Kana Danzey felt the restive call to creative work in elementary school. She gave it her all, as the loyalty of water to the force of gravity. In the wholeheartedness of her concentration and commitment, the world and her many gifts and skills have since cohered.

Today, Kana is an artist, teacher, and entrepreneur.

Kana recently moved back to Connecticut and works as a preschool teacher in Greenwich. She also hosts virtual and social-distanced paint parties, “to lift people’s spirits and help clients have fun, socialize, and gain artistic confidence.”

Kana graduated from Norwalk High School in 2014. She enrolled at Clark Atlanta University and joined the Psi Chi international honor society in psychology. Kana participated in showcases on and beyond the Clark campus. She taught art therapy sessions on campus for students in recovery and served as a volunteer tutor and mentor to middle school students nearby.

In 2016, Kana transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts), first in the country as a public university art school, and second in the country overall. Kana was a member of Black Art Student Empowerment. She was awarded a U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the summer of 2018, where she taught English in the small village of Teoticlan Del Valle in the foothills of the Sierra Juárez mountains. Kana graduated cum laude earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in December 2018, with a concentration in painting and printmaking. While still a VCUarts student, Kana was invited to contribute two murals in the James River Park.

In 2019, while working as an assistant teacher in a child development center in Richmond, Virginia, Kana received the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) certification from Miami University. OMA is an intergenerational art program for people with dementia, improving their physical and psychological well-being through creative expression. Kana was also producing much of her own artwork in Richmond in 2019. She was featured in a Black Lives Matter showcase; PAIN-tings Art Gala; Intersectional Wonder Woman Vol. 2 Truthsayer at Studio Two-Three; the Richmond Night Market; and in the Gallery at First UU and in their 54th Annual Arts and Crafts Show. She worked as a server and artist instructor at Richmond’s Muse Paint Bar. Kana’s work was also featured in the Environment at Risk Art Exhibit, an all-media exhibit at Project Space Gallery in Richmond addressing the environmental risks and climate change impacts faced in Virginia.

“The majority of my work are depictions of women of color, and my views as a Black woman. I enjoy exploring my use of color within my pieces. I want people to experience my visions through the arts with me.” This dignity of self-possession against the status quo animates Kana’s work and the personal values from which she paints.

In this Atlanta-based magazine, Kana speaks about her community in Norwalk.

I have to give a big thanks to my village in Norwalk, Connecticut. That includes my family, friends, teachers, mentors, community center (Carver Foundation of Norwalk) and people that made a way for themselves and always came back to share it with us.

She shares more about her entrepreneurial journey, art, and personal mission.

My entrepreneurial journey contains many different business ventures all connect by art! This includes maternity paintings, murals, logos, clothing art, and more. I love to indulge in different ways to create because there are no limits and always new mediums to explore in the process. When creating, it doesn’t feel like work but more as a therapy. It has helped me to see time in a different light and respect it. I am known for my exploration of color within my pieces. I specialize in creating depictions of women/women of color and my views as a black woman. It has become another way to tell my story and other stories that have not been heard. My goals and purpose are what sets me aside from others. I use my artistic abilities not only to create but heal and tell stories through testimonial works. I hope to keep the movement going by sharing and giving others an outlet to express and learn more about themselves. As another form of communication and rehabilitation.

Kana was a Carver kid growing-up in Norwalk. She attended our after-school and summer programs. Her college choices were inspired by participating in Carver’s spring 10-day college tours, often visiting HBCU schools. Kana also worked as a Carver summer camp counselor from 2013 to 2017. Kana received Carver college scholarship support.

Kana offers this advice to today’s Carver youth: “Do the things that scare you and if you fail, don’t be afraid to try again.”