ARTIST TRUST - Key Persons
Aaron Jin is a queer, Asian-American actor, writer, and now filmmaker. Currently, Aaron is working on a directorial debut with the short film BLONDIE and releasing a short film with creative agency All is Will. Recent highlights include acting in POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA, his first opera TOGETHER with composer Elise Winkler as part of Seattle Opera's Creation Lab, and being a Sundance Community Leader.
Anthony became a lawyer after serving as an interpreter and intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy at the end of the Cold War. He practiced law for 20 years as a trial attorney as a defender, a civil rights lawyer, and running a non-profit law firm focused on international family issues. Anthony was also active in equal justice initiatives and has been past president of the Washington State Bar Association, a member of the Minority & Justice Commission, and currently serves on numerous committees and boards.
Anthony was a part-time judge for seven years and received an appointment to full-time Judge in 2019 serving the citizens of Kent Washington.
When Anthony is not busy serving justice he pursues a 35-year obsession as an artist and painter. Anthony and his husband have raised two children together and currently live in Seattle.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager
- Artist
Brian Vu is an interdisciplinary artist based in Seattle, WA (b. Dallas, TX). Brian holds an MFA in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BA in ceramics and contemporary dance from Bennington College. Brian has exhibited group and solo shows nationally at: David Salkin Creative - Chicago, IL, G1 Exhibition Space - Pittsburg, PA, USDAN Gallery at Bennington College - Bennington, VT, Locust Projects - Miami, FL, BSWING - Minneapolis, MN, Cranbrook Art Museum - Detroit, MI, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft - Houston, TX, Pottery Northwest - Seattle, WA, and Patton-Mallott Gallery - Aspen, CO.
Brian has been awarded fellowships and completed residencies from: Locust Projects, Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency, Woodbury Foundation Fellowship for Bennington College Alumni, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and Anderson Ranch. Brian is a current Long-Term Artist-in-Residence at Pottery Northwest 2020-2023.
Dawn Pichón Barron is the Academic Director of the Native Pathways Program and Creative Writing Faculty at the Evergreen State College. Born in Southern California, raised in rural Spokane, she is currently a doctoral candidate (Indigenous Development & Advancement) at Te Whare Wananga O Awanuiarangi-research focused on Identity Politics and Indigeneity in Institutions of Higher Learning. She founded and curated the Gray Skies Reading Series 2009-2019. Her chapbook, ESCAPE GIRL BLUES, was published by Finishing Line Press, 2018. Other work can be found at Moss, Pittsburgh Poetry Review, Washington 129 Poetry Anthology, Yellow Medicine Review, Barrelhouse, and elsewhere. She lives with her wingman and Chihuahuas at the southern tip of the Salish Sea.
Elizabeth Weaver is currently the Grants Manager for Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity. She previously spent seven years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she served as a central point of contact for grant seekers. Elizabeth holds degrees from the University of Washington and Seattle University's Institute of Public Service. She is a writer with a deep interest in examining the multifarious ways racist and patriarchal institutions inform public policy and public life. Elizabeth lives with her partner, a filmmaker, and their dogs in South Tacoma.
Job Titles:
- Board Member ( Seattle )
- CEO of Nonlinear Materials Corporation
Gerard is a native Parisian who moved to Seattle in 1987 when he joined Microsoft, where he worked until 2015. He served in a variety of capacities for the company, from global development to engineering and business functions. He has been involved in a number of startup companies in the Seattle area as well as nonprofits.
Recently, Gerard became the CEO of Nonlinear Materials Corporation (NLM) in collaboration with the University of Washington.
Gerard is an avid cook and a connoisseur of fine wines.
He lives in Seattle on Queen Anne Hill with his wife, Pamela, and daughter.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Board Member ( Spokane )
Ginger Ewing is an arts educator, advocate and administrator living in Spokane. She began her career as the Curator for Cultural Literacy at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) where she developed and administered many successful programs from scratch. This includes a professional development program for regional high-school students interested in becoming exhibit interpreters; a K-20 American Indian educational program; and a monthly after-hours program meant to draw in new museum goers. At the MAC she also helped to curate many exhibitions and was trained in Visual Thinking Strategies, a student-centered teaching methodology centered around art.
