to getting a local fire department to donate a truck and then shipping it to the former Soviet Union, Nancy is always looking for a creative challenge - as long as it's a little quirky. And always - to raise funds to support those in need. When she heard about the local aquarium having to temporarily close (during the pandemic) she wanted to help out, and immediately made the connection between sea creatures and mermaids - a natural fit! So out went the call to gather illusive mer-people to be featured in a calendar and they all came running (or swimming as the case may be). She hopes everyone can get a little chuckle from this fundraiser, cuz we could all use a little levity right now, don't you agree? |
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David Lee Black, Photographer
David is the principal photographer at David Lee Black Studios, and no stranger to creative photoshoots. Having worked with Nancy on the first Merman Calendar in 2019, it was a natural fit to continue the creative process and add his vision to the 2021 calendar. Along with his appreciation of the craft of photography and the stories it can tell, David is an accomplished musician, educator and expressive arts therapist. Along with his photography, David has woven his passions and talents together in a series of educational artistic workshops titled Creating Your Vision where he leads a growing community of photographers of all skill levels in collaborative and experiential exercises while exploring the art of image making. |
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BIOMES Marine Biology Center
(recipient of calendar sale proceeds) BIOMES is a small educational facility located in North Kingstown, RI. The Center is New England's only private marine education facility and the most hands-on aquarium in the region. They've been providing interactive marine biology programs for schools and families since 1989. Specializing in teaching children and adult about the marine animals of Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, they are home to more than 2000 aquatic creatures. Closed during the pandemic, we felt this was the perfect fit to receive 100% of the proceeds from our calendar sales. The money will be used to help defray the costs of caring for all the marine life at the Center while their doors are closed. |