JU-EH is a Las Vegas based visionary, community leader, and operatic vocalist. As a conceptual curator, JU-EH has initiated projects that defy genre, period, or easy categorization. JU-EH self-produced the musical drama The Living Dying Opera based on the story of their life addressing a racist experience as an Asian queer male in the opera industry; They also brought worldwide attention to the episodic audio opera Asian Casta Diva on the social media platform Clubhouse responding to the #StopAsianHate Movement.

JU-EH has collaborated with numerous non profit organizations to raise awareness of safe and caring environments for people of color artists and employees.

The brand new business the Milk Tea Opera House was recently launched as a pioneering concept combining performing arts and beverages as a placemaking act for the daily life of Nevadans. JU-EH would like to cultivate a creative space to meet where people are at, and to invite people who do not have professional training to interpret how art makings do not have prerequisites. MTOH aims to engage local residents in finding their own creative voice, and expand the connection of our voice to be the place to meet who we truly are as the new definition of the opera house for the next 100 years.

Mr., The Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning

Col. JC McPherson, Kentucky Colonel Goodwill Ambassador, has a background in writing, electricity, and general troubleshooting. During his time at the Carnegie Center, he has worn many hats. Currently he is an agent for the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative, Creative Writing Instructor, Rental Staff, and Staff Support. He is the author of On My Mind (blacoetry press), Jupiter’s Child (Winged City Chapbooks), and Hey Batta Batta (Lefthanded JuJu). In his spare time, he likes to cook, explore nature, garden, and listen to music.

Discipline: Photography

I am a self-taught artist drawing on early childhood memories of my grandparents and their Mexican culture and
heritage, my work becomes a whimsical and positive interpretation of various periods of my
own life. I am especially inspired by my own experiences working in animal husbandry and
ranching. Many times in Mexican folklore animals were often used to teach right from wrong
or to explain the current political events. This was one way to keep the rural population
informed since many of them were illiterate. Animals often assume human characteristics in
my work and I strive to create an open-ended narrative that allows my viewers to create
their own story. In some of my current work I am writing and illustrating children’s books.
This is a wonderful new challenge that pushes me to look at my work from a different
perspective.

Kait Glasswell began working as a public folklorist for the Oregon Folklife Network in 2023. She is responsible for developing and implementing programming that serves Oregon’s culture bearers, who dedicate their knowledge, skill and agency to transmit cultural practices across generations. This work joins her two previous career paths: community advocacy and arts education.

Glasswell was born in Pullman, Washington, and has a deep appreciation for rural communities of the West. She earned her bachelor’s in East Asian studies and Chinese language from St. Olaf College, where she had the opportunity to live in community with the Asian Rural Institute in Nashushiobara, Japan.

She believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people and finds joy in creating with others. She currently lives with her wife, dog and two cats in Eugene, Oregon.

Project Manager, The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

Program Coordinator, Mana Maoli

My name is Kapali Bilyeu and I’m a kanaka maoli (aboriginal Hawaiian) born and raised on the island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i. From birth I was exposed to the creative process of music; my father is a founding member of a popular Hawai’i band called Kalapana and I had the privilege of meeting many talented artists, some of whom I still have a close relationship with today. The music industry in Hawai’i is very close-knit and has been an environment I always imagined myself being a part of when I’m an adult. My journey into traditional Hawaiian arts began in elementary school when I attended Kanuikapono Public Charter School, which specializes in place-based learning. My daily schedule was full of Hawaiian music, chanting protocols, Hawaiian history, cultural practices, and STEM programming done directly on the land, from the mountains to the sea. This experience inspired me to pursue and earn a BA in Hawaiian Studies and completion of the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program, both offered through Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.

Kathy Weber is the product of the American Dream and the Peace Corps.
She was born on a small family ranch in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, the daughter of a hard-working forester and a first generation immigrant from the South Pacific Islands.

The neighboring rancher cut her umbilical cord. She grew up playing in dirt, curious about everything and inspired by the work ethic of her parents and ancestors from the Pasifika islands of Rotuma and Samoa. Thanks to encouragement from her family, Kathy became the first person in her family to earn a master’s degree studying broadcast journalism and political science. Today, Kathy draws upon more than 20 years of experience as an award-winning journalist, political strategist, campaign advisor and business consultant to add firepower to her clients’ capacity. She’s a trusted ally for small businesses, corporations, cooperatives, professional associations, non-profits, major events and organizations who value her ability to get the job done right.
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Kathy is blessed to be raising her two children in Western Montana, exploring the rivers, lakes and mountains around the West. She passionate about the practice of hula and an active community member of the University of Montana Pacific Islanders Club.

As a passion project to honor her Rotuman heritage, Kathy is the co-founder of The Rotuma Project, the first virtual reality tour of a Pacific island disproportionately impacted by climate change. The Rotuma Project aims to document and honor Rotuman stories, language, cultural practices, geography and traditional knowledge while empowering indigenous voices. Learn more >>> www.therotumaproject.com

Kayla Desroches is an artist and journalist based in Billings, Montana. She writes about science, culture and Indigenous issues for local and nationwide outlets. Community is a common denominator across her work in writing, audio production and visual art.

Desroches grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Barnard College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing. Convinced she would be a car-free New Yorker for life, she took a reporting job in Alaska to explore the world outside her bubble. She ended up with a driver’s license, a career in journalism and a love for the U.S. West.

Desroches is using her time as a fellow to develop a workshop based on her personal experience with art and grief.