Sarah María is a mixed-media artist, trauma worker, herbalist and community organizer from Pontiac, Michigan. Sarah has a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science from DePaul University, and is also working on a graduate studies program in Community, Liberation, Indigenous and Ecopsychologies at the Pacifica Graduate Institute to tie together their work. Currently, Sarah María is involved in crisis work at Centro Multicultural La Familia, a local anti-violence organization, designing and advocating for the implementation of culturally competent services for survivors and immigrants in Oakland County. When Sarah is not working or gardening, she focuses on building an ancestral apothecary that centers Queer and Trans BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color), mutual-aid medicine shares and decolonial care work. Their interests currently include Indigenous bearth work, textiles, shapeshifting with plants, bodymind liberation, and environmental justice. 

A native Detroiter, Rob Kangas is a lifelong artist and educator.  

Over his career, he has exhibited his work in 10 one-person shows and over 75 group exhibitions.  He has been Program Coordinator of the Photography Program at Oakland Community College’s Royal Oak Campus for the last 36 years.  

His work was featured in the Detroit After Dark exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2017. He is a former recipient of a Michigan Council for the Arts Creative Artist Grant. One of his first photo teaching jobs was at The Pontiac Creative Arts Center from 1985 – 1987. 

Nick Valenti earned a BFA degree in ART/Photography in 1980 and a MA degree in ART/Photography from Wayne State University in 1984.  He began his teaching career at Oakland Community College as an adjunct instructor in 1983.  In 1996, Nick became a full-time Faculty member at Oakland Community College in both analog and digital photography.  In 1995, he introduced the first digital imaging courses to the curriculum at OCC.  He enjoys teaching a wide range of courses in wet-lab (darkroom), digital imaging, studio practices, history of photography, and art appreciation.  In 1998, Nick installed one of the few permanent Camera Obscuras in Michigan, turning his classroom into a teaching tool for optics and the invention of photography.  In addition to his teaching, he serves as Chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at the Orchard Ridge Campus in Farmington Hills and serves as a Board Member of the Michigan Photographic Historical Society. 

An avid collector of over 1,200 books on photography, Nick’s interest in image-making spans the range from street photography to landscape and documentary photography utilizing analog formats from 35mm up to 5” x 7” in addition to panoramic cameras.  Among his favorite photographers are Eugène Atget, Gordon Parks, and Detroit native Harry Callahan. 

In addition to his career in photography at OCC, Nick has coached Novi HS and the OCC Soccer Club and taught credit courses in Fencing (Foil, Épée, and Sabre), earning the USFCA level of Moniteur de Fleuret in Foil (2011).  Nick lives in Northville with wife Marsha, sons Jack and Audie, and dog Apollo. 

Naomi Tajonera-Huffman is a black and Filipino woman photographer and artist based in Detroit. Her concentration is studio portrait photography but also made a mark in the art scene with her urban landscape photography. Naomi has spent her 10+ year career focused on making her subjects feel safe on the other side of her lens. A part of her process is getting to know the people who trust her with their projections. “I’ve made it a point to make sure the people on the other side of my lens feel special in a safe space.” She has worked with subjects ranging from 36-hour newborns to 90-something-year-old first-time authors.

Tajonera began freelancing during her sophomore year of college at Oakland Community College, starting out with family portraits and headshots for amateur models. During this time she was unknowingly exploring the concept of “Wabi Sabi” (the Japanese philosophy of beauty in imperfections), in her urban landscape work ultimately earned her an art scholarship to Marygrove College. There, she ventured into printmaking and photography-based mixed media, concluding with her receiving a BA in Art.

Naomi is currently the assistant manager at Sherwood Forest Art Gallery, one of the largest Black Art galleries in the city of Detroit. She is also a resident artist at the Marygrove Conservancy in Detroit, where her studio is housed.

