Associate Educator of Teen Programs,, Milwaukee Art Museum

Anika Kowalik, Associate Educator of Teen Programs, coordinates the Teen Internship program and works directly with teens. Kowalik is a Black and Queer Multidisciplinary Artist residing in Milwaukee. They hold a BFA in Printmaking from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. In their practice, they address creating safe space, representation and acknowledgement of disadvantaged communities, and programming encompassing these themes. They have a myriad of ties within communities that MAM directly serves as a result of years of interfacing with these communities as an artist. They’ve championed intersectional, anti-racist, and holistic care practices for local organizations such as Cactus Club Milwaukee, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Kowalik completed training from the Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin for a Childhood Development certification in early 2022 and has experience in public health evaluation as a Project Assistant for Jael Solutions LLC for the Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change, Health and Equity Grantees. The multiplicity and richness within their background brings a needs-based approach to teen programs reflective of equity driven approaches to education. Overall, they want teens to see themselves in art careers by providing a fulfilling experience for all involved.

Community Engagement Coordinator, American Players Theatre

Anna Gonzalez (she/her) is the Community Engagement Coordinator at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Lawrence University, a Masters of Arts in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, and an MFA in Shakespeare in Performance at Mary Baldwin University. Previous theatre production experience includes working as Wardrobe Supervisor at Glimmerglass Opera, American Shakespeare Center, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Before returning to the Midwest, Anna worked as a First Grade Teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada for eight years teaching 6-years-olds how to read and be kind. Anna strives to support inclusion, representation, and belonging in order to make theatre more accessible for historically excluded audiences and is passionate about engaging in collaboration to bring audiences into community together around the shared experience of theatre.

Executive Director, World Arts West

Dr. Anne Huang is the Executive Director of World Arts West, a 46 year old arts organization that supports cultural artists sustaining the world’s diverse dance traditions. In 2019 Dr. Huang was appointed the first person of color and cultural artist to lead World Arts West. Under Dr. Huang’s equity and inclusion focus, World Arts West has undergone a transformative equity journey. Huang is the former Executive Director of the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), one of the largest pan-Asian cultural centers in the U.S. During her tenure, she transformed OACC from an organization in financial crisis into a thriving cultural institution serving 50,000 people per year. She has supported many key cultural institutions in California and beyond, such as Parangal, Cuicacalli, Arenas Dance Company, Afro Urban Society, Diamano Coura West African Dance, and others. As a thought leader with deep knowledge of challenges and solutions for cultural artists in the 21st century, Huang has presented for Grantmakers in the Arts, National Association of Latino Arts & Culture, Arts Administrator of Color Network, Northern California Grantmakers, International Association of Blacks in Dance, and other convenings. She is a NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute Fellow, an Organizing Fellow for the Greater Bay Area Arts and Cultural Advocacy Coalition, and a member of the Dance/USA Board of Trustees.

Curator and Founder, Prisma Art Projects

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, 1987. Finished a Bachelor’s in Graphics Arts from the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina and graduated with a Masters in Fine Art with concentration in Photography from Miami International University of Art and Design.

Started her career as independent curator and arts administrator at Vargas Gallery, FL in 2012. Has served as project coordinator and grant writer at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for the past 6 years. Saldaña is the founder of Prisma Art Projects, artist-run organization focused on supporting contemporary emerging artists through curated exhibitions and events. As arts administrator has participated in various professional development programs such as NALAC’s Leadership Institute. Has introduced two international art and photography movements to the PR community: 24hourproject and Free Art Fridays.

As an artist, Saldaña has participated in many exhibitions in Puerto Rico, United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany, including her latest solo show at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago and group shows such as Bienal SalaFAR at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Bienal de Fotografía at Museo de Las Americas in San Juan, Miami Independent Thinkers in Miami and PINTA Art Fair in London.

Anpa’o Locke is an Afro-Indigenous writer, filmmaker, and curator. She is Húŋkpapȟa Lakota and Ahtna Dené (Village of Tazlina), born in the Standing Rock Nation and now residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She was a 2023 Native Lab Fellow and a 2022 Full Circle Fellow at the Sundance Institute, where she developed her upcoming short film, “Kawá,” which follows an Afro-Indigenous teen reconnecting with her Native roots. Her work is focused on amplifying Indigenous narratives in cinema.

In 2023, Locke co-curated “Imagining Indigenous Cinema” at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. This groundbreaking series showcased more than 40 films by U.S.-based Indigenous artists in the post-Standing Rock era. She has also worked as a writer for PBS Digital Studios’ “Sovereign Innovations” and as an associate producer for Best Case Studios.

