Where ART creates change.

Our Founder

Zarinah Lomax

Zarinah Lomax born and raised in Philadelphia, PA is an Award-Winning Talk Show Host, Producer, Author, Curator, Entrepreneur and Communal Activist. Through her story as a rape survivor, losing a father to the prison system at 17, and lost of a family member to gun violence she created her award winning tv show in 2015 (currently called The Zarinah Lomax Show) nominated for episodes interviewing families who lost their children to violence while helping many heal who have suffered from rape, abuse, rejection and more.

In March of 2018, Dominique Ogelsby was gunned down on 52nd market that shifted her entire approach to life. She made a promise to Dominique’s mother, her dear friend Danielle, that she would never let Dominique’s name die. With that Zarinah created The Apologues October 2018.

The Apologues is a fashion and art exhibit that tells the stories of slain victims and survivors through fashion, music and art. Here Zarinah alongside local and national artists and muralists humanize the emotions of those lost through violence and those left behind using the arts.

Since 2015, Zarinah has successfully used the arts to tell the stories of hundreds of victims, co-victims and survivors, through art and media. She also helped thousands receive mental health resources and therapy through the exhibitions, art therapy and communal work building rapport within the community through her efforts to the effects of trauma impacting her community.

Her exhibition “We Are Here” Stories of Expressions and Healing located at City Hall summer 2022 attracted local and national attention around her art exhibit around the world. She also has an exhibit inside of State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta’s office, a weekly art therapy for at-risk youth ages 12-21, a traveling art exhibit which has expanded to partnerships with schools and universities and chapters in cities such as Chicago and Miami, Dc, New York, Atlanta and more, and an art center opening Summer 2024. The Apologues is now being created into a healing center incorporating art therapy and mental health resources alongside an interactive art museum.

Zarinah has been seen on Fox 29, KYW Radio, South Philly Review, The Inquirer, WHYY, The Q Show, Good Day Philadelphia, Revive Radio, WURD Radio, Phillycam, Radio One, IheartRadio Cheyney University, Drexel University and More.

She has received a great deal of communal and media awards from Phillycam, Mothers in Charge, City and State Pa Top 40 under 40 in 2023, Kenyatta Johnson, Senator Street, The Scoop Media, CDVS Phila, The City and more.

What is The Apologues?

The Apologues is a fashion, music and art exhibit that uses the arts to assist individuals in healing, empowering themselves, and advocating against gun violence and trauma that plague urban communities. The Apologues honors the emotions of untreated trauma through the realm of storytelling to trigger healing. We do this through the combination of self portraits of victims, co-victims and survivors, wearable art and musical experiences combined, humanizing the emotions of those left to heal after loss while connecting families and attendees to mental health and community resources, art therapy and one another.

What we do.

Using self portraits or interpretive pieces to humanize the emotions of slain victims, co-victims and survivors of gun violence, rape and trauma.
These bi-monthly art, fashion, music experiences provide a platform for affected families to share their stories fostering empathy and empowerment in the community using the arts.
A 12 week art therapy program called Art heals in partnership with servicing students through youth programs within the community. Art Heals pairs trauma-informed art therapy facilitators with the family members of gun violence victims to help them process their emotions, build resiliency, and prevent the cycle of violence from continuing through 4 genres of art of spoken word, radio, painting and photography.
Psychotherapy sessions that aims to help people manage mental health conditions and/or cope with negative experiences and behaviors due to loss and trauma through the arts.