Arts Education

Joy Christenson: Christenson spent 28 years teaching art in public schools. She has a master's degree from St. Mary's University. In 2018, she served on the committee updating the Minnesota arts education standards. She has also written and completed grants, including a project grant. She recently retired from teaching and is working on her own artwork.; Charles Matson Lume: Matson Lume is a visual artist who believes that, like William Carlos Williams, ?it is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.? He has received fellowships/grants from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Bush Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Matson Lume has participated in artist residencies located in Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and the U. S. He holds a MFA and a MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in psychology from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). Matson Lume has had many mentors, one of which was poet Gustaf Sobin, who taught him art is not a noun, but a verb, and the loveliest sounds arise from the deepest silence. Matson Lume has taught art at the university level since 1996 and currently is a professor of art at the School of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin-Stout.; Jennifer O'Byrne: O'Byrne is a program manager committed to community care, education, storytelling, events, and mission driven outreach with a career spanning education, public media, and arts spaces. During her eight years at TPT - Twin Cities PBS she produced hundreds of public, private, and virtual events; designed professional development and education event curriculum; and facilitated formal and informal learning spaces for educators, administrators, children, parents, leaders, and community members. She was a special education teacher in New York City and Minnesota for seven years. Previously, she produced corporate events and worked in professional theater as a wardrobe supervisor and stage manager for Broadway, off-Broadway, and touring productions. O'Byrne holds a master of science degree in special education from Long Island University (Brooklyn, NY) and a bachelor's degree in theater and English from Hamline University.; Anika Sieh: Sieh currently works at MPLSART.COM as an assistant project coordinator, where she communicates with local galleries, lists gallery events, and assists with general administration. In the past, she has worked with organizations like the Minnetonka Center for the Arts as a registrar, and Caponi Art Park as an art educator and tour guide. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with an independently designed bachelor of arts focused on creating a responsible art practice through representation, accessibility, sustainability, and functionality.