Sculpture Valley Board of Directors 22/24
A broadly engaged group of artists and arts advocates propelling our mission forward in the Fox Valley.
A new Board will be elected in the fall of 2024, please consider becoming a member of the Sculpture Valley BOD.
the Draw
President
Rob Neilson - Professor of Sculptural Art Lawrence University - Founder and VP 2011-2017
As Frederick R. Layton Professor of Art, Rob has been teaching sculpture at Lawrence for a decade and a half. Rob was recently awarded several commissions for Appleton's new exhibition center. Now on permanent display, his public artworks; You Are Here, We Are Here and Community Caryatids, bring Rob some well-deserved and long-overdue recognition of his talents and on-going investment in the public arts of the Fox Valley.
Vice President
Tony Conrad - Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Lawrence University - VP 2017-2019
Tony is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Lawrence University and his influence is just beginning to surface in the public realm. In 2016 he introduced the Mandala Project, an evolving and contributory public art exhibition, installing the first series of his five mandalas in a parking ramp adjacent to Houdini Plaza. Tony’s award-wining works have been exhibited at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Secretary
Kyle Knoke - Owner Allen James Design - Secretary 2017-2019
Kyle has been engaged in the arts in the Fox Valley for decades. As the former owner of the Allen/Thomas Gallery in Neenah in the early 2000's, Kyle introduced the Fox Valley to numerous national Contemporary artists for the first time. While that gallery is now just a fond memory, Kyle has continued to push creative endeavors as the owner of a successful design firm, Allen James Design.
Treasurer (vacant)
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE
Creative Downtown
Jennifer Stephany - Executive Director Appleton Downtown
Jennifer has been with us for many years, often steering ADi and Sculpture Valley initiatives down parallel paths to fruition. She continues to play a vital role in securing sponsorship and support for our ACREofART project and there is no better word to describe her value to this organization, and our mission, than "priceless."
Trout Museum
Christina Turner - Executive Director Trout Museum of ( Modern ) Art (resigned as President 2023)
At our beginnings in 1960, the Appleton Artists Guild set out to provide educational opportunities for local artists, create a suitable viewing gallery, and amass a permanent collection. Sharing and critiquing artwork and technique had been the very first activities pursued by the guild. We established our first gallery on Morrison Street in 1972 as the Appleton Gallery of Art, and moved to our current location on College Avenue as the Appleton Art Center in 2002. Then, in 2010, Dr. Monroe E. and Sandra Trout gifted their collection to the Appleton Art Center in 2010 along with a $1 million endowment to preserve, protect and promote the collection. Their generosity fulfilled our longtime hope to have a permanent collection of visual art right here in Northeast Wisconsin, now as The Trout Museum of Art.
Sean Dolan - Photoshop Retoucher
Sean is a committed member of the organization, dedicated to the Peace Park project and there to help wherever and whenever needed. After all, we don't know that many people with his drone-flying abilities, not to mention his nunchuck skills, bow-hunting skills, and computer hacking skills...
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alex Schultz - Executive Director - Founder and President 2011-present
Alex has been at this from the very beginning, serving as the organization's President for many years as it slowly developed into the flagship public arts organization it is today. His guiding influence has shaped many public arts policy decisions and under his leadership, advocacy for the arts in Appleton has never been stronger.