Arts Experiences

Susan Audette: Audette is a continuous improvement consultant for an experiential advertising agency. Prior to this, she consulted with businesses seeking certification to sell responsibly sourced forestry products. Audette?s work includes evaluations related to international standards, as well as working in or lobbying three different state legislatures (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas) on public policy. She has a BS in applied art (painting and sculpture), a MA in education policy, and plays the piano in her free time.; Margaret Kelly: Peggy was born and raised in International Falls, MN. She returned to the community in 2021 after living MI, WI, Mpls and KS over 47 years. Peggy is a retired Social Worker and not-for-profit executive. She worked in healthcare, state government and with the Kansas Head Start Association over her career. Peggy grew up in a musical family and has been active in music throughout her life. She is a vocalist, plays the violin and guitar. Peggy curates and hosts the Open Range Concerts - up north concert series in International Falls. The series brings professional acoustic performers to the community for intimate, listening room style concerts.; Lynette Reini-Grandell: Reini-Grandell teaches at Normandale Community College and is the author of Wild Things: A Trans-Glam-Punk-Rock Love Story as well as two collections of poetry. She performs poetry with the jazz collective Sonoglyph. A long-time participant in Minnesota?s arts community, as a volunteer programmer, she cohosted ?Write On! Radio? on KFAI for more than 25 years, interviewing local and nationally touring authors about their work. She has received grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Finlandia Foundation, has an MA and PhD from the University of Minnesota, and her poetry is part of a permanent installation at the Carlton Arms Art Hotel in Manhattan.; Alison Ruth: Ruth is the artistic and advancement associate at the Jungle Theater, helping to shape both the artistic programming and development strategies at the Jungle. She graduated from the University of Iowa with an MFA in dramaturgy and NYU with a BA in English.; Phaedre Sanders: Sanders was born in Saint Paul. She grew up in the Rondo neighborhood and has lived in both the Como and Midway neighborhoods. She currently works in finance but enjoys many different art forms in her spare time. Sanders is analytical but balances that side by serving as a grant reviewer and evaluator during the previous fiscal year, is on the board of a real estate cooperative, and participates in the planning and organization of a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) college tour.