Linda Stratford, Board President
Wilmore, Kentucky
Art Historian
Linda is President of CIVA’s Board of Directors. She received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York-Stony Brook, in History, with emphasis on Art and Society in France. Prior to graduate studies, Linda completed an undergraduate degree in Art from Vanderbilt University and spent a year studying art history in France. She currently teaches art history at Asbury University where she has also served as Art Department Chair. In 2005 she was appointed Lilly Scholar at Asbury University. She is married to Mike Stratford and has two sons, Forrest and Will.
Bill Montei, Treasurer
Madison, Wisconsin
Bill has over thirty years of insurance management and leadership experience. For 22 years he helped form and lead PIC Wisconsin, a medical malpractice insurance company, after working with Coopers & Lybrand (now Price Waterhouse Coopers). Recently, he has consulted with medical malpractice companies and helped create and market software for insurance companies. Bill has served on the board of directors for several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including American Players Theatre (a nationally recognized Shakespeare theatre), and EACH Inc. (an international organization working with those responding to at-risk children). Bill helps coordinate the Madison Rwanda Community Partnership, a child sponsorship program through World Vision. He holds an A.B. from Kenyon College and M.B.A. from Miami University (Ohio).
Marianne Lettieri, Board Secretary
Menlo Park, California
Artist | Arts Administrator
mariannelettieri.com
Marianne Lettieri earned a B.F.A. in drawing and printmaking at University of Florida and worked as a commercial artist, prior to a marketing and communications career in the high technology industry. She is a practicing fine artist and candidate for an M.F.A. in spatial arts at San Jose State University. Her work is in a number of private and public collections, including the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and the Oracle Corporate Art Collection. She is the founder of Arts of the Covenant, an organization for visual artists of faith in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Wayne Adams
Brooklyn, New York
Artist | Writer
wayneadamsstudio.com
Wayne Adams is a Brooklyn-based artist who received his B.F.A. from Calvin College and M.F.A. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2000. Adams has exhibited throughout the Midwest, New York, and Vienna, Austria. Recent shows include, “Wayne Adams: New Work” Union University Art Gallery (2011), “Control Alt Delete” HKJB, Brooklyn, NY (2011), “Adams | Miracle” STOREFRONT Gallery, New York (2010), and“The Strange Place” Alogon Gallery, Chicago (2008). Adams has written numerous articles for publications such as: Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, Comment Magazine and The Curator. He has taught on subjects ranging from Design and Social Responsibility to Art and Art History at institutions throughout New York City, including, Parsons: The New School for Design, Nyack College, and The International Center of Photography.
Dayton Castleman
Chicago, Illinois
Sculptor
Dayton received his B.A. in Art from Belhaven University, has worked extensively in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and received his M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute. He is an Arkansas-based multidisciplinary artist and his artwork has been shown in museums and galleries both nationally and internationally. Dayton is currently the Museum Manager at 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas Karen and their two children.
William Cross
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Collector
William R. Cross is a Vice-President and member of the Equity Group at Eaton Vance Management, a Boston-based investment manager. He serves as an analyst covering chemicals, health services and several other industries. Bill joined Eaton Vance in 1996 and founded its Real Estate Investment Group, which he led for ten years (2001-2011). Prior to joining Eaton Vance, he was President of Corinthian Capital Corporation, a private equity firm based in Chicago, and worked previously for Alan Patricof Associates (a predecessor firm of Apax Partners), and for Corning Inc. He received his B.A. from Yale College magna cum laude in 1981, and his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1986. He serves on the Board of The Cape Ann Museum and the Vestry of Christ Church of Hamilton and Wenham. He resides in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Bruce Herman, Executive Committee
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Artist | Educator
bruceherman.com
“I am very encouraged by the new leadership on CIVA’s board — and especially that the average age has been lowered by almost a decade. The future of CIVA is being shaped by those who will inherit it. This past conference (CIVA ‘11) was markedly different and revealed the vision and heart of the younger leadership.” Bruce is the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in the Fine Arts at Gordon College. His words and his art have been published widely in both popular and scholarly books and journals. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in many public and private collections, including the Armand Hammer Grunewald Collection in LA, the Cincinnati Museum of Art, the Vatican Museums in Rome, and in many universities.
