Red Emma’s

Jake Saltzberg is a Photographer in Baltimore Maryland. Originally from the Midwest, he moved to Baltimore in 2021 and has spend the last 4 years documenting life in the city. Jake is also a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

As the founder of Baltimore Scenes, Jake worked with a group of other photographers to build community with each other as the world recovered from the pandemic. As a result of the group’s hard work, this community has flourished and now curates weekly selections of photos online, as well as hosting monthly community events. Folks can participate in all events, such as our monthly Photowalks and semi-annual events like Aperture Hour and Coffee & Cameras.

In his career, Jake works for Wide Angle Youth Media, an arts education program focused on amplifying youth voice through creative expression and workforce development. As the Outreach Manager, he is often representing WAYM in the broader Baltimore community and sharing information about educational programs.

Website: www.jakesaltzberg.smugmug.com Instagram: @jakesaltzberg _______

Meaza Getachew is a self-taught, hobbyist photographer and community builder.

Her photography is grounded in capturing both the richness and mundane of everyday life - with an emphasis on the people, places, and stories that shape her environment. Whether photographing the architectural beauty of a city or exploring the intimate depths of portraiture, she is driven by the desire to connect more deeply with the world around her. Her portrait work has further expanded my ability to forge meaningful connections with her subjects through the lens. Meaza works with both digital and analog photography, and first fell in love with photography while learning how to develop and print black & white film in high school.

She started the Baltimore PhotoWalks in 2024 and is a curator of Baltimore Scenes. As a curator, she organizes monthly photo walks and other events in Baltimore  that foster collaboration among artists and photographers outside of the limitations of social media platforms.

Website: www.mazanalog.com Instagram: @mazanalog _______

Baltimore Scenes is a dynamic photography collective rooted in the heart of Baltimore City. What began as a community-driven Instagram page showcasing the talent of local photographers has grown into a vibrant platform for connection, creativity, and collaboration.

Each week, the curators spotlight their favorite images captured around the city, curating a visual roundup that celebrates the diverse perspectives of Baltimore’s photography community.  Baltimore Scenes hosts monthly photowalks across the city and organizes a variety of creative events throughout the year—all aimed at bringing photographers together and highlighting the beauty of Baltimore through their lenses.

Baltimore Scenes is curated by Jake Saltzberg, Liv Morgan, Sam Levin, Ty Johnson, and Meaza Getachew

Instagram: @baltimore_scenes _______

Jasmine Washington is an ART-ivist, Status Quo Disruptor and Curator. She is also the Founder and Visionary of The First of Many Series (TFOMS), a heart-centered  storytelling platform built to honor the people behind the practice.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Jasmine Washington is the living embodiment of many lineages—African American, Cherokee Indian, Jamaican, and European.

Her practice exists at the sacred crossroads of identity, memory, and belonging—serving as both sanctuary and megaphone. It is a space to hold what’s been silenced, to name what’s been stolen, and to celebrate what persists. She does not create to be seen alone, but to make visible those the world too often refuses to look at.

Through TFOMS, she created an opportunity that brought together various voices and communities that might have never crossed paths otherwise. It wasn’t just about programming, it was about intentionally curating moments that bridge gaps and open doors. She welcomed people into spaces they may have never known about or considered stepping foot in, expanding access and redefining what’s possible. This is more than just community building; it’s legacy in the making. Jasmine is deeply committed to the radical act of amplification. Her work challenges dominant narratives while inviting tenderness, reflection, and accountability. Through storytelling, curation, and convening, she builds platforms where marginalized voices are not simply included, but centered, honored, and held.

As a multidisciplinary visual artist and curator, she designs exhibitions that carry emotional gravity and urgency. As a conversation moderator and facilitator, she curates spaces of truth-telling and deep witnessing, where dialogue becomes a form of healing.

Jasmine's love for literature is both a sanctuary and a source of endless inspiration. Her journey as a bibliophile informs her storytelling practice, offering a profound respect for narrative structure, poetic language, and the transformative power of words. From the pages of fiction to historical texts, she draws insight into how stories shape memory, culture, and collective identity. This passion for the written word extends into her curatorial work, where she weaves literary sensibilities into visual storytelling, creating exhibitions that read like living archives—stories that breathe, remember, and resist.

Rooted in empathy, intention, and ancestral knowing, Jasmine’s practice is a vessel: for remembering, for rupture, for restoration. She believes art is not only a mirror, but a tool for transformation. A way back to ourselves. A way forward, together.

She is currently pursuing a MFA in Photography and Media Society at The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and is a recipient of the Leslie King-Hammond Graduate Fellowship Award (2025–2026). In addition to her own creative and community-rooted work and studies, Jasmine serves as the  2025-2026 Academic Year Guest Curator at Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she shapes inclusive, intergenerational experiences centered on community, legacy, and imagination. She is a 2025 member of collectives for Our Art Room Agency (OARA) led by Savannah Imani Wade and OLEANDER School for Negro Publishers led by Mackenzie River Foy.

Her work is a testament to the power of art as both archive and act of resistance. At the heart of her practice is a desire to honor the past, disrupt the present, and dream boldly toward collective futures. Website: www.jasminewashington.com Instagram: @thesourcher _______

The First of Many Series (TFOMS) A platform for presence. A movement for more. Built to honor the people behind the practice.

THE FIRST OF MANY SERIES (TFOMS) is a heart-centered storytelling platform founded by Jasmine Washington, built to honor the people behind the practice. We exist to celebrate artists, makers, and visionaries not just for what they create—but for why they create and who they are beyond the work.

Because you are more than your output. You are a whole person—with memory, complexity, joy, longing, lineage, and dreams that don’t always show up in your portfolio.

TFOMS sits at the intersection of art, community, and care. Through portraiture, podcasting, storytelling circles, writing prompts, live events, and resource-sharing, we offer tools for reflection, visibility, and collective healing. Every offering is rooted in the belief that presence is enough. You don’t need to perform, polish, or prove. You already matter.

At its core, TFOMS is about making space—real, intentional space—for creatives to tell their stories on their own terms. We amplify the often-overlooked: the messy middle, the becoming, the silence, the soul. We source our venues with deep care and intention—prioritizing local, underrepresented spaces that are often overlooked, yet deeply rooted in community. These are places that deserve to be seen, celebrated, and sustained.

Each activation becomes more than just an event, it’s a creative offering, a collective act of care, and an opportunity to honor the spaces that hold us. It’s also a commitment to reimagining what’s possible when we gather with purpose, creativity, and intention.

We believe space is sacred. And when we gather with intention, we’re not just hosting events—we’re helping sustain legacies. Through this work, we amplify the overlooked: → the process → the people → the power in simply showing up as you are

Visit our Website: www.thefirstofmany.org (under construction, will be live by event)

Follow Us on Instagram: @thefirstofmanyseries