Arts Experiences

Siena Forest: Forest is an opera singer, producer, consultant, teaching artist, and founder of OOPS MN, a nonprofit that coproduces projects with musical artists. She has performed with Minnesota Opera, Lyric Opera of the North, Lyric Opera Kansas City, International Mozart Festival, Central City Opera, Yale University, Mill City Summer Opera, and Skylark Opera Theatre, to name a few. Forest was previously the managing director of Out of the Box Opera and served on the board of LOFTrecital. She graduated from Indiana University with a master?s degree in vocal performance.; Carol Hough: Hough writes original, educational plays for children. As an artist with disabilities, she has led multiple artist residencies producing her plays starring disabled students. She presented a webinar for the Kennedy Center called ?Underdogs in the Spotlight? and does public speaking on the need for accessibility, inclusivity, and visibility in the arts and beyond. She received a Career Development Grant from the Lake Region Arts Council in 2021 that supported a performance of her play, Vineyard Adventures. In 2021, she became a Rural Regenerator Fellow with Springboard for the Arts. In 2022, Hough received a Creative Support for Individuals grant that supported performances of her play, Meadow Adventures. Hough became a Minnesota Upstream Fellow and enjoyed a Hinge residency with Springboard for the Arts in 2022. In 2023, a grant from Forecast Public Art supported performances of her play, Berry Farm Adventures. A grant from The Arts Partnership is supporting her current work in progress, Butterfly Garden Adventures. ; Robert Kohlmeyer: In 2017, Kohlmeyer retired from a career in finance/consulting and committed himself full-time to ceramic arts. He is currently a studio artist based out of the Northern Clay Center. In the past, he has provided consultation and guidance to a wide array of organizations in including some nonprofit firms.; Anna Peter: Peter is an artist and painter based in Minneapolis. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in global studies. She has a background in nonprofit work, with focuses on immigration services and refugee resettlement. Peter has professional experience working as an artist assistant painting murals with a local artist and previously held a studio in the Northrup King building Northeast Minneapolis.; Kristin Prestegaard: Prestegaard is an executive nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, audience engagement, branding, strategic content creation, and community relations. She has a keen ability to identify innovative, scalable solutions that maximize growth opportunities, and she?s highly skilled at building successful, results oriented teams. She builds breakthrough marketing and communications strategies that maximize awareness and drive revenue while authentically engaging with audiences where they already are, and she?s passionate about shaping brands that compel audience trust and loyalty.; Sara Tan: Tan is the executive director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra. She currently serves as a board member of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and is a member of the Bloomington Noon Rotary Club. She has worked at the Detroit Symphony, Playhouse Square Center (Cleveland, OH), and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She holds a BM in music education from Concordia College in Moorhead and a master of arts in organizational leadership from Bethel University.