Open Studio for Teens

Andrina Wekontash Smith is a Shinnecock storyteller, writer, performer, and educator whose work explores the complexity of racial and indigenous identity. Currently, she is working on a series with ABC Signature, produced under Kerry Washington's Simpson Street banner. She recently wrote the script for an immersive VR collaboration between TIME Studios and the Martin Luther King Foundation, which examines the racial disparities in policing, housing, and voting in society today. The VR experience will be showcased at SXSW 2023. 

In 2021, Andrina was a NAMA fellow and recipient of the Netflix accelerator grant. Her collaboration with the Facebook app, "The Darker Red Road," received over three million views. Her piece, "Women of Herstory," was highly praised. As a sketch performer, director, and performance artist, Andrina has received residencies at Guild Hall and The Watermill Center.

Her written work and essays have been featured in publications such as Edible's East End, Native Max Magazine, and WildSam's East End Edition. Overall, Andrina's work seeks to bring attention to the nuances of identity and elevate the voices of underrepresented communities.

Photo: Lindsay Morris

A Charde is a maker, a builder, an overall spatial thinker, and creator of the beeswax candle line Taper Freak. With names like “fetch limb freak” and “the warty hobnail,” A hand molds candles with humorous sculptural and figurative elements; faces, limbs, warts, lips, etc. They have been featured in Vogue as part of a “New Generation of Beeswax Candle-Makers,” and shopping lists in New York Magazine. 

I'm Jade, a self-taught seamstress and creative designer. Fashion design dates back for me watching my grandmother perfectly piece her "look of the day" together which was always full of color. Her bold love for prints and patterns would later be my foundation and love, influencing my career and outlook in life. My love for vintage clothing and reworking items is what lead me down my creative path in fashion. Working with many big and small designers and brands as a stylist and visual merchandiser began my fixation on how garments come together but it was truly living in Brooklyn, NY, 13 years, that fine-tuned my eye and openly gave me permission to create and cultivate my own design space and rules in this massive industry. 

I have been in the fashion industry 15 years & working independently for 4 years. I operate a creative design company Citizens & Heirs, where I design custom camouflage & denim jackets, up-cycle items, & service local boutiques by fulfilling their unique sewing needs.  My love for vintage clothing allows me to work with vintage boutiques and shoppers doing alterations and repairs on their much-cherished items. I truly understand the need of personalization and really thread that into all my projects.  

Currently, I am residing with my husband Elvis and creating in East Hampton, NY. Being here has offered me the opportunity to expand Citizen's & Heirs, birth my baby Sew You Right, while working with the flourishing boutiques in the area in need of alterations, tailoring services, and more. 

Gian Carlo Feleppa grew up in Amagansett obsessed with music, records, and The Beatles since the very beginning. Writing songs, playing guitar, and multi-track recording became a way of life, leading to years of listening and learning. 

After receiving a degree in Songwriting and Composition at Berklee College of Music, Feleppa moved to New York City; starting multiple bands, releasing records, touring, working in record stores, instrument shops, and record pressing plants. In 2003, Feleppa purchased his first sitar and his life was forever changed. He accompanies yoga classes on sitar, performs and teaches multiple instruments and recording techniques to children of all ages at local schools and camps. 

Currently, Feleppa is focused on his new band, Student Body, his 10 year old daughter, Ea, and sharing the joy of hearing sound with children in the Hamptons communities.