Ginger is currently the Executive Director of the arts non-profit Terrain, which builds community and economic opportunity for artists in the Inland Northwest. In addition to putting on large-scale events, Terrain also runs a permanent gallery space, a performing arts space, a retail storefront, an arts-driven beautification program, and a professional development program for creative entrepreneurs. In addition to Artist Trust, Ginger sits on the Boards of Whipsmart, Keep Music Live, and the Washington State Arts Commission, as well as the Advisory Committee for All in Washington. She also loves dogs, especially pugs.
Grace Nakahara was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She's a mixed-race painter and horror film fanatic. Her passion for all things spooky stems from her research of representation in medi a. Her current work explores self-representation and performa tive behavior. She graduated from Gonzaga University in 2019 with degrees in Creative Writing and Fine Art. Originally a Program Intern for Artist Trust, she worked for the org as a contractor, the CO VID-19 Relief Fund Coordinator and now is proud to be working on the team as a Program Manager.
Job Titles:
- Board Member ( Seattle )
- Product Leader
Joseph Sunga is a product leader with over a decade of experience working within the tech community, from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies, and was a key employee for two startup acquisitions by Amazon and Uber. Now, he is a Staff Product Manager managing a team at Aurora focused on delivering the benefits of self-driving technology to the world.
Joseph was born and raised here in Seattle to Filipino immigrant parents who have taught him to continue building for the next generation. He gives back locally by mentoring early-stage startups at Techstars Seattle and being involved with programs at the University of Washington by advising minority-owned businesses within under-served communities or mentoring underrepresented professionals transitioning into product management.
As a creative himself, he loves to draw on blank postcards to send to friends and family for birthdays, holidays, and while he travels.
Justine is a stage manager turned arts administrator originally from the Bay Area, CA. She received her BA in Drama from UC Irvine and her MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. As the Annual Giving & Events Director, Justine oversees the annual fund, auction, and special events. Outside of work, Justine loves binge-watching, reading, and spending time with her husband Chris and two dogs, Otis and Winston.
Kristina joined the Artist Trust staff as Director of Development in 2015. Since August 2020 she has served as Acting Executive Director, allowing Artist Trust to take its time and be intentional and forward thinking about its next phase of leadership.
With nearly twenty years of experience in the non-profit sector, Kristina has served organizations representing almost every artistic discipline, including visual art, theater, modern dance, performance, and popular and classical music. Raised in New York City in a family of restaurateurs, she relocated to Seattle from Florida in 2009, first settling in at the historic Woodland Theater/ Josephine performance space in Ballard. She has held leadership roles in fundraising and administration at The Vera Project and Northwest Folklife in the Pacific Northwest, and the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in Florida.
Kristina lives in Seattle's South Park neighborhood with her partner, guitarist Simon Henneman, a cat named Brownie, and a dog named Lola. Before the pandemic you could catch her seeing live music in clubs and basements around the city. Now you are more likely to find her gardening, swimming, reading, or camping. She is a firm believer in the ability of the individual artist to create equitable, thriving communities, and considers it a gift to be able to support Washington State artists through her work with Artist Trust.
Kurt left college thinking he would be a scenic designer. A chance opportunity to join the stonecarver's studio at Washington Cathedral (in the other Washington) lead him in a different path. For longer than he now cares to admit, he's been helping other visual artists get their work out in public places. He's now developing works of art for Sound Transit's light rail expansion projects in the lines leading to Redmond, Lynnwood, and Tacoma, and making little drawings on weekends.
Kurt is a past board member of the Reflex Magazine, Sand Point Arts and Cultural Exchange, and 911 Media Arts.
