Philadelphia-born Sheila Hughes is often mistaken for a Pacific Northwest native, and has been a prominent figure in the Seattle Arts and Non-profit landscape for more than 25 years. She served as Principal, Producer and COO of One Reel, the creative powerhouse responsible for Bumbershoot, WOMAD, Summer Nights at the Pier, Lake Union Family Fourth, and Teatro ZinZanni Seattle & San Francisco, as well as dozens of Northwest and touring concerts, theater and circus arts, youth programs and spectacles. Following her departure from One Reel in 2010, Sheila served as Executive Director of several important Pacific Northwest cultural institutions, to include Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Gage Academy of Art, and now, most enthusiastically, Executive Director of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. As a volunteer, board member and advocate for several organizations which deliver essential services to our region, Sheila supports the Downtown Seattle Food Bank, Pike Market Senior Center, Path with Art and Earshot Jazz.  Equally passionate about music/art and cooking/gardening, and an unapologetic fan of the ‘festival’ as an art form, she was proud to hear one of her two daughters describe her as a blend of Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.

Greg grew up in Seattle and went to graduate school in New York City to earn his master’s degree in Public Administration from NYU. His arts career was accidental – while director of facilities planning at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City in the 1980s, he helped launch one of the largest hospital art collections in the country. That’s how he got ‘the bug.’ Subsequently, he held positions including executive director of Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, director of William Traver Gallery in Tacoma, and executive director of the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA) in La Conner. Greg serves the non-profit art community throughnumerous selection panels for exhibitions and awards, including the Betty Bowen Award Committee of Seattle Art Museum since 1999. Career highlights include several book projects on Puget Sound artists, serving on the board of the American Craft Council, and volunteering as a strategic facilitator and coach for smaller non-profit organizations.  “If I bring anything to BIMA it is endless curiosity. My job is to mine our regional art world for diverse talent – both long-standing careers that are deserving, and artists that are new (at least to me) in this ever changing landscape.  At BIMA we cook up exhibitions from scratch – we have no real recipe to follow, just great – and fresh — ingredients!”

Before transplanting to Seattle from Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2015, Amy’s experience in the arts had its similarities to many aspiring artists. She worked as a barista, singer/songwriter, book artist and wide-eyed dreamer viewed through the lens of her upbringing in the “buckle of the bible belt.”  She received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Oklahoma and began her museum career as an education assistant at Philbrook Museum of Art. She has always found herself encouraging other artists to show their work in the community and helping them find creative ways to connect people with their work through music, festivals, home shows, etc. All the while, looking for ways an emerging or under-recognized artist connects to a museum.  In 2014, she stepped through the doors of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art for the first time as a visitor and an artist — on the way to show her art at a First Friday Art Walk event in Winslow. She immediately felt welcomed with the kind of warm hospitality that makes room at the table for you – no closed doors. She was hooked. She began working as an intern at BIMA through the University of Washington’s Museology Certificate program in 2015 and her passion for finding and creating access points for artists’ voices in the museum is what she gets to do every day with the amazing mentorship and collaboration of the BIMA team. As an emerging curator, she strives to bring to light that intersection where life and art connect and is dedicated to assisting emerging and under-recognized artists expand their voices and community at BIMA

At the dawn of time, Kim was an art student, veterinary tech, then master picture framer and independent business owner. Exploring art preservation led to a 2009 UW Museum Studies Certificate. She arrived at BIMA in 2014 via an internship through Seattle University. Chief Curator Greg Robinson promoted her to the Curatorial Associate/Volunteer Coordinator position where she now nimbly spends her days spanning both roles, then nightly entertains her husband and the paw-n-terouge. Kim is passionate about art and process and finds inspiration sharing the BIMA experience with the many audiences the Museum reaches. Connecting people with art makes her day!

Kristi spent four years as a volunteer on the Installation Crew, deeping her connection to BIMA, before joining the staff. However, art education and art installation has been a passion her whole life. Her career as a school administrator always prioritized the arts and the importance of a creative life. In addition to her work in the arts, she is highly involved in her other passion, gardening, at Wacky Nut Garden and the dahlia cart located at Halls Hill Labyrinth Park.

Kristin is an artist and educator who grew up in the Puget Sound and Mountain West. She earned an MFA in Metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BA in Art History and Sociology/Anthropology from Carleton College and certifications from the Teaching Artist Training (TAT) Lab and Seattle’s Emerging Public Artist Roster (EPAR). Kristin’s path has consistently woven between making art and sharing her excitement about it with people, and she brings over 30 years of experience to my work at BIMA. She has a firm conviction that beauty can be found in the most unlikely places. She has received honors from Delta Kappa Gamma, the Island Treasure Award, and numerous residencies from Iceland to Chile. Her public art commissions can be found in parks, libraries and schools around the Pacific Northwest and her studio sculpture and jewelry have been exhibited internationally. She has received recognition for her work from the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, Americans for the Arts, and her work has been published in Fiber Arts Design Book and Metalsmith Magazine.

