Creative Support for Individuals-Round 2

Lynne Beck: Beck has a career as a secondary English and French teacher and nonprofit development worker. Beck is a development consultant for Park Square Theatre. She frequently serves on grant review panels for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the Arts Board. As a community volunteer, Beck has served on boards and committees. She has a BA from Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA), and a MA from the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul.; Kristina Bigalk: Bigalk is a writer who serves as director of creative writing at Normandale Community College, coordinating the AFA degree program and the certificate program. Bigalk is a two time recipient of Arts Board individual artist grants in poetry. She is the author of two poetry collections, Repeat the Flesh in Numbers and Enough, both published by NYQ Books, and her work appears in multiple anthologies and literary magazines. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University (Mankato), an MA in creative writing from Florida State University, and a BA in English from Drake University. She serves on the boards of The Association of Writers and Writing Programs and Rain Taxi Review of Books.; Harold Cropp: Cropp is in his 30th season at the Commonweal Theatre, where he serves as producing artistic director, as well as director, playwright, and actor. Cropp holds a BA from Brown University, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and an MFA from the National Theater Conservatory. He was the Ordway?s Sally Irvine Award winner for Initiative in 2006. He has served on the Lanesboro City Council, Lanesboro Economic Development Authority, and is currently on the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors.; Christi Furnas: Furnas, a self-taught graphic novelist, illustrator, and oil painter, has been working and showing in the Twin Cities for 27 years. During this time, Furnas has exhibited in venues including the Soo Visual Arts Center, Rochester Arts Center, and Regla De Oro Gallery. Additionally, she spent nine years working as a peer support specialist for Avivo?s ArtWorks program supporting other artists living with severe and persistent mental illness. As a 2016 Arts Board Artist Initiative grant recipient, she has focused on graphic narrative, selling mini comics locally, nationally and internationally.; Karen Grasmon: Grasmon is communications director at Southwest Initiative Foundation. She develops and manages an annual communications budget and plan, with a focus on brand and strategy positioning, advertising, regional events, and public relations. She recently coordinated Hutchinson?s first ever Welcoming Week event. She is a past chair of RiverSong Music Festival and has been a musician in several Minnesota churches. She received a BA in English literature and communications from Concordia College in Moorhead.; Suzanne Legatt: Legatt is an artist, educator, and community organizer. Legatt is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead and Utah State University, as well as a former intern of Anderson Ranch Arts Center. She has taught photography, digital media, and professional development courses at Lake Superior College, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and North Dakota State University, and a wide variety of workshops throughout the U. S. Legatt?s work examines the cultural and historical aspects of the rapidly evolving culture of rural Minnesota. As arts and culture commissioner for the city of Moorhead, Legatt works with legislators and local artists.; Nicholas Linell: Linell is the office and memberships manager at the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota, an early childhood education nonprofit in Mankato. Linell volunteers as the vice chair of the board at the Waseca Art Center. He graduated summa cum laude from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a BS in psychology and certificate in museum studies, and presented original research in installation art and human sensation and perception.; Jennifer O'Byrne manages local outreach and engagement efforts for Twin Cities PBS (TPT) STEM media and education department. She leads professional development for STEM educators and professionals across Minnesota to advance computer science through a partnership with Code.org. She also implements educational programming in formal and informal learning spaces throughout the upcoming school year for educators, administrators, and parents. O?Bryne has more than seven years of experience in education and youth development as special education teacher and advisor in both New York and Minnesota. She also produced events at TPT for five years and has more than 20 years working in professional theater as an IATSE wardrobe supervisor and an AEA stage manager on tour throughout the U. S., as well as in Minnesota and New York City.