November 30th, 2023
TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: 1221 Division St.

Hear from seven local speakers as they share personal stories about the transformative power of art + literature and the joy of international friendship.

* come early from 5-7pm for a FREE open house of the artist’s studios at SOMA // 1221 Division St.

Our PechaKucha Speakers —

• Riley Owen: Riley is a human person embedded in the creative fabric of the Marquette community. “In Conversation with Creativity” is a progressive journey through her photographic work with commentary and insight interspersed to light the way.

• Jane Johnson: Jane Johnson is an artist, mother, grandmother, and commercial building owner. In Jane's story, "Careful what you wish for  (it will probably come true)", she tells her journey, through a practice of fearlessness, setting intentions, trusting your gut and having the support you need, to owning the old sandstone building at 1221 Division Street in Marquette MI,  SOMA Studios.

• Jamie Weeder: Jamie has always steered herself toward the dark, difficult and discarded with her chosen weapon of storytelling in hand, immersing herself in the most marginalized of concepts, subjects and populations. From the Death with Dignity Movement to the Theatre of the Oppressed, if it’s suppressed, chances are Jamie has studied, practiced and lived it. Now back in school for Social Work, Jamie spends her time volunteering, writing and practicing theatre-therapy with adults and children who are neuro-divergent and/ or struggling with addiction.

• Greta Hillstrom: Greta is an open-minded young creative with an avid taste for adventure, opportunity, and fine humor.  She is the owner of fancy-free in Marquette Michigan, and openly celebrates creative expression in ALL people. 

  Greta will be sharing her origin story “Footloose and fancy-free,’ inspiring listeners to take the leap straight into their passion project!

• Emily Lanctot: Emily sees the everyday as sublime and a chance to learn. She looks for the nearly invisible and ideological threads embedded in language and behavior to understand cultural conditioning better. She is passionate about things, so object-based and experiential learning are essential to her. Emily leans into fear as a tool for expanding understanding. She is learning to apply her traditions to become a more confident autodidact. Emily is a multi-media artist, educator, museum director and curator at NMU in Marquette.

• Bill Brazier: Bill has always had an interest in authentic international relations and found himself drawn to the sister city program between Marquette and the two cities of Kajaani, Finland and Higashiomi, Japan.  The sister city program has expanded and influenced the Marquette community in many tenable ways especially with the authentic human connections made since the program's inception.  Bill is an Elementary Educator for the Marquette Area Public Schools.

• Andrea Marsh: Andrea has traveled down numerous career paths and has a hard time labeling herself. If she had to, she would consider herself an advocate for public resources, defender of nature, anti-social hockey mom and timid badass. Andrea currently works at Peter White Public Library and this is her book report from her book club “All Booked Up”.