Arts Experiences

Anna Becker: Becker is the executive director of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, best known as the presenter of Art-A-Whirl, the largest arts open studio tour in the nation. She holds a BA with double majors in English and studio art from the University of Minnesota, and a mini MBA in nonprofit management from the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.; Jennifer Dieter: Dieter is the owner of Jennifer Dieter Consulting LLC She leverages her more than 20 years of nonprofit experience, primarily in fund development, to help organizations maximize their resources by raising money in an effective, sustainable way. Prior to her transition to consulting, Dieter was the inaugural development director at Achieve Services. She served on the Association of Fundraising Professionals board of directors and education committee and participates in the Community Centric Fundraising movement. Dieter has a BA in philosophy from Lawrence University (Appleton, WI).; Nathan Hanson: Hanson is a saxophonist and composer who has performed at music festivals in Europe and the United States. With grants from New Music America and the Minnesota State Arts Board, Hanson has launched solo projects that explore how space interacts with sound. He investigates how to channel the sound of each unique performance space. The energy of the audience circulates with the music, and the effect leads listeners to become more present to the unfolding of each moment.; Lona Hendricks: Hendricks volunteers full-time with Carver County Public Health's Communities of Belonging team, Cologne Community Gardens, the Girl Scouts, and with her local elementary school on their diversity and inclusion parent advisory council. Previously, she worked in the social work field as a case manager and manager in the housing and supportive services departments of nonprofits located in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Hendricks graduated from Concordia College with a BA in religion.; Wendy Lane: Lane is retired from working twenty-five years in human resources. She was the human resources manager at Walker Art Center, director at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and senior consultant at the University of Minnesota. She has previously served on the boards of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Forecast Public Art. She is a visual artist and author. She holds a BA in arts administration from Metro State University and a MFA in visual art from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.; Nicole Montana: Montana is a Minneapolis based writer, editor, and instructor. Her nonfiction writing has most recently appeared in Shenandoah Magazine and The Spectacle. She is a recipient of a Ricardo Salinas Scholarship for her participation in Aspen Words Summer Words 2022 program and received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant for her memoir-in-progress, Stay Where I Can See You. Montana serves on the board of directors for Green Card Voices, a multimedia storytelling organization dedicated to immigrant voices. She currently teaches writing at the University of Minnesota. She received her MFA in nonfiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY).; Cole Perry: Perry is a writer living in rural northern Minnesota. His work has received awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, and the Loft Literary Center.; Louise Waakaa'igan: Waakaa'igan's first collection of poetry, This Is Where, was published in 2020. She is an enrolled tribal member in Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe. She is currently serving on the board of directors for We Are All Criminals. Waakaa'igan is proud to serve and work alongside allies for the betterment of and for Indigenous peoples.; Becky Wilkinson Hauser: Wilkinson Hauser is an improviser and performing artist in Minneapolis. She's appeared in numerous productions over the last thirteen years. She served as the artistic director of HUGE Theater and the managing director of the Brave New Workshop Student Union.; Jacinta Zens, Zens is a socially engaged artist with more than 20 years of experience in the arts. She focuses on community engagement, public art, and music. Zens's process and approach have been as a social practitioner in greater Minnesota. Most recently, Zens coproduced the ?Ralph's Corner Bar? exhibit at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, which won the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums Best Exhibit Award