CHARAC Board Members
Mission Statement:
CHARAC is a not-for-profit organization of
artists and friends united to advance the opportunities and services for
artists and the general public, and committed to the importance and value of
art and its creation in our communities. Please click on the link for an
application for the Board
of Directors
Mary Ringelstetter - President
Mary
moved to the area in 2007 after spending 50 summers here with her family! To
see a lifelong dream of living here year round is a delight! She spent 35 years
working in administration with the University of Wisconsin Madison and retired
to North Carolina for 5 years. She there became involved with a local county
arts council serving on the board and was Director for 2 years. During that
time she opened a gallery serving the artists which has grown into a 5,000
square foot space and continues growing! She then served as a consultant for
another year before moving to the great northern country of Wisconsin.
Patricia (Trish) Hemming - Vice President
Trish
Hemming has taught English, theater, and speech and is the author of Hayden's Song, a
contemporary family fairy tale celebrating the joy of diversity. In 2006,
she retired from Anoka Hennepin School District where she taught enthusiastic
eighth graders, coached speech team, and directed school plays and musicals.
Trish currently teaches an online continuing education class on Effective
Communication for Educators for the University of St. Thomas and works as an
adjunct professor for Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College. She, also,
loves to spend time with her talented granddaughter and her two gifted
grandsons. Playing with grandchildren, teaching education
classes and classes in composition
and speech, keeps her passion for teaching alive and well.
Sue Leighton - Secretary
Sue
worked in Public Health for Hennepin County in Minneapolis for eighteen years
before moving to Hayward with her husband John. They bought a cabin on Teal
Lake in 1999. Sue is a watercolor artist, but enjoys supporting all the arts.
She is also a "Birkie Girl" and competes on a Dragon Boat Team!
Shari Peterson - Treasurer
The arts have been central in my life since
childhood. I've had wonderful careers in graphic design, ballet and
flamenco dance. As a board member of CHARAC I have come to know the
incredibly talented people living in the Wisconsin north woods, and I want to
help others who have a passion in art to grow and reach for their full potential.
Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson moved to Wisconsin in January of 2009 when she and her husband purchased Forest Moon B&B on County OO. Previously she had lived in Central Illinois where her interests and professional life moved back and forth between education and art. She was a grade school classroom teacher where she taught art during the summer, she taught basic skills to adults at a community college where she later was an administrator, and she was Education Director at the Children's Museum of Illinois. She also owned an art gallery, managed both non-profit and commercial art galleries, and was a professional photographer. She was involved in several art councils, being president of the Coles County Arts Council and the Sullivan Art Club, and a member of Gallery 510 Art Guild. Carol is thrilled to be living in the beautiful Northwoods, having visited the area for 40 years, and is especially glad to find an active art community here.
Barbara Bolitho
Barbara Bolitho has enjoyed
living in the Hayward area for twelve years with husband Jim and three furry
kids. Barbara is an accomplished professional Realtor at Woodland
Developments and Realty, and a Customer Service Representative for the new
Kinetico Water Systems office. Barbara believes in participating in the
community; an active Ambassador and Board member for the Hayward Chamber
of Commerce, annually organizes the Musky Fest 5K Run/Walk in June with a
portion of the proceeds to a non-profit organization, volunteers for the
Humane Society fundraising events, she works diligently as Co-Chair for the
Park Theater Project bringing quality entertainment and arts
to the Hayward community, a CHARAC Board Member, a Mentor
with the STRIVE (students taking renewed interest in the value of education)
program through the Rotary Club, teaches Creative Painting with
Ceramics with the school system and at her church Hayward United
Methodist, plus organizes Girls Night Out every month for the women in the
area to socialize and network. Barbara received the Volunteer of the Year
Award from the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. She always enjoys going to
movies, snow shoeing, exercise, walks, golf, gourmet dinner groups and road
trips to enjoy their five grandchildren.
Jean Geiger
Jean
Geiger is a native of Wisconsin who returned to live in the northwoods
permanently in June 2008. Having taught business courses in high schools,
vocational colleges, and junior colleges in various parts of the country, she
acquired a variety of computer skills and enjoyed living in many different
places. After leaving the teaching field in 1996, she wrote and published
a textbook for the community college environment while living in Pennsylvania,
just outside Philadelphia. Free time during these work years was spent
doing many hand crafts such as embroidery, knitting, crocheting, paper twill,
and sewing. A life-long desire was to learn to paint, which came to
fruition in the spring of 2008. With this newly acquired skill, she decided
she'd had enough of the "working world" and left it to pursue more
artistic endeavors in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Her business, Just for
Giggles, features hand-painted items with a focus on wine glasses. Jean
is active with the Hayward Chamber of Commerce and volunteers for various
activities at the Park Theater while also working part-time at Kinetico Water
Systems in Hayward.
Jessica Handwerk
Jessica Handwerk moved to Hayward in early 2009 from a small town in
Minnesota, Le Sueur (the home of the Green Giant). She went to school at the
College of Saint Benedict where she earned a B.A. in art and a B.A. in Mass
Media Communications. She truly loves many types of art including photography,
graphic design, drawing, painting and ceramics. Jess currently works for
Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin at their Webmaster. She is also a
freelance web and graphic designer. Outside of art, Jess loves to spend
time with her family, friends and her two labs, Joey and Elmo. Jess
is hoping to help with CHARAC's marketing strategies and encourage more artists
to get involved.
Deanna Persson
Deanna Persson is a mixed media artist. The majority of her work
is done in the square format with abstract images. Her work ranges in size from
5"x5" to 36"x36" with occasional oversized canvases. Deanna
is the owner of Art Beat of Hayward - a gallery for regional artists and fine craft
and framing store. Art Beat also sells art supplies. Prior to opening the
gallery in 2000, she and her husband Mike owned and operated Wilderness Walk, a
zoo and recreational park in Hayward, for 14 years. Before moving to Hayward,
she was a Chicago Public School District Administrator and elementary school
teacher. Deanna also worked for Carsons in Chicago in their interiors
department. In addition to her involvement with CHARAC and The Park Theater,
Deanna serves as the President of the Northwoods Human Society. Family, friends,
animals and art are working to make the world a better place are her joys.
Catherine Sebek
Born in the Midwest, Catherine
Sebek has been a working artist in the Hayward area since 1985. She creates
using glass, pastels and paper. She has her studio open for others to come for
inspiration or instruction. Catherine is an artist as well as an advocate for
the arts and knows that the arts are definitely an important aspect of any
healthy community.