ArtsWA welcomes new and returning board members, three new legislative members

The Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) welcomes three new board members recently appointed by Governor Jay Inslee. The Governor also reappointed three current board members to serve a second term on the ArtsWA board. Executive Director, Karen Hanan announced the appointments at the recent State Arts Commission board meeting held in Wenatchee on August 1 and 2.  

Each of the 19 governor-appointed board members serve three year terms. Four members of the board are appointed by the legislature to serve open-ended terms. The new legislative appointed members include Senator Brad Hawkins, Senator Lisa Wellman, and Representative Luanne Van Werven. The fourth legislator serving on the board is Representative Joan McBride, who was appointed in 2015. 

Commissioners at the August board meeting (left to right back row): Justin Raffa, Ginger Ewing, Sen. Brad Hawkins, Faaluaina Pritchard, Rep. Luanne Van Werven, Bassem Bejjani; (left to right middle row): Latha Sambamurti, Monica Miller, Sen. Lisa Wellman, Diane Martindale; (left to right front row): Rebecca Redshaw, ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan, Sue Coliton, Rick Johnson, and Amanda Jackson Mott. 

Also announced at the August board meeting, the new slate of officers to lead the Commission in the next two years. Sue Coliton, a Seattle philanthropy professional will chair the board; Diane Martindale, a member of the Friday Harbor Arts Commission and owner of a San Juan Island arts consulting business will be the board's 1st Vice-Chair; and Ginger Ewing, founder of the storefront gallery program,  Window Dressing, and a Spokane arts advocate and organizer, will hold the position of 2nd Vice-Chair. Commissioners Jolyn Gardner (Seattle) and Mariella Luz (Olympia) will co-chair the board's advocacy committee.

Newly appointed by the Governor

Andre Bouchard, Vancouver
Principal and Founder of Walrus Arts Management and Consulting, Andre Bouchard (of Kootenai and Ojibwe descent) was born and raised on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana. He is nationally recognized for his work in the field of Native American contemporary performing arts. Andre holds a Master's degree in Arts Management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, a BFA in Dance and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Montana. He is currently an Association of Performing Arts Professionals/University of Southern California Leadership Fellow, Chair of the Western Arts Alliance Indigenous Committee, and a member of the Western Arts Alliance's Board of Directors.

Wesley Jessup, Spokane
As the new director of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Wesley Jessup has more than 20 years of museum experience. Most recently he served as director of the Longmont Museum and Culture Center (Longmont, Colorado) from 2011 to 2017. During his tenure, the museum's attendance tripled and membership grew by 47%.  Prior to that, Wesley served as project director for the Beringia Center in Nome Alaska, raising $2.3 million for the new facility and coordinating the design and retrofit of an old building to accommodate a museum, cafe, auditorium, and classroom space.  He holds a BA in Art History from California State University, Fullerton and an MA in Art History & Museum Studies from City University of New York.

Anna-Maria Shannon, Pullman
Anna-Maria Shannon began her career at the Washington State University Museum of Art in 1998 as Art Docent Coordinator. She was quickly promoted to Associate Director in 2002. In October 2016, she was named the museum's Interim Director. Among her many community activities, Anna-Maria is the founding member and past long-time chair of the Pullman Arts Commission. She continues to serve on the board. In 2016 she received the Pullman Arts Commission's Mayor's award recognizing over 20 years of community involvement in the arts. She also serves as  board chair of the Washington State University Campus Arts Commission, and as the Western Regional Representative to the board of the Alliance of Academic Museums and Galleries.

Re-appointed commission members

Sue Coliton, Seattle
Sue Coliton is a philanthropy professional with more than twenty-five years of experience developing and leading public, private, and corporate grantmaking programs. She served as Vice President of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation from 1999 to 2014. In addition to management of the Foundation's grantmaking programs, she advised project teams on the development and operations of new museum projects, including the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum, Flying Heritage Collection, and Living Computer Museum. She serves on several boards including, Americans for the Arts, Philanthropy Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks Charitable Foundation, and the Washington State Building for the Arts Allocations Committee. In her second term at the Washington State Arts Commission, Sue will serve as board chair of the Commission.

Jolyn E. Gardner, Seattle
Jolyn E. Gardner is an award winning artist and practicing attorney from Seattle. She has found a way to integrate both art and law seamlessly into her life. She currently serves as curator for various virtual art exhibitions and enjoys helping emerging artists define their own artistic paths. Jolyn also assists many creative professionals with their legal needs and is passionate about finding ways to artistically express the gaps in our laws through the medium of art. Prior to starting her own law practice, Jolyn worked in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office from 2005-2008. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, volunteers as a coach for Nathan Hale High School Mock Trial, and is a member of the African American Leadership Forum.

Mariella Luz, Olympia
Mariella Luz is a working artist, studio potter, and pottery instructor. She and her husband co-own Bar Francis, a coffee shop in downtown Olympia. A graduate of The Evergreen State College, Mariella founded the Olympia All Ages Project, and worked as general manager at K-Records in Olympia. She serves on the boards of  Olympia Artspace Alliance and Artist Trust. 

New legislative members

Senator Brad Hawkins, Wenatchee 
Brad Hawkins represents the 12th Legislative District, which includes all of Chelan and Douglas counties and portions of Okanogan and Grant counties. Brad is very proud of the artists and arts organizations throughout the 12th District. He was elected to the Washington State Senate in 2016. Prior to his election, Brad served four years as State Representative and ten years on school boards in the Wenatchee area. As a young boy, Brad developed an appreciation for the arts by attending YMCA art camps. His wife, Shawna, has been involved in local performing arts and is a Wenatchee School District art teacher. Brad and Shawna have two boys and live in East Wenatchee. 

Representative Luanne Van Werven, Lynden
Luanne Van Werven represents the 42nd Legislative District, which includes much of Whatcom County. She was born and raised in Whatcom County and is the fifth generation of her family to live, work, and play in Whatcom County. Luanne and her husband Larry have four children and five grandchildren. They, along with his parents, built their Whatcom County family business into a successful enterprise. After the 2016 legislative session she received the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business for her 100 percent voting record in support of small business issues. 

Senator Lisa Wellman, Mercer Island
Lisa Wellman represents 41st Legislative District, which includes Mercer Island, Bellevue, Newcastle and parts of Issaquah, Sammamish, and Renton. She was elected in 2016 after a 25-year career in technology and marketing including executive level positions in Fortune 100 companies. A passionate advocate for education, Lisa began her career as a public school teacher but changed course in the 1980s becoming a systems analyst and programmer. She was recruited by Apple Computer to head up commercial publishing for the company's U.S. markets and was later promoted to VP of Worldwide Publishing, Entertainment, and New Media Markets. Lisa earned a B.A., Summa Cum Laude, from Barat College of DePaul University and in her spare time enjoys photography, travel, reading, and bridge. She has two daughters and a grandson.

The Washington State Arts Commission is committed to values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and creative expression. We believe in diverse forms of artistic expression, and we believe in access to arts and arts education for all individuals in our state. The arts can and should play a role in addressing inequities, modeling inclusion, and teaching empathy.
For more information contact:
Glenda Carino | W. 360.586.8093 | C: 360.259.7862 | g lenda.carino@arts.wa.gov
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