Arts Experiences

Daniela Bianchini: Bianchini was born and raised in Argentina. She was given the opportunity to come to the United States and fell in love with Minnesota. She has lived here for the past 24 years and considers it her home. Bianchini worked as an artist with several mediums until she fell in love with mosaics. Her goal is to bring art to the community, and she has been dedicated to her public art practice for more than a decade. ; Kayla Boeckman: Boeckman is a practicing artist who exhibits in galleries and art fairs. She facilitates meditative art sessions throughout her community to help members use art to facilitate wellness. She graduated from Saint Cloud State University with a BFA in painting. Boeckman was a grant reviewer for the Central Minnesota Arts Board's Artist Career Development grant and is vice president of the Fine Arts Now Club for Holdingford High School. ; Susan Foss: Foss is the creator and CEO of the 501(c)(3) Minnesota Goose Garden. She also serves on the 210 Gallery and Art Center board and is a grant writer. She is a lifelong artist specializing in sculpture. She has served on several grant review panels and received grants from the East Central Regional Art Center and the Minnesota State Arts Board. She graduated from Holy Names Academy (Seattle, WA) with four years of art training.; Rebecca Heist: Heist founded and directed the dance program in the Theater and Dance Department of Macalester College from 1980 to 2015. Her responsibilities included hiring staff and guest artists, handling the budget, producing one to two concerts yearly, choreographing with student dancers, and collaborating with the theater faculty. She taught modern dance technique, composition, and dance film. Heist received acceptance and awards from several festivals for her work in dance for the camera. Upon retiring, she joined the Christopher Watson Dance Company as a choreographer and dancer. Heist has acted as an artistic advisor to Watson and assisted him with administrative tasks. Her involvement with this company is ongoing.; Darryl Murphy: Murphy is the chief creative officer for Black Wolf Press LLC, specializing in creative image capture processes to assist artists in telling their stories. Murphy has experience in governmental and business administration and seeks to extend his experience gained through collaboration. Murphy has served the Minnesota State Arts Board as both a panelist and artistic evaluator and has won minor awards for his photography. Murphy graduated from Anoka-Ramsey Community College with an AA degree in photography and a minor in business communication. ; Penny Perry: Perry has owned and operated Perry Framing and Stained Glass for 46 years, providing conservation framing and restoration of art, antiques, and stained glass. She has served on the Duluth Public Arts Commission, Duluth Poet Laureate Project, Lake Superior Old Time Fiddle Contest, and currently manages and curates art exhibits at Zeitgeist Arts. ; Dacia Sjolund: Sjolund's first job in high school was spending summers working for the Jaques Art Center. She now has a BA in entertainment design with a concentration in animation. She also minored in art history and assisted in designing video games for clients during her studies as a lead artist. Sjolund has illustrated a children's book, had an animation show at the Mall of America, and volunteered at Minnesota elementary schools to teach kids about arts and illustration. Her work as an artist has involved volunteering to create art raffles to raise funds for different charities.