Creative Individuals-Round 2

Cheryl Avenel-Navara: Avenel-Navara is a retired counselor. She took advantage of participating in tours lead by art instructors to Paris, Rome and Ireland where she saw and learned about not only the masters but also the process of making art. Currently, she chairs the Worthington Public Arts Commission and represents Nobles County on the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council board where she reviews grant applications. Recently, she participated in a joint meeting of the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council in Worthington. She is a consumer of all types of art.; Charvis Harrell: A third-generation mason, Harrell had only enough time for art as a hobby until June 2004. At twenty-eight, Harrell was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a disease that produces polyps within various organs in the body. Since then, Harrell has built up a body of works that have been chosen for national juried competitions, university shows, and solo tours.?His works are represented internationally through Cabinet39 in Flanders, Belgium. ; Karen McCray: McCray is the PhD and certificate programs coordinator for the school of nursing at the University of Minnesota, where they work with students from admissions through graduation. They work with faculty to review applications for admission following the school's holistic review process, McCray was previously the disability support coordinator for DigiPen Institute of Technology. They graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in history and a music minor as well as earning a BFA in interior design from Design Institute of San Diego. Most recently they volunteered with the Seattle Symphonic Band on the planning committee.; Danielle Moeller: Moeller is currently self-employed outside of the arts, but she is a hobbyist artist in her free time. She has a bachelor of science degree in art education from Mankato and a juris doctorate degree from the University of South Dakota (Vermillion, SD). She has volunteered for a local mural and served as an artist for the "Going Hog Wild in Martin County" project. Moeller is the recipient of a Prairie Lakes Reginal Arts Council grant, has won numerous awards for her art, and has a handful of works throughout the community as well as across the country.; Tyra Payer: Payer is a member of Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. They are a Two Spirit storyteller, writer, and maker. Over the last five years, Payer has led communications at both Native and nonNative nonprofit organizations. As a storyteller, they are energized by meeting and supporting Native artists and changemakers. ; Jason Umentum: Born and raised near the shores of Lake Michigan in Green Bay, WI, Umentum currently lives in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis. His fifteen years working in various nonprofit arts, corporate strategy, and inclusion roles have served as a foundation to teach and use creative arts to explore consciousness, truth, and purpose. He's currently serving as an enameling and metal fabrication resident at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, where he's also learning how to be a public artist. His ever expanding list of favorite media includes encaustic, paper marbling, paper mache, paint, and fabric. Umentum uses creativity to engage in healing and exploration of the mysterious corners of our inner and outer worlds.