Libby Meyer is a composer whose work reflects the natural rhythms and patterns of the world around her. Her music has been commissioned and performed throughout the world. Libby has served as composer-in-residence at Isle Royale National Park, the Bunnell Arts Center in Homer, Alaska, the University of Tasmania and the Visby International Centre for Composers. She is the Michigan Delegate to the International Society for Contemporary Music. Libby earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Northwestern University. Her music is published by Alias Press and distributed worldwide by Theodore Presser and can be found on her website at http://www.libbymeyermusic.com/

Oscar Mireles is a Latino arts leader, poet, and cultural organizer based in Wisconsin. He is the founder and director of Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD), a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to Latino arts and culture. Mireles served as Madison’s Poet Laureate (2016–2020) and has spent over four decades promoting Latino literature, artists, and community-based cultural programming across the Midwest. He currently serves on the boards of the Overture Center, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin. Mireles previously served as Vice President of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMOCA), regional arts agency Arts Midwest, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

Chelsea Monaghan is a self-taught artist and muralist from Michigan creating work under the name Sawftsea. Over the past ten years, she has developed a distinct style of colorful, illustrative artwork designed to transform public spaces into inviting new worlds. Monaghan also works with local artists and organizations in creating posters, merch, album covers, and logos. Most recently, she has begun to organize art exhibitions and lead specialized workshops designed to teach young artists in the Upper Peninsula.

Tiina Morin has over 35 years of experience in arts and culture. Since 2010 she has been the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Manager. In that time, she facilitated a ten-year Arts and Culture Master Plan, established its first Public Art Policy and has overseen countless major public art and cultural projects for the City. She also led the initial efforts in the creation of the Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance and served on its board. Previously, she worked as an educator at the Marquette Regional History Center and the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, where she co-designed the nation’s first Children’s Museum of Immigration. A former performing artist, Morin co-founded Chicago’s first Contact Improvisation Dance Company and has taught creative movement and world dance. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Michigan State University.

Ronald J. Paquin is an Ojibwa traditional artist and author from St. Ignace, MI.  Nationally recognized and awarded for birch bark canoe making, birch bark containers, black ash baskets and other original art.  Dedicated to passing down his knowledge to others through apprenticeships and workshops.

Molly Paquin is a museum and nonprofit professional with more than 40 years of experience in cultural and community organizations. She has served as Executive Director of the Michilimackinac Historical Society and Director of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture as well roles with the Mason County Historical Society’s White Pine Village, the Rose Hawley Museum in Ludington, and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven. Her career also includes museum curation, nonprofit leadership, community development, and historical research.

Amy Lynne Pobanz is a visual artist and active member of the arts community. She serves as Director of Regional Arts Education Networks for MI Creative Potential, where she is dedicated to strengthening arts education systems and fostering vibrant, connected communities. Her work brings together educators, community organizations, and teaching artists to design collaborative programs and dynamic learning experiences that inspire creativity and deepen engagement. Through strategic planning, resource development, and facilitation, she supports educators and learners in thriving through meaningful, arts-centered experiences.

Dr. Philip Rice is a composer, poet, designer, and nonprofit leader with 10+ years transforming communities through the arts. A lifelong artist dedicated to Michigan and the Midwest, he lives on Mackinac Island and works to strengthen quality of life and the creative economy.  

Dawn Roe (b. 1971, Sault Ste. Marie, MI) serves as Professor of Art at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. Informed by early studies in experimental filmmaking and darkroom-based photography, Roe’s site-responsive practice combines historic and contemporary visual reproduction methods as a way to consider the influence of these media on shaping personal and social understandings of our environment. Roe’s current work seeks to develop methods of respectful engagement with place, centering interspecies relations as vital to supporting the health of interconnected waterways and the communities they support.

Susan Roll, Industrial Engineer and arts leader, served as Executive Director of the Bonifas Arts Center and helped found the Upper Peninsula Arts & Culture Alliance. With two decades in manufacturing and business coaching, she now advances regional arts, serves Escanaba’s Planning Commission, and creates costumes.

Stephen Rush teaches at the University of Michigan, where directs the Digital Music Ensemble - which premiered works by Cage, Glass and La Monte Young. He has written three books, including books on Ornette Coleman and non-colonial Music Theory. Rush has recordings on Nessa, Innova, ESP Disk’, Equilibrium, Deep Listening, Centaur, MMC, Naxos, RogueArts (Paris), Eroica, Summit and CALA Records (with the New York Philharmonic Musicians). He has performed or premiered works in the Quincy and Delaware Mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula for the last 5 years, often in collaboration with Libby Meyer (Michigan Tech).

John Sauvé, born in 1963 in Detroit, is an American artist and arts educator. His medium is sculpture and printmaking and has achieved national and international recognition. He was awarded a grant from the Marc Ecco Foundation for his work Man in the City, the first public sculpture exhibit installed on the Highline in New York City. John studied art history at Michigan State University. After finishing his studies, he spent a year traveling through Europe continuing his education in art history. He then returned to Detroit to work for the Michigan Commission on Art in Public Places where he oversaw the installation of public art for the Percent for the Arts Program. He concluded his studies with a degree in Arts Administration at Michigan State University.

Brandy Thomas is a professional editor who lives and works in Marquette, Michigan. In addition to editing the written word, she is an audiobook narrator and audio engineer. She is a Wishing Shelf book award finalist, the voice of the U.P. Reader, and the Magic Shoebox Adventures, in addition to several other audio series. Brandy currently serves on the board of directors of both the Upper Peninsula Publisher and Author Association and Revolve CC. When she is not refining other’s words, she writes poetry and short fiction as well as performing with the Marquette City Band.

Jan Wellik is a writer, educator, and environmentalist specializing in nature writing, environmental education, nature poetry, and art journaling. She is a lecturer in Sustainability and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and holds an EdD in Education from Hamline University and an MA in English from Middlebury College. Wellik is the founder and director of Eco Expressions, a nature writing program for youth, and has facilitated numerous workshops and retreats connecting creativity with the natural world. Her publications include Embodied Nature: Poetry Collection and the Nature Writing Field Guide for Teachers.

Craig Woerpel is a longtime Upper Peninsula journalist, community advocate, and Executive Director of the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority. His career has focused on sharing local news, supporting economic development, and strengthening downtown Escanaba.

Clare Zuraw is a musician, fiber artist, and community educator who is director of the Finnish American Folk School and interim director of Finlandia Art Gallery in Hancock, Michigan. Her work focuses heavily on preserving and promoting Finnish folk arts.