OUR FACILITATORS
| Our Facilitators and Co-Sponsors (listed by first name) | |||||||||
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BLACK BEAR ________________________________________________________________ Bruce Mundy Life-long resident of Lexington, Ky.; married and father of two. A community activist of the first order, involved in everything that uplifts the local African American community: Youth Counselor at the Bluegrass Aspendale Teen Center; Board Member of Lex Linc; Board Member of East End Empowerment Program; Board Member and past Chair of the Historical African Cemetery #2; past Chair of the East End Empowerment Program. Active with Juneteenth Celebration, East End YMCA, Lyric Theater restoration, Nia Day Camp, and the Mayor’s Training Center. An avid amateur local historian, musician, and student of world cultures. ________________________________________________________________________ Chris Bischoff - Storytelling and Lawn Mower Repair After beginning to study my family history, I became interested in folk stories, music, and dance. Since 1985, I have been involved with all types of American, English, and Scottish folk dance, with a primary focus on clogging, contras, morris and squares. My involvement has included dancing, organizing, performing, teaching and calling. I have called at dances, weekends and weeks throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Denmark, and Norway. I learned to play banjo with Greg Jowasis, Phil Jamison, and Lee Sexton, while working as a professional storyteller at Blackacre Nature Preserve. Since 1986, I have performed as a free-lance storyteller/banjo-picker. I have a Bachelors Degree in Outdoor Recreation and a Masters Degree in Library Science. I have been organizing, performing and calling dances since 1986, for groups of all ages and experience levels. I have been a free-lance storyteller since 1986 and have been playing banjo as part of my performances since 1990. I teach beginning banjo, dance calling, clogging (beginning and intermediate,) contra dance (beginning, advanced, and styling,) beginning Morris, rapper (beginning, intermediate, and youth,) squares, waltz, and storytelling. _____________________________________________________________________________ Dana Wildsmith Dana is a published writer, a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers’ Cooperative, and a regular staff member of the Hindman Writers’ Workshop.and. She is a regular contributor to poetry periodicals throughout the Appalachian states, and maintains close correspondence with a circle of quite accomplished performing, literary and visual artists. ___________________________________________________________________ David Chesar Email - DavidChesar@hotmail.com ____________________________________________________________________ Don Boklage Don is a multi-faceted artist - a natural outgrowth of growing up wanting a stronger voice, highly developed curiosity, 30 years experience as resident artist in public and private schools, and directing a program in which he necessarily learns from diversely gifted people. He has, as any freelance artist does, worked and exhibited all over the country - and that he is still saying so tells the rest of that story. He identifies closely with Open Ground, which remains, as a writer once put it, his best art. ____________________________________________________________________ Jeff Chapman Crane Jeff Chapman-Crane is a professional painter and social/ecological activist from the Appalachian mountains, where he has lived for the last 23 years. His portraits of mountain people show their character, and their souls. Jeff's work has been featured in American Artist magazine, and he is a four time finalist in the Artists Magazine’s annual portrait competition. He was the illustrator for the children’s book “Ragsale”, which won Best in Show at the 1995 New England Bookfair. Together with his wife, Sharman, and son, Evan, Jeff operates the Valley of the Winds Art Gallery in Eolia, Kentucky, where works by all three Chapman-Cranes can be seen. The gallery hosts an annual festival on the third Saturday of June, featuring live music, poetry readings and other events. Jeff’s work is represented by the Phyllis J. Weston Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio, and by the J. N. Bartfield Gallery in New York City. More of the Chapman-Crane’s work can be seen on their website - valleyofthewindsart.com ___________________________________________________________________ John Begley John Begley is director and curator of the Hite Art Institute Galleries at the University of Louisville, a position he accepted following being director of the Louisville Visual Art Association for 19 years. John has enjoyed a noteworthy career as a visual artist, with many regional solo and group exhibition credits, and is one of Arts Kentucky's panel of esteemed arts professionals. His work often studies the noble Cedar, reflecting his deep awareness of, attention to, and appreciation for the always absolute beauty of the immediate. Email: jpbegley@bellsouth.net ________________________________________________________________________ Marshall Thompson Marshall Thompson came to Kentucky following the sound of the banjo – and moved in with it. He has five remarkable sons, knows how to turn worn-out tires into a garden terrace, spends so many hours in the Frankfort Library that many think he's a volunteer, was founding chair and now enjoys Emeritus status on Open Ground's Board, and can figure out anything. He especially enjoys telling