We first met Ms. Nandi through the SPACES Artist in Residence program in 2015, and she quickly became a trusted advisor to The Village staff, students, and community members. She acted as a mentor for women in re-entry with the People’s Paper Co-op and served as a fellow for our 2021 campus-wide exhibition, Staying Power.

We created the Elder Fellow position for Ms. Nandi as a way to honor, support, and formalize Ms. her leadership role within The Village and to create a pathway for other community members in the future to step into a formalized advising capacity. In this role, she attended Village staff meetings and held regular office hours for community members and staff to consult with her at our community storefront. She hosted arts-and-crafts evenings for local families and advised Village projects. Ms. Nandi offered a unique, grounding perspective to our planning conversations, rooted in decades of community care and staying power within the community.

Ms. Nandi passed away in March 2023. We remember her as a beloved teacher, artist, chef, wife, mother and grandmother, and friend to our community. You can learn more about Ms. Nandi’s incredible legacy here and how The Village community gathered to celebrate her life here.