Artists Talk with LVA: August 24, 2023

LVA staff members Grant Johnson & Kristian Anderson will be in the studio this week to talk about LVA's past, present, & future. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Kristian Anderson has 18+ years’ experience in the arts and culture sector, including as Senior Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Salt Lake City. Prior to that, Kristian was for four years the Executive Director of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Executive Director for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries in Seattle. He was the founder and host of “SLC Culture” – a weekly radio show highlighting arts, culture and social issues.

For the past 3 years he was the Executive Director of LVA where he achieved fiscal stability and growth during a time when a global pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to all non-profit arts organizations. He oversaw the first phase of renovations for the LVA facility in Portland, which focused on bringing the building up to code and giving it greater accessibility, developed the Artist Resource Series providing advice and instruction for practicing adult artists, and in partnership with artist and donor Clare Hirn initiated the Curate Purchase and Inspire (CPI) program designed to foster curatorial practice and install permanent exhibits of art purchased from local artists in community non-profits. 

Grant Johnson is Strategic Communications Coordinator for LVA. He holds an MFA in Printmaking from West Virginia University, and a BA in Religion from Williams College. His work life includes 13 years’ experience teaching all studio art disciplines, art history, film, and art education at the college level. He has also worked as a freelance graphic designer, in online retail, and in a variety of sales and management positions.

A working artist, Grant’s studio practice focuses on commissioned oil portraits, but also includes sculpture, video, printmaking, and drawing.

Grant’s passions for writing and for LVA’s mission find additional purpose in his role as the organization’s in-house Grants Administrator. His lifelong commitment to promoting the value of visual art and art education has never been more at home than it is at LVA.

Artists Talk With LVA: June 23, 2022

After 30 years of leading Bunbury Theatre, Juergen Tossmann will be passing the torch to Skylar Vest and Hannah Brooks. All 3 talked with us about the importance of transition in the arts. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Juergen Tossmann has been Bunbury's Producing Artistic Director since 1991. Thirty years ago, he guided a struggling fledgling company to health and artistic prominence.

Under Juergen's leadership, Bunbury developed two venues most recently in 2007 the company turned an old gymnasium in The Henry Clay building into a 140-seat state-of-the-art theatre. The theatre currently serves two companies; Bunbury, Pandora Productions, and until very recently,  The Liminal Playhouse.

Before Bunbury, Juergen worked as an artist-in-residence, teacher, actor, freelance director, assistant director, production stage manager, stage manager, prop master, acting coach, and co-founded an improvisational theatre company. The myriad positions at theatres all over the country prepared him for a job that would last over 30 years. At Bunbury Juergen has produced over 200 shows.

In 2020 he received the Kathi EB Ellis Lifetime Achievement Award from Louisville Visual Art. ​

Skylar Vest attended Georgetown College where he earned a BA in Theatre and Directing. Since 2017 he has been working with Bunbury Theatre, most recently as an Artistic Associate.

Hannah Brooks is a local prop and costume designer who has been active in the Louisville theatre community for the last five years. They have worked primarily with Bunbury Theatre on shows including The Green Book, Grace and Glorie, Boatwright, and Visiting Edna. Recently Hannah has been a dresser for the Kentucky Opera and worked for Commonwealth Theatre Company.