Ken is a fourth-generation islander, graduated from BHS in 1985, and has spent most of his adult life living off the island. He has lived on three continents, both coasts, and upwards of seven metropolitan areas. His educational background is in art and cultural studies (having veered off sharply from biomedical engineering in his first few years of college) and his academic interests include Japanese-American history, pop culture, and social justice praxis. He’s been a berry picker on the island, a photographer’s assistant, a teacher for the Upward Bound Program, an SAT prep instructor, and, for the past twenty years prior to BIMA, the curator of the M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery at Seattle Central College. He is committed to helping people to re-imagine their worlds, to find inspiration, and to access experiences outside of their own. Ken’s hobbies include making food, growing things, movies, reading, video games, and taking naps. He feels lucky to have to opportunity to be part of BIMA’s outstanding team and is looking forward to bringing interesting, fun, poignant, engaging, and audacious programs to our community.

Peter Raffa is the Director of Development at BIMA since 2017, and an integral member of the leadership team responsible for building a culture of philanthropy around the museum. In addition to raising money through grants and sponsorships, he enjoys cultivating and stewarding donors to support our exhibitions, events, and programs in support of our mission. Peter is fluent in American Sign Language and has more than 35 years of fundraising experience with various nonprofits in Seattle and throughout the East Coast. He and his wife Christie moved to Bainbridge with their daughter Taylor in 1994.

Two decades in the nonprofit world—where budgets are tight and flexibility is key—have given Korum the opportunity to gain a wide range of skills in marketing, branding, public relations, management and event production. His experience as a graphic designer helps bring a strong visual aesthetic to everything he does. He started his career in arts non-profits at One Reel, working as graphic designer for Bumbershoot, Teatro ZinZanni, and Summer Nights at the Pier. Over time, Korum built up his marketing chops and became Marketing Manager for Teatro ZinZanni where, when not working on the legendary show, he was part of a small team that developed new after-hours projects for the circus tent and developed its education programs. After nearly twelve years, he left the project to become Director of Communications & Events for Bloedel Reserve before finding his way to BIMA which he feels is where he was always meant to be. Fun to know: Outside of the 9-5, Korum plays drums for Grammy-nominated family music band Recess Monkey. He has also played with or alongside David Byrne, Jon Hendricks, The Dead Science, Grady Tate, his brother Jherek and many others. For his work as a musician, community organizer, and educator, Korum was the first recipient of the Amy Award for Emerging Artists.

Abigail is a printmaker and mixed media artist currently based out of Silverdale. Born in Grand Junction, CO, her roots are firmly in the PNW where she was raised in part on Orcas Island and Redmond, WA. After graduating high school in De Pere, Wisconsin, Abigail I moved back to Washington where she studied at Western Washington University. At WWU, she earned a Bachelors of Arts and a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a minor in Art History focused in African Art. Abigail’s passion for art and witty sense of humor keep her going and her coworkers entertained at BIMA.

Graphic design is taking an idea and making it visual – that is where Laura comes into the picture. When tasked with a project, she will create with care and design with intention. Her early work experience in the printing industry gave her the skills she’s put into practice as a graphic designer and photographer for over 20 years. A freelancer who counts BIMA as a client, Laura enjoys traveling abroad and says that those travels helped her become even more appreciative of art, language, and their connection to each other. She especially loves how BIMA explores and shares a multitude of sensory experiences with different styles of art, music, and movies – and encourages the next generation of artists with art education and crafts.

Aidan, like most navy kids, was born one place but grew up in other places. Born in San Diego, CA, and he grew up for the most part in the Kitsap County, WA. A job opportunity for his mother brought his family to Sicily, Italy, as he calls it, “The Volcanic Pizza Shaped Soccer Ball off the Boot of the Mainland.” (Don’t ask him for directions or they’ll be as long winded as that nickname.) The endless visits to ancient ruins, other countries, and all the museums in between beat a love of the arts and history into him.  After returning from across the world and going into high school he needed some art credits and delved into stained glass, setting him on the inevitable path to a degree in the arts.  Aidan attended Washington State University in Pullman and earned his BFA in Photography & Oil Painting with a Minor in Art History. He took classes in as many mediums as he could fit in his schedule and always asked questions. Towards the end of his time at WSU, he interned with the campus Museum of Art (now the WSU Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum) and found a new and unexpected love of the arts. He is incredibly excited to be part of the team at BIMA and be in the Museum environment again.  “If you want someone to love art, nature, and architecture, don’t just show them tourist pictures, take them somewhere, and show them the real thing!”