Lee Campbell worked as a computer programmer, programming everything from supercomputers to embedded processors. When Lee moved to Seattle in 1993, he began taking classes at Pratt Fine Arts Center, first glass blowing, but including glass casting, welding, bronze casting, and blacksmithing. Lee's involvement with Pratt included being an instructor and a board member for six years. For the last two years, Lee has been working in a space at Equinox Studios. Lee is concentrating on developing and making his art using both glass and bronze.
Luther Hughes is the author of the debut poetry collection, A Shiver in the Leaves, forthcoming from BOA Editions in September 2022, and the chapbook Touched (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2018). He is the founder of Shade Literary Arts, a literary organization for queer writers of color, and co-hosts The Poet Salon podcast with Gabrielle Bates and Dujie Tahat. The recipient of the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship and the 92Y Discovery Poetry Prize, his writing has been published in various journals and magazines nationwide. As a Program Co-Director at Artist Trust, he oversees and implements the strategic direction of Artist Trust programs as it pertains, but not limited to annual planning, grantmaking, resources, and professional development for artists of all disciplines across Washington State. Luther received his MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. He was born and raised in Seattle, where he currently lives.
Job Titles:
- Artist
- Program Co - Director
Lydia Boss is a Seattle-based artist whose work investigates themes of identity, time, and nature through a millennial lens. Surfaces and experiences are manipulated in her work through the use of glass, photography, collage, and new media. She has been a resident artist at The Museum of Glass and Pilchuck Glass School and was named the 2019 recipient of the John and Mary Shirley Award from the Pratt Fine Arts Center. As a Program Co-Director at Artist Trust, Lydia oversees annual planning, implementation, and evaluation of all Artist Trust grant-making, resources and professional development programs. Centering creative strategies, she prioritizes identifying and addressing potential barriers for participation in Artist Trust funding and programs. Her work has been exhibited internationally.
Job Titles:
- Artist, Designer
- Board Member ( Seattle )
Marge Levy is an artist, designer, educator, organizational leader, and fundraiser. She has lived in Seattle since 1991 when she came to the region as Executive Director of Pilchuck Glass School. Since 2000, she has developed a studio practice in ceramics at Pottery Northwest and designs jewelry, become a docent at the Seattle Art Museum, and been involved with inspirational organizations such as Pottery Northwest, On the Boards, Whim Whim, and most recently Ginny Ruffner's SOLA project, She has one dog, Toby, one husband Larry, and one hobby, scuba diving in Southeast Asia.
Job Titles:
- Artist
- President ( Olympia )
Mariella Luz is a working artist, studio potter, and instructor. A graduate of The Evergreen State College, Mariella founded the Olympia All Ages Project and worked as general manager at K Records. She serves on the boards of the Washington State Arts Comission and Olympia Artspace Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager
- Pakistani - American Performance Artist
Nadia Ahmed (she/her) is a Pakistani-American performance artist, sculptor, and arts administrator currently based in Seattle, WA. She earned a BA in Art History and in Three-Dimensional Forum from the University of Washington. Nadia's exhibition history includes Out of Sight, The High Wall, and Elsewhere Museum.
Nadia is currently working as Communications Manager at Artist Trust!
A lifelong Washingtonian, Natalie is passionate about the arts and has worked for organizations such as Northwest Folklife, KEXP 90.3, and Seattle Theatre Group. She is a graduate of the University of Washington with a double BA in International Studies and Music. When she isn't working, she loves supporting the local music scene, making music, and thrifting with friends. Natalie is excited to join the Artist Trust team as the Institutional Giving and Donor Relations Manager and can't wait to play a role in uplifting this incredible organization's mission!
Job Titles:
- Vice - President ( Seattle )
Nicole Stellner is originally from the Minneapolis area where her love of the arts was developed through formative experiences at the Walker Art Center, Children's Theatre Company at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and, the Guthrie Theater.
Nicole is a lifetime arts patron, supporter, volunteer, and advocate. Nicole has a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, an MBA from the University of Washington, and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington. She spent over 20 years at Weyerhaeuser in strategic planning and finance roles. She is currently Board President of Shunpike and is on the boards of Annex Theatre and Macha Theatre Works.