Discipline: Media Arts

Antonette Tudela Labausa is an Indigenous Chamoru/Chamorro shell carver from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Using Mariånas spondylus, clam (hima), and other shells gathered along the coastlines of the Mariånas, she shapes each piece as a tribute to her heritage. Her work carries the spirit of traditional Chamoru shell carving—honoring ancestral knowledge, promoting cultural pride, and fostering a mindful connection between land and sea.

Antonio Camacho Martinez (Tony) is of Puerto Rican and Taino descent, and currently serves as the Program Director at p:ear, an organization in Portland, Oregon that creatively mentors homeless youth, ages 15-25, through education, music and art, as well as wilderness recreation. Tony provides essential services to youth experiencing homelessness while leading the development of p:ear’s programs to provide empowering and accessible spaces to build community, offer support, and create opportunities for exploration and personal growth. After earning a BA from Valparaiso University, he moved to Portland in 2007 from Indiana to serve as an AmeriCorps member as the Development Coordinator at Impact NW, beginning his now 15-year career empowering underserved youth in Multnomah County. Over the years, Tony has mentored, advocated for, and helped youth navigate systems as a Social Services Navigator at a pediatric clinic, and as a Youth Advocate and Career Skills Coach at NAYA Youth and Family Center. Tony is a graduate of the Conflict Resolution program at Portland State University, earning a graduate degree and certificates in interpersonal neurobiology, as well as youth and family counseling, and uses his degree in helping others move through conflict via conflict coaching, workshop facilitation, and mediation, with a focus on advancing equity and promoting cross-cultural education.

April Bojorquez is a Colorado-based Chicana artist, curator, folklorista and educator. She holds a master’s from Arizona State University, where her research examined Chicanx/Latinx/Hispano/a representation in museums and explored decolonial curatorial practices.

As director of programs and food practice at Desert Art LAB—a Chicanx-led environmental arts collaborative—Bojorquez guides participatory projects that restore desert ecologies through zero-irrigation regrowth and revitalize ancestral foodways rooted in the Chicanx experience of the desert Southwest.

Her work as a nationally recognized artist and leader has been featured at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe, Galería de la Raza in San Francisco, Dom Museum in Vienna, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and the New Mexico Museum of Art – Vladem Contemporary.

She is a Creative Capital Award recipient, a 2021 Mellon Artist in Residence at Colorado College Fine Arts Center Museum, a certified Colorado Change Leader and an alumna of the Smithsonian Latino Museum Studies Program.

Bojorquez is dedicated to amplifying rural Chicanx/Indigenous/Latinx/Hispanic voices and practices in the Southwest to inspire and shape future generations. She lives and works in Pueblo, Colorado.

Discipline: Dance

April Repeki is a cultural dancer, educator, and tradition bearer from Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. She began her dance journey at the age of six, studying Chamorro and Spanish dance under the guidance of Frances Sablan. In sixth grade, she began training with Jonas Barcinas, a first-generation dancer with the Taotao Tano dance group, who introduced her to Polynesian styles and deepened her understanding of the cultural ties across the Pacific. Through Barcinas, Repeki was also mentored by Frank Rabon, the founder of Chamorro cultural dance, Taotao Tano dance group and one of its most influential figures. These mentors instilled in her a deep passion for honoring ancestral stories through movement. For her, dance became more than performance, it became a vessel for memory, identity, and pride.

With over two decades of experience, Repeki has taught more than 300 students, many of whom have performed on Saipan and internationally. She has proudly represented her community at the Festival of Pacific Arts (FestPAC) in Guam (2016) and Hawai‘i (2024), performing alongside her students as proud cultural ambassadors. Today, Repeki remains committed to nurturing the next generation through dance that celebrates heritage, strengthens identity, and keeps island traditions alive.

Discipline: Visual Arts

April Werle is a narrative painter, whose works investigate how culture is internalized and negotiated as a mixed-race person. Influenced by her Filipino heritage and multicultural upbringing, Werle’s works explore themes of mixed-race identity, family, and belonging.

Her paintings have been exhibited at notable venues, including the Holter Museum of Art, Missoula Art Museum, and The Other Art Fair Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in publications like New Visionary Magazine and Kapwa Magazine.

Werle is an advocate for multiculturalism and intercultural dialogue. She has been invited to speak about her work, including a keynote speech at Montana State University with the Asian Student Interracial Association.

April Werle has received recognition for her contributions, including an ARPA Grant and a Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council.

Apt 4 Music Foundation

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

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Discipline: Multidisciplinary

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Discipline: Multidisciplinary

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Discipline: Multidisciplinary

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Discipline: Multidisciplinary

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Arizona Early Music Society, inc.

ART OF ELAN