A Black Woman, A Black Mother

Tamika Pettway is a New Haven native. Her credits include Collective Consciousness Theatre: Skeleton Crew (“Faye”), The Royale (“Nina”), Sunset Baby (“Nina”), Milk Like Sugar (“Myrna”); Elm Shakespeare Company: The Comedy of Errors (“Courtesan”), Romeo and Juliet (“Prince Escalus”); From a Tropical Space (“Tia”), Good Grief (“Ellis”), Blood Descendants (“Janet Moore”); and others. Tamika is an actress committed to authenticity, she studied theatre arts at Eastern Connecticut State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree.

Maher Mahmood is a photographer, videographer, and Iraqi refuge who uses his talents to tell his story and the stories of those around him. Since the age of thirteen, photography has been Maher’s passion—a passion that has given him purpose that he’s poured his heart and soul into. When Maher’s family fled the war in Iraq, leaving everything behind, they first arrived in Jordan. He used his camera lens to capture his experience as a refugee. In 2014, his family was welcomed into the United States and New Haven, Connecticut became his new home. For the past five years, Maher has had the privilege of helping people capture the moments most important to them including graduations, weddings, and the growth of their families. Maher’s grateful for opportunities to learn from fellow artists from around the world, including former colleagues at Google and Yale, and for helping his grow his love of photography, film, and marketing. Photography and video will forever be Maher’s passion and purpose.