Creative Individuals-Round 1

Daniela Bianchini: Bianchini is a self-employed, full-time, public artist. She is passionate about helping other artists find the means to express themselves and create. She has previously reviewed grant applications for several agencies and enjoys the process. She worked as a legal assistant for many years while building her artistic career. She is now able to dedicate herself to her art practice on a full-time basis and gives back to the community while teaching community education classes.; Kira Bunkholt: Bunkholt is a writer, educator, and organizer in Saint Paul, where they work on the RC Youth Advisory Council and as an intern at Graywolf Press. They graduated from American University with a BA in transcultural literature and education and have held many volunteer and work positions involved in creating literary communities, hosting art events, and increasing access to political education.; Samuel Easterson: Easterson is an award winning video artist with more than a decade of experience collecting wildlife imagery for museum, Web, and television venues. Past venues include the Whitney Museum of American Art (Biennial), the Exploratorium, dOCUMENTA (13), Discovery Channel, the International Center of Photography, The Learning Channel, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Late Show With David Letterman (CBS), MASS MoCA, MTV, the Walker Art Center, and Animal Planet, among others. Easterson has received grants/awards including the Louis Comfort Tiffany prize, Creative Capital grant, Margaret Hall Silva Foundation grant, Durfee grant, and Yellow Fox Foundation grant, among others. Easterson is a graduate of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City.; Jennifer Gorman: Gorman is the founder of Give Back Studio and The Night Makers Market, and is a freelance media program manager. She previously was the program coordinator for an art program that supported artists with disabilities. She has a background and education in art therapy and counseling and has worked with children in a psychiatric residential setting as an art therapist. She graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk, VA) with a MS in art therapy and counseling, has a BA in studio art from the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA). Gorman serves on the board of Northern Community Radio and CoHaus, and is a commissioner on the Grand Rapids Arts and Culture Commission.; Paul Hustoles: Hustoles, now retired, served as chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Minnesota State University, Mankato for 35 years, where he also was artistic director of Highland Summer Theatre from 1985 to 2020. Hustoles received his BFA from Wayne State University, his MA from the University of Michigan, and his PhD from Texas Tech University. He has directed more than 237 theater productions and produced more than 625 shows in his career. A distinguished faculty scholar of MSU, Hustoles was appointed by Governor Walz to serve on the board of the Perpich Center for Arts Education through 2026.; Julie Johnson: Johnson is a professional grant consultant. She has been a member of the Grants Professional Association since 2014. She earned her grant professional certification (GPC) in 2019. She has a BA in English from Winona State University. Johnson?s cultural work includes current grant proposal writing for arts and cultural organizations, Winona Film Society board of directors member from 1993-2008, Great River Shakespeare Festival public relations manager from 2006-2008, Friends of the Winona Public Library vice president from 2014-2018.; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: McReynolds is retired and lives in Virginia. She holds a BS degree in psychology and a MA in environmental studies from Bemidji State University. Her past work as a planner includes a city planner at Bloomington, IN, and an environmental planner at St. Louis County Environmental Services in Virginia. She worked as a volunteer and board member with Laurentian Arts and Culture Alliance, as gallery coordinator at The First Stage Gallery, then after retirement as executive director for the Lyric Center for the Arts. McReynolds is a past Minnesota State Arts Board member and currently serves on the board of Sod House Theater and on its finance committee. She is also a founding board member and vice president/ treasurer of Stages of the Range Players theater company where she obtained the organization?s 501(c)(3) status and helps seek funding through grant writing and crowd sourced fund raising. From 2016 to 2019, she facilitated the creative communities focus group as a part of Recharge the Range, an initiative of the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation. Other initiatives McReynolds initiated or lead include: ReVive Virginia, a downtown business group; Virginia Market Square farmer?s market; developing an interactive map of artists, arts organizations and galleries with Iron Range Tourism Bureau; and First Thursdays QC Art Walk with ReVive Virginia. McReynolds is the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council's 2017 Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award recipient. She is also a weaver, painter, and writer.; Nicole Montana: Montana is a recipient of a Ricardo Salinas Scholarship for her participation in Aspen Words Summer Words 2022 Program. She received a Minnesota State Arts Board 2020 Artist Initiative grant for her memoir in progress Stay Where I Can See You. Her nonfiction writing has most recently appeared in The Spectacle. She serves on the board of directors for Green Card Voices, a nonprofit 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).