Photo of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Entrepreneur, Poet, Wholistic Urban Creative Arts, & Theatre
Home Montgomery Dayton Ohio
Website: www.signatureeducationalsolutions.com

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Biography

Poet, producer, activist, educator, and entrepreneur Sierra Leone captivates audiences with her unassuming ingenuity, profound insight, and comedic sense of “knowing.”

A Governor’s Award winner and writer, Sierra is the president and artistic director of OFP Theatre and Production Company. For more than a decade, Ohio has benefited from Sierra’s vision of creative urban arts as a powerful artistic medium to bring communities together across racial, cultural, ideological, and economic divides. Her project “The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show” presents a hybrid of urban poetry, music, dance, and visual arts from local, regional, and international talent. The show later expanded to include an energetic poetry competition called The Last Poet Standing. In December of 2018, she became a playwright, co-writing Eunice: Starshine and Clay with her partner Nate Leone. The show was named one of the 2018 “top 10 theatre shows in Dayton, Ohio.”

Her work with youth arts organizations, schools, and community organizations has been ongoing through her company’s educational arm, Signature Educational Solutions. In the spring of 2019, Sierra graduated with her second master’s degree, an MBA from Wright State University. Sierra is continuing girls’ and women’s empowerment work through I am Moon Power, which inspired her to complete the Inner Visions Institute Spiritual School two-year personal development program in spring of 2019.

Sierra has written and performed commissioned work for many local and national organizations. Several years ago, she wrote a fictional monologue entitled “Katrina 2031″ that she featured at TEDx Dayton 2014. She is currently a TEDx Dayton speakers’ coach. Sierra was a featured artist at the 2017 National Breaking Silences Conference, where she was commissioned to write a poem about her journey with dyslexia.

Currently, Sierra is working on her new book of poems and short stories. Her recent recognitions include being named a 2020 Kennedy Center Artist Fellowship Finalist Nominee, receiving a 2020 Special Projects Grant for $10,000 funded and administered by Culture Works, and receiving a $5,000 award in 2020 from the Allegro Fund of The Dayton Foundation.

The award of this badge shows that the artist participated in a two-day workshop at the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning that focused on understanding arts integration, domains of youth development, behavior management, academic and fine arts standards, outcomes and indicators, and learning strategies and activities. The earner developed a program plan to apply these concepts in their work with students, earning a score of 75% or greater related to specific scoring criteria.

Grade Levels/Age Groups

  • PreK-Kindergarten
  • Grades 1-3
  • Grades 4-5
  • Grades 6-8
  • Grades 9-12
  • Young Adults
  • Adults

Facilities and Resources Required

  • Audio system
  • Electrical outlets
  • Table(s)
  • Performance space
  • Chairs
  • Non-carpeted Floors
  • Backstage area/dressing room
  • Sink/Water
  • General art supplies
  • Adapter or flash drive if computer not available

Organizational Involvement

Availability

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 4:00 – 7:00 PM works best during the week. If I have notice, I am able to adjust my schedule.