Hello awesome Altered Esthetics friends and supporters,
Believe it or not, our 8th birthday is quickly approaching! If Ae was a third grader, we’d be learning our multiplication tables and how to write our name in cursive.
Around this time of year, we usually begin planning our spring anniversary party and fundraiser – making preparations and soliciting donations for a silent auction and raffle. But the fundraising committee decided to do things a little bit differently this year.
Five years ago when we were awarded our nonprofit status we had a tiny starting board, a very tired founder (me) and a vision and hope for sustainability. Fast forward to 2012, and after a lot of hard work we now have a board made up of EIGHTEEN people who are professionals, art lovers and non-profit enthusiasts. So instead of inviting you to participate in just a fundraiser, we thought it was high time you were formally introduced to the absolutely amazing board of Altered Esthetics.
Altered Esthetics is entirely volunteer driven, and the board is a working, role-based board: everybody has a different specialty and contributes something towards keeping the organization growing. Last year our team contributed over 5,000 hours! Each board member serves a three year term, and trains in their successor.
Before I begin these introductions – I should give you a little disclaimer. The introductions you read here are crafted by me, rather than the individual members themselves (and the pictures are from facebook and LinkedIn.) My hope is that you’ll get to see the board members as I see them – a group of awesome, quirky, wonderful creative people that I’m so very lucky to work with!
First on the list is Clint Carlson – IT/New Media Director. Clint is one of our newest members. In addition to working with a lot of nonprofits on their website and media needs, he’s also the Interactive Marketing Consultant & Web Developer at Best Buy.
Hanna Jungbauer is our Outreach Coordinator, a new position added in 2011. She’s one of the most outgoing and vivacious members, which makes her a great candidate for increasing Ae’s presence at various Twin Cities events, from the MIX Comics Expo to Red Hot Arts.
Jenna Theis is our Gallery Director. Not only does she make sure the day-to-day operations are fluid, she also works with our Gallery Director interns, helping give them hands-on experience in running a nonprofit arts organization.
Amber White is our Exhibitions Director – quite possibly the busiest person on our board! In addition to managing our robust schedule of 14 exhibits a year, she also co-chairs the group exhibitions committee and works with our Curatorial Interns as they learn the nuances of exhibitions. An incredibly talented artist herself, she understands the importance of creating a professional, welcoming showing environment and works tirelessly to give artists the best experience possible.
Kari Schuster is our Volunteer and Intern Coordinator. Warm and welcoming to the interns and volunteers that come through our doors, she matches them up with the right fit for their needs and passions and helps make sure their experience is worthwhile.
Cassie Pupovac, Education Director, helped reinstate workshops to Ae’s regular programming – and she did a fantastic job! She helped create a warm and open community of drawing regulars for “Suit Up,” our monthly costumed drawing event. She also helped coordinate our first framing and educational workshops for artists!
James Powell, an incredibly talented illustrator, had been showing at Ae for a few years before he decided he wanted to get more involved. He is currently stepping into the role of Development Director, and is helping coordinate our spring anniversary event. So if you come and have a good time, be sure to thank him and say “hi!”
Pati Hibbard is our board secretary. Incredibly involved with the Twin Cities community, she helps connect Ae to our friends on the St. Paul side, as well as at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the American Crafts Council.
Lahli Trevis is our incoming Volunteer and Intern Coordinator. Exceptionally organized and always willing to help, Lahli created an awesome training manual for interns as they step through the program!
Noelle Bakken has been serving on the Ae board for over four years, and has helped the organization with everything from accounting, to artist outreach, to exhibitions. Not only is she an absolute joy to work with, she’s incredibly supportive of her fellow board members and the organization overall.
Janelle Doyle is our brand-newest board member, and she’s bringing a whole slew of energy and expertise to the Education Director role. We’re excited for her to join the board, and excited for the work that she and Cassie will be doing together in 2012, her first year!
Kate Johnson is our Solo Exhibitions Director and possibly one of the most organized people I’ve ever met! Along with Amber and Summer, she helped get our solo exhibitions program running, and her engagement was critical in establishing new Ae partnerships and supporting emerging artists throughout the program.
Cris T. Halverson – board chair extraordinaire. Cris, also a working artist, had the difficult task of being the first board chair to follow me after founding the organization. His leadership helped transition the organization fluidly, and his work on committees and board structure is helping re-engage board members and move the organization to the next level.
Miles Johnson is our new Artists Relations Director. He’ll be working over the next few years to help support and serve our favorite people – artists! He comes to Ae with a experience in both fine arts and nonprofits – and we’re so grateful he’s joined the board!
Suzanne Pfutzenreuter is our Design Director. Over the past two years, she has helped solidify Ae’s visual branding and identity tremendously. In addition to being a talented designer, Suzanne is above-and-beyond helpful and super fun to work with.
Lupi McGinty, our Communications Director, helps get the word out about our shows, as well as getting our newsletters out to the masses. She’s also a talented comic artist, writing and illustrating for a number of local and national endeavors.
Summer Scharringhausen is our exiting Gallery Director, and she also sits on the Board Development committee. Her guidance and leadership helped shape the working board we have and her insight has been critical to our sustainability as an organization.
And then there’s me – Jamie Schumacher. (j-me) Nonprofit and arts advocate, spontaneous hugger, and an incredibly proud fellow board member of Altered Esthetics.
So there you have it. How are we able to do so much on such a modest budget? We have amazing people on our board that work hard to make a little go a long way.
I hope that you’re able to join us on April 21st, 2012 for a night of fun, games, and conversation. Come meet our board, be grateful along with us for awesome creative people, and celebrate a wonderful eight years of serving the arts community.
Creatively yours and on behalf of the Ae board,
Jamie Schumacher
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