Artifice

Ann Wood@Woodlucker is a paper botanical artist who graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1986.

She also earned a two year degree from Hawkeye Institute of Technology in photography.

Before creating botanical pieces, she was an exhibitor at craft shows with her husband, Dean Lucker, all over America. Some of the shows include the Smithsonian Craft Show, The Philadelphia Museum Show, and many of the American Craft Expo venues such as the Baltimore Craft Show.

She started an Instagram account 10 years ago creating paper botanicals that currently has 375,000 followers. Her work focuses on creating flowers, food, mushrooms, and even some paper animals all paper.

During the pandemic, her paper botanical wall was shown with Royal Delftware at a museum in the Netherlands.

Ann has been featured in many national and international magazines, including Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes & Gardens.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodlucker/

Website: www.woodlucker.com

Amy Reader is an Asheville-based fiber artist and educator. She works primarily with wool, yarn, felt, and thread. Her work explores tiny moments of joy found in the natural world, translated through her vivid sensory experience as an autistic artist.

Amy has been a professional artist since 2018. She was named one of The Rising Tide’s 20 On The Rise in 2019. In 2023, her solo show Beneath the Surface was featured on the Hello, Rose City! Artist Corner on KGW in Portland, OR.

Amy splits her time between creating her artwork, teaching workshops, and creating educational content for her Patreon.

Lady Dhyana Ziegler, DCJ, Ph.D., is currently President and CEO of Z/Creators, LLC and Professor Emerita of Florida A&M University, U.S.A. . She has worked in the field of higher education and technology for more than 35 years as a professor and administrator. Dr. Ziegler is the author of four books, more than 60 scholarly publications - including book chapters - and has produced more than 100 videos and other

multimedia works. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences. Besides her academic career, Dr. Ziegler is a multimedia writer, digital content producer, and songwriter (to name a few). She serves on several boards and other professional organizations.

Hailing from the vibrant city of Austin, Katrina Cain is a Texas-rooted artist with a voice shaped by the open road. Born in Dallas and raised across many statelines, she grew up without a hometown, and that search for belonging runs deep through her songwriting. Now finding herself at home in Austin, Katrina's sound captures the raw truth of Americana with the polished grit of modern country.

Katrina first caught national attention on NBC’s The Voice with a standout rendition of “Rhiannon,” and her journey has only grown more compelling since. Her 2024 EP Gold introduced her as a fearless storyteller, inviting new audiences to share in the honesty- and often, humor- of life’s struggles. With the lead single’s music video, “New Mercedes,” amassing over two million views, Katrina proves she’s a rising star who’s here to stay.

Her upcoming, full-length album, recorded in early 2025, features an impressive lineup of talent including Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson), Philippe Bronchtein (Chase Rice), Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams),

Andy Rogers (The Wilder Blue), with engineering by Chris Bell (The Eagles, Reba, Jim Lauderdale) With this new release, Katrina continues to venture into her own authentic sonic palette, embracing Texas-country textures and stories steeped in wanderlust.

You can hear her music on all streaming platforms and follow her journey on Instagram and Facebook.

Marcia Peck is an award-winning writer and accomplished musician, celebrating over 50 years as a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra. 

Inspired by the rhythms and sounds of music echoed in language, her debut novel, Water Music: A Cape Cod Story, combines all of her passions –music, writing, and Cape Cod. The book has received critical acclaim and has received many book awards, including Literary Titan Gold, National Indie Excellence Award, New England Book Festival Regional Lit Winner, and Feathered Quill Reviewers Choice Award Winner. Additionally, she was a finalist for American Writing Awards, Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize, Firebird Book Awards, and Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Pacifica book Awards designated it as a “Notable Book” and her book was long-listed by both Historical Fiction Company Book-of-the-Year Award and Somerset Book Awards. 

Peck's writing has received awards from New Millenium Writings (First prize for "Memento Mori"), Tamarack Awards (honorable mention for "An Unexpected Cadence"), Lake Superior Writers' Conference (First Prize for "Pride and Humility"), Glimmer Train(finalist for Very Short Fiction Award for "The Flavor of Borscht"),Flash quake (nomination for Pushcart Prize for "Long Distance"), and MnArtists Mini Stories (Winner for "Little Vladimir's Father").

 She is the grateful recipient of Artist Fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, Loft-McKnight, and the Jerome Foundation as well as residencies at Hambidge Center in Georgia and Ragdale in Illinois. A cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra for her entire musical career, she is inspired by the rhythms and sounds of music echoed in language. Peck graduated from the legendary Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She studied with famed Italian cellist Antonio Janigro in Germany for two years.

Her articles have appeared in Musical America, Strad Magazine, Strings Magazine, Senza Sordino, the magazine of the Minnesota Orchestra and the op-ed pages of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her fiction has appeared in Chautauqua Journal, New Millenium Writings, Gemini Magazine, Glimmer Train, 26 Minnesota Writers (Nodine Press), Tribute to Orpheus 2(Kearney Books), and three volumes of Open to Interpretation: Fading Light(Taylor and O'Neill).

Her work has been supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, and the Jerome Foundation, Ragdale Foundation and Hambidge Center. Peck grew up in New Jersey and summered in Cape Cod. Her love for Cape Cod has been a strong and deep current throughout her life. She and her sisters still return to the house their father built in Orleans. She lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota with her husband and two very naughty dogs For more information, please see: www.marciapeck.com.

