Whidbey Island Art Council Board of Directors
We are a small working board dedicated to working diligently for the prosperity of the Whidbey Island Arts Community.
We are a small working board dedicated to working diligently for the prosperity of the Whidbey Island Arts Community.
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John Kingsbury, President
I moved to the Pacific Northwest when I retired from The Sacramento Police Department after 30 years. Having been an avid art collector for much of my adult life, following international, regional and local artists and supporting my wife Therese in her sculpting endeavors, it only seemed natural for us to want to build a sculpture park. Together we acquired the adjoining 10 acres of land to our residence, began amassing a selection of large scale 3D art and our the Whidbey Island Sculpture Experience opened in early Fall of 2020. islandhoppers@comcast.net |
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Karen Koschak, Vice President
My career has been in education starting from a young age teaching kids in my garage to put on plays at age 10 to retired with years as a practicing educator. I have 16 years as a teacher, 6 years as a principal, 2 developing curriculum and 14 as a Superintendent. Currently I mentor new superintendents and districts as a whole to meet their student improvement goals. I also mediate in family court for families getting divorced and developing parenting plans.
I love art of all kinds and collect it in my travels. I’m particularly interested in work that is practiced by women using traditional means such as pottery, textiles and copper works. I lived in Mexico for 9 years and volunteered in the schools teaching art and English. koschakk@gmail.com |
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Janis Saunders, Secretary
Janis lives in Coupeville and shows her handwoven scarves and shawls at Penn Cove Gallery. She has been immersed in interlacing threads since the 1970’s; she graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Applied Design. She and her husband moved to Whidbey Island in 2005 where Dave builds Japanese braiding equipment and Janis handles sales to avid braiders world wide.
weavershand@gmail.com |
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Diane Cheek, Treasurer
Diane graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA. She served in the US Navy as a Flight Engineer and Aviation Electrician, retiring after 27 years. She has performed volunteer work for the Disabled American Veterans and is pleased to be currently involved with the arts and culture of Whidbey Island. diane.a.cheek@gmail.com |
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Sheila Weidendorf, Co-Music Programs Director
Music Programming Director Sheila Weidendorf is a professional pianist & harpsichordist, regularly performing chamber music concerts here in the Pacific Northwest. She is also the founder and Artistic Director of Island Consort, one of WIAC's umbrella partners. When not immersed in the world of chamber music, she can be found teaching piano out of her home studio, providing musical direction for area musical theater productions or even playing the occasional pop or jazz gig, as the mood strikes. A resident of Whidbey Island since 2010, Sheila hails from Minneapolis, MN where--in the distant past--she earned her BA in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota School of Music and (following injury that kept her away from the keyboard for a few years) her MA in Feminist Theology from United Theological Seminary. Sheila is devoted to music, musicians, sharing the love of music broadly and working to create a true culture of support for quality music performance here on Whidbey Island. sweidendorf@whidbey.com |
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Tekla Cunningham, Co-Music Programs Director
Tekla received her musical training at Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory (where she studied History and German Literature in addition to violin), Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she completed a Master’s degree with Ian Swenson. She teaches Suzuki violin in both German and English and is on the early music faculty of Cornish College for the Arts. teklacunningham@yahoo.com |
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Katrina Hude, Board Member at Large
Katrina Hude lives and works on Whidbey Island in Greenbank, WA. She received a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts and an MFA from San Jose State University, CA in Sculpture. Katrina has lived on Whidbey since 1996. She owns and operates a glassblowing studio. In addition to manifesting ideas into objects, her primary focus is to engage people in dialogue and creative practices with the intention of stimulating growth and creativity throughout the community. Being a member of the WIAC Board of Trustees is an opportunity to promote learning and encourage diversity in our local culture. The Arts are a powerful tool in our community. Katrinahude.com katalks@gmail.com |
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