Creative Individuals-Round 1

Robert Dickinson: Dickinson is an oil painter and a passionate advocate for the arts. He has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Minnesota State University, Mankato where he studied under Brian Frink. Dickinson has a deep understanding of the creative process and knows firsthand the importance of grants in an artist's goals. During his time at Mankato State, he organized and managed a university club dedicated to writing art grant proposals, which allowed him to develop skills in reviewing grant applications. He is also an active member of the local arts community in Mankato, volunteers at local galleries, and exhibits his paintings around town and the surrounding area.; Deborah Hoven: Hoven has a master?s degree in elementary education and is a retired kindergarten/preschool/ first grade teacher, having taught for 40 years. Currently, after writing and illustrating three children?s picture books, she gives author talks in elementary schools. Hoven has also been a featured speaker at the College of Saint Benedict, Southwest State, Fergus Falls Community College, Thief River Northland College, and young authors/young writers conferences for the past five years. She also teaches classes for children in the summer at the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria.; Heidi Newbauer: Newbauer is a freelance writer, editor, English instructor in the Mankato area, and teaching artist for The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. She holds a MA in English literature, with a concentration on holocaust memoirs, from Minnesota State University, Mankato; and recently finished a graduate certificate in holocaust and genocide studies. She was awarded a $1,000 professional development grant from the Modern Language Association and has successfully helped artists with various grant applications. She has served as a judge for the Minnesota Book Awards and cocreated client, author, and program events for Iron Range Resources, Affiance Financial, South Central College, and Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has taught writing for fourteen years to all ages and levels and finds the creative process and our voices to be an intersectional place of empowerment and vitality.; Laura Nuckols: Nuckols is a poetry editor for the nonprofit publication Prison Journalism Project and a screenwriting candidate in UC Riverside's Palm Desert MFA program. They are a returning Minnesota State Arts Board grant program advisor and a graduate of creative writing programs at Perpich Center for Arts Education and Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH).; Reyna Rios-Starr: Rios is a trailblazer in the Minnesota filmmaking industry, utilizing her talents as an actor, producer, and founder of Independent Film Minnesota, to make a significant impact and shape the future of the industry. Rios remains committed to pushing artistic boundaries and championing meaningful stories. Her diverse range of passions fuels her creativity and enriches her work.; Megan Tsui: Tsui serves as the executive director of Red Wing Downtown Main Street, where public art is a transformational strategy of the highest priority. Tsui graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in small business management and entrepreneurship and has a master?s degree from St. Mary's University in organizational leadership. Tsui has successfully led boards and community volunteer groups by being strategic, action oriented, and visionary.