Kathryn Bertine is an author, athlete, activist and documentary filmmaker. As a professional cyclist, she raced five years on the World Tour pro circuit. Prior to racing, Bertine was a columnist and senior editor for ESPN.  Her award-winning documentary film, HALF THE ROAD: The passion, pitfalls and power of women’s professional cycling debuted in 2014 and is still screened worldwide today and named one of the Best Cycling Films of All Time in 2020. As an advocate for equality in women’s sports, Bertine succeeded in petitioning the Tour de France for women’s inclusion, leading to the 2022 “Tour de France Femmes.” She now serves as CEO for Homestretch Foundation, a nonprofit which provides free housing to female professional

athletes struggling with the gender pay gap. Her latest book, STAND: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress was named a finalist for Best Memoir / Best Social Change in 2021.  In 2022 Bertine was named University of Arizona Alumni of the Year for her work in Tour de France gender equity. Bertine holds a BA from Colgate University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. 

Follow on Twitter/FB @kathrynbertine @halftheroad @HomestretchFdn

Insta: @kathryn_bertine & @homestretchfdn

Website: www.kathrynbertine.com

Roxy is the creative mind behind Xanne Fran Studios, a sculpture and jewelry shop with a focus on magical figurative design. Inspired by the natural world and the world of her imagination, she brings to life dreamy jewelry designs in gold and silver, and fantasy sculptures in classic, timeless bronze. She got her start as a figurative artist, focusing on drawing and painting the human form, but immediately fell in love with the lost-wax casting process when it was introduced to her in college. Jewelry was never part of the plan, but sculpting at a very small scale came naturally to her, so when she tried casting silver on a whim, she fell in love with that too!

xannefran.com

@xannefran

Briar West, a visionary fluid artist raised in Southern California, infuses her work with the essence of the ocean. She embraces the elegance of imperfection and the beauty in chaos. Through her art, she captures the notion that we are all imperfectly perfect, and believes that’s a beautiful thing. Briar’s journey into art is as unconventional as her medium. With a background in medical research, her artistic path began as a blend of self-care and curiosity. Lacking traditional supplies, she started experimenting with inks, using materials she had on hand - alcohol, bleach, vodka, even antifreeze. This inventive spirit defines her work to this day, often sourcing supplies from Home Depot, liquor stores, and auto part stores. Briar is known for her dynamic process, sometimes using a leaf blower to swiftly guide alcohol and ink across large canvases, capturing a moment before it fades. Briar has been called an alchemist, taking common, everyday products and creating magic. Today she continues to use those same materials in her work, as that is what she knows and loves. Her unrelenting curiosity has led to the creation of increasingly larger and larger pieces. Her work can now be seen in lobbies, homes, and offices across the country.

www.BriarWestStudio.com

IG: @BriarWestStudio

Receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees from The Julliard School of Music, David Taylor started his playing career as a member of Leopold Stowkowski's American Symphony Orchestra, and with appearances with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Thad Jones Mel Lewis jazz band, and recorded with groups ranging from Duke Ellington to The Rolling Stones. He has also recorded numerous solo CDs on the following labels: Koch, New World, ENJA, DMP, Tzadik, CIMP, PAU, and TLB.

Mr. Taylor performs recitals and concerti around the world: from Lincoln Center in NY to the Musikverein in Vienna and Suntory Hall in Japan. In addition to his own compositions, he has been involved in well over a hundred commissioning projects for solo bass trombone collaborating with composers including Alan Hovhaness, Charles Wuorinen, George Perle, Frederic Rzewski, Lucia Dlugoszchewski, Eric Ewazen, Dave Liebman, and Daniel Schnyder. He has appeared and recorded chamber music with Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Wynton Marsalis and performs with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Orpheus, and the St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra. Throughout his career, Taylor has appeared and recorded with major jazz and popular artists including Barbara Streisand, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin.

Mr. Taylor has won the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Most Valuable Player Award for five consecutive years, and has been awarded the NARAS Most Valuable Player Virtuoso Award, an honor accorded no other bass trombonist. He has also won The International Trombone Association’s Award “in recognition of his distinguished career and in acknowledgement of his impact on the world of trombone performance.

He has been a member of the bands of Gil Evans, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, JJ Johnson, Joe Henderson, George Russell, Michele Camilo, Bob Mintzer, Dave Matthews, Dave Grusin, Randy Brecker, and the Words Within Music Trio (Daniel Schnyder, David Taylor, Kenny Drew Jr., The Art of the Duo (with D Schnyder) and B3+. He has performed on numerous GRAMMY Award winning recordings.

David Taylor is also on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, and NYU. He plays Edwards bass trombones and Griego/Taylor mouthpieces exclusively.

https://www.davetaylor.net/

Chad's artwork embodies beautiful woods from around the world. What began as retirement gifts for his fellow active duty servicemen has turned into amazing creations exhibiting the Pacific Northwest, wildlife, instruments, pop culture, ancient culture and mythology. Chad understands how to use the unique characteristics of the wood to enhance his work into a one of a kind piece of art. He won Best of Show and the People's Choice award at the PNW Art School juried art competition for his amazing octopus sculpture in 2024. He was recently accepted into the Anacortes Arts Festival and Kent Summer Art juried art competitions.

https://www.instagram.com/chadpilk72/