Meet the Artists

RESIDENT JEWELRY MAKER

Uniquely capturing history and culture one piece at a time

 Nina Grier enjoyed a long career in the healthcare industry and lived in many

states throughout the country. After more than 20 years, she settled back home

to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.

Nina is influenced by art & history and stepped into another chapter of her life

that represents these interests.

Nina trained as a jeweler and joined the world of Makers. After more than 10

years, she’s still perfecting her craft; casting and forging precious metal to

create inspiring pieces while building a reputation throughout the country as an

Artisan who makes fine custom and artisan jewelry. To emphasize Nina’s love of

history, she designs and makes jewelry inspired by historic and iconic

trailblazers.

You’ll find in her work the likeness of Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Frederick

Douglass, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jim Thorpe, Richard Allen and others being

memorialized. These and other historical characters are utilized to re-awaken

sung and unsung trailblazers who’ve made their mark on history and society in

brilliant and daring ways.

Nina Grier established Historical Dream, LLC in 2015. Historical Dream is the

banner for which she associates her jewelry portfolio. Her jewelry has been sold around the country including, but not limited to the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture and boutiques in Martha's Vineyard.

Nina welcomes custom jewelry design requests.

RESIDENT PRE-MARITAL COUNSELOR & OFFICIANT

Clergyman and scholar with a heart for others (namely his wife of 45 years)

Drew Smith is a political scientist and clergyman whose leadership and scholarship have been positioned at intersections of faith, social witness, and community engagement. He has focused on public sector and faith sector responses to spiritual, social developmental, economic, educational, racial justice, and public health urgencies facing urban communities across the U.S. content. Currently Dr. Smith is professor of urban ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and also served as director of its Metro-Urban Institute. He previously served as Scholar-in-Residence at the Morehouse College Leadership Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and as the Director of the Center for the Church and Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He has had faculty appointments at Indiana University and Butler University; and has had visiting appointments as a faculty fellow at Case Western Reserve University, University of Viriginia, and Emory University and as a Fulbright professor at University of Pretoria in South Africa and Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Cameroon. 

Dr. Smith was ordained in 1988 and has ministered in multiple capacities and in numerous contexts. He currently serves as co-pastor and CEO of Christ’s Open Door Ministries in Indianapolis. He also ministered previously on the ministerial staff of Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, Horace Bushnell Congregational Church in Hartford, and Samaritan Baptist Church in Trenton.  Moreover, he has served in prison ministries, campus ministries, and ministries to unchurched youth, drawing on his musical training in a number of these settings, including as pianist and director for numerous church choirs and for the Indiana University, Yale University, and New Jersey State Prison gospel choirs.

Dr. Smith earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Indiana University, a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. He has published widely, having written more than eighty articles and chapters and having edited ten research volumes on religion and public life including, most recently, a volume titled Racialized Health, COVID-19, and Religious Responses: Black Atlantic Contexts and Perspectives.  He has received many honors and awards for his academic leadership, including selection in 2002 as an Emerging Leaders Fellow by a Duke University/University of Cape Town program on Leadership and Public Values, and selection in 2008 by the Governor of Indiana for a Governor’s Black Expo Leadership award. 

Dr. Smith is married to the Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith.

RESIDENT SKINCARE AND MAKEUP ARTIST

Keeping couples beautiful and healthy

Her love for makeup began at 5 a.m. in the bathroom she shared with her siblings, blending hot pink and electric blue eyeshadow for the first day of her senior year. Over the years, she experimented fearlessly—mixing foundations, applying glitter with eyelash glue, and creating bold Halloween looks. Compliments often came with the dreaded question: “Are you a makeup artist?” She’d always reply, “No, just a lover of makeup,” though deep down, she longed to say yes. Fear held her back, and makeup remained just a hobby.

That changed when she decided to start over. She rekindled her passion, swapped neutrals for color, enrolled in esthetician school, obtained her license, and launched her LLC. In just six months, she had her own salon suite, surrounded by top beauty professionals in Pensacola.

Beyond makeup, she developed a deep passion for skincare and all things esthetics. She became fascinated by how skin functions, how different ingredients interact, and how the right treatments could restore confidence. Her passion project is dedicated to understanding and treating ingrown hairs, specifically in Black men—a struggle she witnessed firsthand with her father and brother, who were required to shave for work despite the damage it caused their skin. She is committed to finding effective solutions so that men like them no longer have to choose between professionalism and skin health.

She firmly believes that flawless makeup starts with solid skincare. The best foundation is healthy, well-nourished skin, and she is passionate about helping clients achieve long-term results rather than quick fixes. To that end, she has developed a specialized service for brides and grooms, guiding them through a personalized skincare journey leading up to their big day. Her goal is to ensure that when they walk down the aisle, their skin is at its absolute best—radiant, confident, and picture-perfect.

Her journey as a business owner has just begun, but her passion has always been there. Nothing compares to the joy of helping clients see their own beauty. When asked what pushed her to finally pursue her dream, the answer was clear: losing her corporate job on May 4, 2023. The realization hit her after moving back in with her parents in the bathroom she shared with her siblings after—getting ready at 5 a.m. for a job she hated, just before choosing a life she loved.

RESIDENT EVENT STATIONER

A refreshing approach to stunning wedding stationary

Sherry Green is an Island Girl.  She was born and raised in the Virgin Islands, but Atlanta, GA has been her home-away-from-home for over 20 years.  She is an Accountant by profession, but her love for designing event stationery allows her to express her artistic side and wear her creative hat as an Event Stationer.  The two roles may seem like total opposites, but for both, having a keen eye for detail is key.

Sherry values family and enjoys creating memories with them.  Life is not promised so she treasures every moment spent with those she holds dear to her heart.  Dining and unwinding to music are just a few of her favorite ways to escape after a busy day.

It all began with her quest to find her perfect wedding invitation.  She searched high and low but did not find “The One”.  So, she custom designed an invitation and hired a stationer to bring her vision to life.  She really enjoyed the process of it all.  Her guests were in awe when they received their unique invitations.  It was at this time that the initial idea of turning this newly found passion into entrepreneurship was born.  Sherry believes there is an appointed time by God for things to happen, and in 2020 Inked Green Designs, LLC was formed.