Meaghan Barry is a Partner and Creative Director at Unsold Studio, an award-winning Detroit-based branding firm. She is also an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and the Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at Oakland University. Barry was selected as a 2020 Notable Woman in Design by Crain’s Detroit Business, a 2019 Oakland County Executive 40 under 40, and a 2019 UNESCO Cities of Design delegate. 

Martha Mysko’s work blurs painting, installation, sculpture, and photography with the language of painting being central to her practice. She is Artist-in-Residence and Co-Head of the Painting Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Martha has had solo exhibitions at galleries including Belle Isle Viewing Room, Wasserman Projects, Marc Straus Gallery, Good Weather Gallery, and Sadie Halie Projects, as well as collaborative and two-person exhibitions at galleries including Fjord Gallery, Elephant Art Space, and Holiday Forever Gallery. Her work has been featured in Nylon Magazine and Artforum and included in numerous group exhibitions throughout the US at institutions and galleries including Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Cranbrook Art Museum, Library Street Collective, Essex Flowers, Storefront Ten Eyck, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, and Oakland University Art Gallery.

Mark is a Photographer/Videographer Entrepreneur & Educator. He has been in the commercial creative field for his entire career and instructing photography for over 20 years. Mark’s strength is his passion to create content for all media needs, and the collaborative nature that he likes to bring to every one of his client’s projects. In over 25 years of creative imaging, Mark’s work can be found in outdoor media, national print ads, corporate brochures, annual reports, web imaging, product catalogs, video productions, and commercials.  His work ethic adds value to every level of client expectations and budgets. He has captured content for ad agencies, noted brands, non-profits, and individuals – in the best possible light.  In a process-oriented business, each step is approached with eagerness: pre-production, lighting, shooting, post-production, and client satisfaction. He has had several of his own personal art shows displaying his photographic prints and video productions that have always been received with favor. Visit mediahero.com and see the work speak for itself!

I am Kat Rosaen. I am a conceptual artist that teaches photography for Ann Arbor Rec and Ed, as well as the Downriver Council for the Arts. I have a Bachelor of Science with a major in Art (concentration in photography) from Eastern Michigan University and a European Master of Fine Art Photography from Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid Spain. Since graduating I have had the pleasure of working with multiple artists throughout Europe and the United States, as well as attending artistic residencies. I also have been blessed to have my artwork exhibited in multiple countries and have my work published.

A graduate of Wayne State University’s art therapy Master’s program, Judy Wilson finds fulfillment in using the arts to help others grow, empowering them to move through life’s challenging transitions and obstacles. She began her career in the arts in the 1980s as a freelance and courtroom illustrator. In 1996, Judy co-founded The Art Experience, community art and art therapy studio in Pontiac, Michigan, and she served as the organization’s Executive Director from 2012-2017. In 2014, she co-created Pontiac’s Art Fish Fun Festival, now in its ninth year. She is a fierce advocate for making the arts accessible to everyone, and from 2016 to 2020 worked with youth in a crisis residential setting. Judy serves as an Arts Commissioner for the City of Pontiac and received the Wayne State University Art Education and Art Therapy Department’s Community Service Award in 2018. Judy’s life’s mission has been to use the arts to build community and improve people’s lives. She recently began a new chapter, serving as Coordinator of Oakland University’s Nonprofit Management Certificate program.

Ivan Quiñones is a self-taught artist and painter, born and raised in the city of Pontiac. Ivan returned to art and his creative drive during quarantine in 2020, and now operates an arts business that hosts community events and classes.  Ivan Quiñones uses his creative space in Pontiac, El Piqasso Studio, as a conduit to share his God-given talent and work with the community, as well as inspire and support a new generation of Pontiac artists. 

Glen Durmisevich is currently the Theme Director and Chief Judge for the EyesOn Design Automotive Exhibition held at the Edsel Ford House in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Being involved in the vehicle selection of this show since its inception, Glen chaired the show in 2005 and has been guiding the EyesOn Design show on the Leadership Team ever since. 

