Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists Program

Skills: Literature, storytelling and performance, public relations, artists with disabilities

Bio: Alison Bergblom Johnson is an artist whose work often approaches uncomfortable, difficult subjects. Her genres and media include storytelling, creative nonfiction, installation, and collage, and her work explores gender, disability, and sexuality. Some venues she’s performed at include Patrick’s Cabaret, the Northfield Artists Guild, and Strike Theater, in addition to the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Flock, Diverse Voices Quarterly, and Minnesota Public Radio’s website have published her essays. Visit her website at alisonbergblomjohnson.com and read more about Alison on Creative Exchange.

Skills: Film (production, presentation), Visual Art (painting, mixed media), Administration (programming). 

Bio: Jes Reyes is a multidisciplinary artist and arts administrator practicing in mixed media art, video, and more. Her artwork is rooted in play, vulnerability, experimentation, collaboration, and the blending of disciplines. She is passionate about bringing people together, equitable arts access, and offering support to other creatives. She has exhibited and screened her artwork throughout the Twin Cities and is the founder of the Altered Esthetics Film Festival and Moonplay Cinema. Visit her website at www.jesreyes.com and read more about Jes on Creative Exchange.

Skills: Interdisciplinary art, improvisation, public site-inspired art, and performance/installations

Bio: Patrick is a long time Mpls artist – choreographer/dancer/performance art/theater, entrepreneur, gay and HIV+ activist. His works range from intimate/autobiographical, to boat ballets on rivers in MN and Germany. In 1986 he founded Patrick’s Cabaret, making the local performing arts ecosystem more inclusive and democratic. He’s had 8 different spaces in town. A mature artist who has persevered, he’s thought about artists’ sustainability. He’s been a successful fundraiser & grant writer. patrickscully.org 

Skills: Administration, Grants, Statements and Proposals, Place Based Projects, Rural Arts, Education

Bio: Dana Sikkila is a Minnesota-based interdisciplinary maker and creator. At just 35 years old, Sikkila has been named one of the most well-known creative leaders of Southern Minnesota. Known for her social practice and activism programs, creative consulting, public speaking, and her theory development within creative curriculum, Sikkila’s practices span from working in communities from rural to the Twin Cities. Her self-defining administration style has bridged the gap between arts creation and administration. Developing numerous grassroots cultural projects and exhibitions throughout the state. Visit her website at danasikkila.com and read more about Dana on Creative Exchange.

Skills: Theater (acting, directing and teaching) and On Camera (film, commercial, hosting).

Bio: Adia Morris is a freelance artist and educator. She has performed at the Guthrie Theater and Park Square Theatre, and danced with Threads Dance Project. She has taught dance and theatre workshops for Guthrie Theater, Youth Performance Company, and Minneapolis Public Schools. Adia earned her BA in Classics from Duke University. Read more about Adia on Creative Exchange.

Skills: Visual Art and Literature (non-fiction) 

Bio: Andy Sturdevant is a writer, publisher, artist and very occasional performer. He has written about art, history and culture for a variety of publications, and is the author of three books of nonfiction. He is also the creator of a number of small-run art and design books, distributed in the United States and Europe. His artwork has been exhibited at venues in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle, and he has presented public programs with many organizations locally and regionally. Andy holds a B.F.A. in painting from the University of Louisville and a graphic design certificate from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Read more about Andy on Creative Exchange.

Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to support artists with the tools to make a living and a life, and to build just and equitable communities full of meaning, joy, and connection. Founded as an independent nonprofit in 1991, Springboard for the Arts has an innovative 30-year history of supporting artists making a living and a life and artist-led community development work.

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