people how to pinch a bit of dirt between their teeth, to discover what it's about. He says there's two ways to make lasting pottery: thick enough it won't break, and thin enough folks notice and give it deserved care. Folks at OG have witnessed him turn a dirt clod into a turned, home-glazed, and fired cup (with handle) in 4 ½ hours – and make 30 pieces of "thin enough"soup bowls in less time than it takes a person of reasonable hunger to eat what just one of them might hold. Msiba Ann Beard Grundy 1920 Cambridge Drive , Lexington, Kentucky 40504 EDUCATION: Ann has 11 years of graduate studies following her BA in Musicology, with a major in World Spirituals, from Kentucky's Berea College, where she also received an HEW Fellowship in Asian Studies. Professionally, she has been a teacher, counselor, and "youth director"; a field representative for the Human Rights Commission, a Vista Volunteer in three states... and presently serves as program organizer for Lexington's annual King Holiday Program and the Roots and Heritage Festival. She is a member of the Natiopnal Holistic Society, is a speaker and workshop facilitator, is the founding director of Nia Day Camp, and was a charter member (now enjoying Emitus status) of Open Ground's Board. ___________________________________________________________________ Mildred and Nico Menchu , Louisville, Kentucky Nico and Mildred are Guatemalan Natives of Mayan heritage. They grew up in a family of traditional craftspeople, and are eachgifted in multiple art and professional mediums. ___________________________________________________________________ Nell Fields Nell was born and raised in Letcher County, the Kentucky heart of Appalachia. She has been a Montessori teacher and a volunteer resource for Save the Children Federation in the Cowan Community (20 years). Nell organized and served as the youth coordinator for the Cowan Community Youth Group, a 'model program' recognized by Kentucky Governor Paul Patton in 2001. Nell served in AmeriCorps VISTA in the Cowan Community from 1999-2001, and worked as Save the Children's AmeriCorps Program Assistant for two years. In VISTA she was instrumental in getting a $60,000 PowerUP Technology Grant for the Cowan Community Center. Nell also served as the Letcher County Coordinator for the Eastern Kentucky Leadership Network's Youth Leadership Program. As a teen, her father took her to Neon, Kentucky to see Bobby Kennedy speak at the Senate hearing held at the high school in 1968 - an event she feels changed her life for the better: "It taught the value of HOPE in the face of despair." ___________________________________________________________________ Patty Wren Smith Patty Wren Smith is the Group Programs Manager for Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, in Clermont, Kentucky. For over twenty years, Wren has worked as an Environmental Educator, developing programs and curricula pertaining to ecology, art, natural history and creative writing. Prior to joining the Bernheim staff, Wren served as the Manager/Naturalist of Hopscotch House, a rural retreat center sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Under Wren's leadership, guests of Hopscotch House were immersed in opportunities to connect more intimately with the surrounding woods, fields and gardens. Wren has served as field instructor for Wilderness Southeast, a school of the outdoors near Savannah Ga., where she lead camping programs into the Okeefenokee swamp, focusing on the human and natural history of the region. She served as Director for Coastal Experience, a summer camp program situated on Oatland Island and Sapelo Islands, Georgia. In addition, Wren worked for 11years as a park Naturalist for Louisville's Otter Creek Park, where she helped develop the park's first Elderhostel programs and worked extensively with program and curriculum development for schools and teacher training. Wren was a consultant working with the Jefferson County School system at Blackacre Nature Preserve where she helped to develop a core of programs and curricula for visiting school groups. In addition, Wren is a storyteller and has performed at the Corn Island Storytelling Festival. ____________________________________________________________________ Wyman Rice Wyman grew up on a farm in Adair County, and has been drawing since as far back as he can remember. There were no art instructors in his elementary or high schools, so he remained self-taught until college - he majored in art at UofL, and later at UK. Wyman took a special interest in ceramics after seeing contemporary pottery and sculpture, went back to UK for two more years of studio classes, and has now been working in clay for 23 years. Wyman's work is hand-built, without use of a wheel. Pieces are constructed one at a time, using slab or coil processes. He uses commercially produced clay that is specific to the firing process. Wyman's designs are original, and he says he avoids influences from other artists so his work remains unique. He has been featured in Joe Molinaro's Pottery Tour of Kentucky, and in "Arts Across Kentucky", both published by Crystal Communications, Lexington, Kentucky. Wyman has won many awards for his work, and has pieces in galleries in Kentucky, Florida and Ohio. He has been one of Open Ground's most popular presenters since well before the barn got a floor, is a serious sidewalk scavenger, and a trustworthy mechanic – any of which says a lot. ____________________________________________________________________
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