Glen has 40 years of experience as an automobile and commercial truck design professional. He spent 32 years with General Motors Design before taking an early retirement. While there, his contributions included automotive exterior and interior, concept, and production vehicle designs for the Advanced, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC, and Chevrolet studios. Along with overall exterior production studio work, in Oldsmobile, he was responsible for the design of the 1983 Ciera PPG Pace Car, 1983 15th Anniversary Hurst Olds, 1990 Toronado, 1991 Ninety-Eight and the 1999 Oldsmobile Recon Concept vehicle. In Cadillac, he designed the 1988 Eldorado and contributed heavily to the 1989 DeVille. The GMC Envoy XUV and Denali were executed by Glen. Chevrolet designs include the 1997 Malibu exterior and interior, 2000 Monte Carlo interior, the 2006 Trailblazer SS, and productionizing the Chevrolet SSR concept vehicle. He played a strategic role in establishing corporate divisional branding and future product portfolios. He created and managed the General Motors Accessory Design Studio to build an aftermarket presence for all GM vehicles, leading to several SEMA Show Vehicles. His experience at General Motors included an overseas assignment at Holden in Australia where he was a leader and corporate spokesman for the computer design technologies and process. 

Most recently he was Chief Designer at Navistar’s Innovation and Design department responsible for the exterior design of INTERNATIONAL brand trucks. These include the 2013 Horizon Concept vehicle, the 2017 LT on-highway tractor, the 2016 HX severe service trucks, and the new electric eMV recently debuted. Additionally, the new Chevrolet 4500/5500 and INTERNATIONAL Medium Duty vehicles were designed jointly with General Motors. 

Glen graduated from the College for Creative Studies and has utilized his interest and knowledge in automotive and transportation history as an adjunct professor at Lawrence Technological University’s Transportation Design Program.  

Glen has had a strong interest and knowledge in all types of cars. For classic cars, he consulted on the restoration and color selection for a 1930 LaSalle Convertible Coupe, a 1932 Cadillac V-12 Sedan, and V-8 Coupe.  

He designed a rebodied 1930 Cord L-29 Boattail Speedster, in period style, which was registered with the Classic Car Club of America as an original rebodied L-29. He is also versed in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s automobile design. He currently owns and is personally restoring a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.  

David was born and raised in Kentucky and graduated from Georgetown College with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry and was awarded the Kentucky Young Scientist Summer Fellowship at the University of Kentucky. He graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Art with an M.F.A in photography. While attending Cranbrook he was a finalist for the Daimler Chrysler Emerging Artist award and a recipient of the Robert H. Daisley Memorial Scholarship. His work has been shown nationally in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston; and is held in the permanent collection of Cranbrook Art Museum. He is the lab technician and a lecturer for the Art and Art History Department at Oakland University. He lives in Berkley, Michigan with his wife and two kids.

Barbara Heller is currently the Director and Conservator of Special Projects and formerly the Chief Conservator at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). She lectures, publishes, and serves on the board of directors and in advisory positions for several professional regional, national, and international organizations.

Her volunteer activities in the cultural community include serving on the Birmingham Public Arts Board, the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum Advisory Board, and the Michigan Alliance for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. She is a member of the Detroit Public Library Friends Foundation, Detroit Artists Market Circle of Art, Wayne State University Press, and volunteers for several non-for-profit organizations and at a variety of community events.

She has juried many art shows including both OUR TOWN and Student Art Town at The Community House in Birmingham, Concours d’Elegance at Meadow Brook Hall and Cranbrook, Milford’s Village Fine Arts Association PAN (Poetry & Art Night) Show, Art for God’s Sake at St. Anastasia Catholic Church, Young Jewish Artist Showcase at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, From the Inside Out at the Plymouth Community Arts Council, Canvas Pontiac, Belleville Area Council for the Arts, and the Michigan Artist competition, among others.