Calder was raised in the world of non-profit arts organizations and is excited to contribute his skill and time to support BIMA’s mission. A student at Seattle Central College, Calder spends most of his time pursuing his future career in music by practicing, rehearsing, recording, and networking. You might hear him from time to time on KEXP 90.3, where he has a monthly radio variety mix radio show as part of the station’s 90.Teen program.

A recent college graduate, Matthew has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design with an art minor. On a recent vacation, Matthew visited BIMA and thought it was an interesting local museum and when he had the opportunity to move to the area, he thought it would be fun to apply his knowledge of art as a volunteer docent at BIMA. His volunteering quickly led to a job in Visitor Services where he enjoys learning about different artists and their works and sharing that information with others. Outside of work he enjoys creating his own art using various media, photography, and playing video games.

A PNW transplant, Jordan originally hails from Denver, CO. Growing up in a wildly creative family, the love and importance of art was instilled at an early age. While studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Jordan received a BS in Journalism, and a BA in Art History. A study abroad trip to Paris in the summer of 2008 solidified her love of art, museums, travel, and a good gift shop. Post college, Jordan went to work for her family’s online children’s toy store, Imagine Childhood, as a buyer, social media manager, content creator, and overall jack of all trades. After nearly a decade working with her mom and sister, Jordan decided it was time to switch things up and combine her love of art, and her love of retail into a job at BIMA. For kicks, Jordan loves metalsmithing, fashion and visible mending, climbing mountains, riding horses, playing with her kids, and sailing with her family.

Ellie has been engaged in all things artsy since a young age and is a recent graduate of the University of Washington with degree in drama, just one way her passion for the arts has manifested. When not working in BIMA’s gorgeous shop, Ellie can be found helping out with BPA’s drama classes for youngsters or acting herself with various theaters on the island. She loves the calm and welcoming atmosphere at BIMA and the chance to always be learning something new about local artists and our local arts scene.

Eli Backer is an artist, composer, and engineer. Despite these informative categories, her practice is not media specific but carries threads of memory, loss, and community across sculpture, design, photography, printmaking, textiles, and music. She is driven by the people and machines she surrounds herself with, and is interested in the communities they form, even when just between two people. Constantly creating visual and audio records of life around her, these run through or parallel to her work, lifting the everyday past the solely formal and experiential. A practicing DJ of 15 years, Backer’s DJ sets balance past and present, capturing musical friendships and memories, while creating a common space for the crowd around her.

Three weeks after her birth, Backer moved to Bainbridge, and her work has been greatly informed by this geographically isolated upbringing and the freedom, and restrictions island subculture offers. She holds a MFA in Glass from the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as a BS in Computer Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has taught university courses on memory and site, as well as at maker spaces on fabrication – from machine embroidery to ceramic 3d printing, to circuit design and assembly, to metalworking. Before moving back to Bainbridge in the summer of 2022, she ran a print shop out of her home in rural Pennsylvania where she endured the pandemic by sending a flurry of postcards and other ephemera. During this time, she also produced the artists book δ with her collaborator Niyati, which resides in the Cynthia Sears Artist’s Books Collection, among others.

Calder was raised in the world of non-profit arts organizations and is excited to contribute his skill and time to support BIMA’s mission. A student at Seattle Central College, Calder spends most of his time pursuing his future career in music by practicing, rehearsing, recording, and networking. You might hear him from time to time on KEXP 90.3, where he has a monthly radio variety mix radio show as part of the station’s 90.Teen program.

Abigail is a printmaker and mixed media artist currently based out of Silverdale. Born in Grand Junction, CO, her roots are firmly in the PNW where she was raised in part on Orcas Island and Redmond, WA. After graduating high school in De Pere, Wisconsin, Abigail I moved back to Washington where she studied at Western Washington University. At WWU, she earned a Bachelors of Arts and a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a minor in Art History focused in African Art. Abigail’s passion for art and witty sense of humor keep her going and her coworkers entertained at BIMA.

Scott spent years as a contractor in Maryland before choosing to stay at home with his two kids. Scott used his skills to build playgrounds, organize school events, plan fundraisers, and be a member of the PTO. With the kids in college, Scott turned back to his work in construction management and joined a property management company. The relationships made with local parents and contractors in those years made for a perfect match when the museum was newly finished and needed a Facility Manager to finish punch list items with contractors and oversee new ongoing operations with compliance needs. Working with all departments at the museum along with the art installation and lighting crew, Scott has been part of the woven family that makes BIMA the little museum that could.