Teacher/Instructor Artist Categories

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Kathleen Conover

Painter; Teacher/Instructor

My life-long love of art was nurtured in the fertile environment of southern California’s prominent artists, museums and galleries. Academic fine art studies started at San Diego State University and commenced with a Master of Arts earned from Northern Michigan University. Continued studies with American master watercolor artists over the next decade enriched my depth, skills and personal style of painting. A full time artist, I exhibit internationally, jury exhibitions, give demonstrations and teach in-depth workshops internationally.

Tammy L Toj Gajewski

Ceramist; Craftsperson; Mixed Media Artist; Painter; Poet; Storyteller; Teacher/Instructor

At a very early age Tammy’s mother encouraged her creativity and supported her exploration of poetry, drawing, painting and animals. She attended university and learned the base of oil painting, ceramics, fiber arts, French translation and welding. She had one job after graduation related to fine arts and was fired after helping the owner buy a Matisse painting from the family; because her French translation skills were no longer needed. After 42 years in the blue collar work force which included 23 years with the Department of Corrections she retired to do art full time. Her therapist stated that the mere act of creativity will help moderate her PTSD, keep her depression at bay, and help heal the tremendous loss of family. Today Tammy has made her own family, loves her two career changed Leader Dogs for the Blind, practices meditation in the Thick Nhat Han tradition, and has her own studio to paint and create in on Lake Superior. Her wife of twenty years tells her often to go to the studio and Tammy returns refreshed and vibrant. She has shown her work at several shows in the Upper Peninsula over the last twenty five years and hopes to have her first gallery exhibit in 2023. Her pen name is Toj- Teacher of Joy- given to her by her art mentor John Fritz in high school and later by her college mentor Keiko Hara. Besides it is much easier to sign than Tammy Lynn Webeck Pasko Gajewski.

Troy Graham

Actor; Author/Writer; Composer; Musician; Performance Art; Performer and Writer; Poet; Producer; Teacher/Instructor; Vocalist/Singer

Troy Graham, otherwise known as Great Lakes Graham, is a folk singer-songwriter, poet, and children’s entertainer from Marquette, MI. Musically, Troy is most recognized for his original foot-stomping Irish and folk music and as a storytelling songwriter with a flare of bluegrass, old-time and gospel roots. Troy is always creating and has independently recorded over a dozen plus different music albums and has published poetry in four books. Most recently his book, “Freshwater Mermaids,” can be previewed on Amazon. His passion is encouraging youth and leading interactive poetry workshops along with musical performances for all ages. You will find him playing at libraries, schools, festivals and other concert series.

Steven Hughes

Graphic Artist; Illustrator; Mixed Media Artist; Painter; Photographer; Teacher/Instructor

Steven Hughes, who goes by the artist name Primary Hughes, is best known for his colorful acrylic portraits, having shown in numerous pop-culture and illustration-focused gallery exhibitions in California and New York. As an artist residing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and Professor of Illustration at Northern Michigan University, he can often be found exploring the natural landscape along the coast of Lake Superior with his plein-air kit. His painting and illustration work revels in the interplay of light and color, and the emotional impact in quieter moments of determination, thoughtful reflection, and preparation for a thing that must be done. View more of his work on Instagram or his website, primaryhughes.com

Ryota Matsumoto

Author/Writer; Media/Visual Communications; Mixed Media Artist; New Media/Technology; Teacher/Instructor

I explore and am inspired by the role of dissonance and the pluri-dimensional aspect of cacophony as a form of interference in the fidelity of digital communication and a catalyst for undermining the orthographic divide of digital platforms. As probabilistic preindividuation in the form of miscommunication disrupts established patterns and introduces variability, it can lead to the emergence of new images of thought through phase fluctuations in the striated orthogonal system. In this sense, the cacophony can be seen as a source of unpredictability, pushing established systems and individuals to explore the heterogeneous association of socio-cultural actors through the translation process of hermeneutic devices. By the same token, the accumulation of pure potentialities in jitter interference contributes to the complex system of indeterminacy in the socio-cultural domain. It introduces multiple perspectives, unpredictable possibilities, and multivalent interpretations, enriching the overall landscape and facilitating the emergence of new connections in the hybrid network of interobjective entities. The unquantized stream of interference, in this sense, can introduce multiple alternative perspectives, enriching the overall landscape and facilitating the emergence of interconnected assemblages across a variety of creative disciplines through the act of the mimetic adaptation process. Ryota Matsumoto is an artist, designer, and architect based in the United States and Japan.

Charli Mills

Author/Writer; Storyteller; Teacher/Instructor

Charli Mills grew up out west, once winning a rodeo trophy for tying a goat. She’s the executive editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology (Vols. 1 & 2) and her writing has been featured in Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, Keweenaw Now, BadRedhead Media, NaNoWriMo.org, The U.P. Reader, and on stage as a guest storyteller with the Red Jacket Jamboree. Charli writes women’s fiction, recovering forgotten voices from the fringes and frontiers, including the Copper Country. In 2014, she founded an international literary community at CarrotRanch.com, hosting weekly 99-word story challenges. She provides outreach to rural communities, libraries, and veterans to make literary art accessible. She coaches writers in a unique cohort program, leads nature writing workshops and retreats, and teaches college English at Finlandia University. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing.

Philip Rice

Composer; Director; Musician; Performance Art; Performer and Writer; Poet; Producer; Teacher/Instructor; Vocalist/Singer

Philip Rice (b. 1988) is a Northern Michigan-based composer, poet, and community organizer. He holds a DMA from Michigan State University and an MM with distinction from Westminster Choir College in Princeton. In 2015 he was a winner in the American Prize for orchestral composition, and a finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Awards. He has authored two poetry collections and edited the anthology “Thoreau at Mackinac” in 2017. He founded “Voicing Poetry,” a special collaboration with the Michigan State University College of Music and the MSU Center for Poetry in 2014. He currently serves as the Program Director for the Mackinac Arts Council, and sits on the executive boards for Straits Pride and the Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance. He lives on Mackinac Island.

Kathy Thomas

Painter; Photographer; Teacher/Instructor

Kathy is an abstract artist living in Cedarville. She grew up in the U.P. and spent many summers on the waters of the Les Cheneaux Islands. She married a Colorado native and with him and their three children, relocated to Cedarville in 2014. She desires to create thought provoking artwork and is excited to teach unique techniques that will inspire others. In 2022 she joined the Les Cheneaux Arts Council Advisory Board. As a member of this organization she has enjoyed teaching art classes to the public and becoming more engaged with the local art community. Kathy is also the Executive Assistant at the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation. Being up to date with community developments and resources for small businesses has proven to be very beneficial in relation to her artwork and Arts Council engagement.