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Allison Luce
Charlotte, North Carolina
Artist
allisonluce.com
“I serve on CIVA’s Board of Director’s because I am excited to participate in the conversation about art and faith taking place in contemporary art today.” Allison explores the ephemeral nature of existence and the mystery of eternity through her ceramic sculptures and monoprints. Luce graduated with dual B.F.A. degrees in Painting and Art History from Ohio University and her M.F.A. from Hunter College, City University of New York. She currently lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina where she is a studio artist and an adjunct art instructor. She has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions and her work is included in private collections. Over the past two summers she has been a Resident Artist at the International Ceramic Research Center in Skaelskor, Denmark and the Zentrum für Keramik Berlin in Germany. This year she will be a Visiting Artist at Baltimore Clayworks during the month of July.
Brian Moss
Des Moines, Washington
Composer | Musician | Pastor
“I am honored to serve on CIVA’s board of directors. I am particularly excited about exploring new ways in which CIVA can partner with the Church.” Brian Moss is the Creative Director of By/For (www.byfor.org) and is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served as the Worship & Music Coordinator at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia and as the Director of Worship, Music and the Arts at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Washington. Brian has been working as a songwriter and worship leader for over 15 years. He is a student and M.Div. candidate at Regent College. Brian and his wife, Stephanie, have four children.
Albert Pedulla
Jersey City, New Jersey
Artist
“I serve on the CIVA Board of Directors because I believe that Christians are called to community, to serve one another, and to seek wisdom. As an artist I long for challenging, insightful art and discourse. As a board member I hope to continue shaping CIVA into an organization where these things flourish together.” Albert’s involvements include: Albert Pedulla Art Carpentry; Triangle International Artist Residency, Brooklyn, New York; CORE Residency, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; New Jersey Council for the Arts, Artist Grant; Founder, Rob Buckley Gallery, All Angels Church, New York City.
Karen J. Sangren
San Diego, California
Art Educator | University Professor
“I serve on CIVA’s Board of Directors because it is a place to meet, support, and celebrate artists, art educators, gallery owners, graphic designers, art collectors and/or others who are also Christians. The energy that comes from working together as a Board enables us to fuel the work and interests of our CIVA members nationwide.” Karen completed her Ph. D. at the University of Oregon and Chairs the Department of Art and Design at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California where she teaches art education, art appreciation, and design theory courses. Sangren has created community arts partnerships with San Diego museums and local school districts, conducted workshops on California Standards-Based art education and has served as a long-term member of the Art Advisory Panel for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in Sacramento, California. In 2010 she completed the 2010 CCCU/CIVA National Status Report of Art and Design Programs, a three-year study sponsored by CIVA’s Scholar’s Group that examined art/design programs in members and affiliates of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Rachel Smith, Executive Committee
Upland, Indiana
Art Historian
Rachel holds the Gilkison Chair in Art History at Taylor University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome on two occasions, a participant in NEH Summer Seminars in Paris and York, and has taught in Orvieto, Italy and in Vancouver, British Columbia. The recipient of the Best Article of the Year Award from the journal Explorations in Renaissance Culture, Smith publishes on a wide range of topics in the arts including art, architecture, literature and film. Currently she is serving as project director and curator of Charis: Boundary Crossings — Neighbors Strangers Family Friends, an international traveling exhibition of work by fourteen Asian and North American artists that is a response to their shared experience in a immersive seminar held in Indonesia in 2008. Smith is now developing a follow-up project with the Nagel Institute of Calvin College with China or South Africa as potential venues. Smith is also the 2009-2010 recipient of the Franklin W. and Joan M. Forman Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award at Taylor University.
Kenneth Steinbach
Shoreview, Minnesota
Artist | University Professor
kennethsteinbach.com
Kenneth Steinbach is an artist and educator who currently teaches at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has exhibited throughout the United States, including Grounds For Sculpture in New Jersey, the Phil Slein Gallery in St. Louis, and Circa Gallery in Minneapolis. His work is included in more than 60 private and public collections. A graduate of Bethel College and Cranbrook Academy of Art, he is represented by Circa Gallery and a member of Form + Content Gallery in Minneapolis. He is the recipient of several grants in direct support of his work, including two grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Kenneth is currently creating coursework focusing on the development of the creative process for young artists. “The story of our faith begins with an account of the creation of the world, and ends with the creation of a new world. God clearly likes making things. For the Christian artist, the creative process is an integral part in our lives, and a profoundly spiritual experience. It is my hope that CIVA can help Christian artists realize the many facets of this experience”.
W. David O. Taylor
Durham, North Carolina
Pastor | Artist | Writer
artspastor.blogspot.com
W. David O. Taylor served as a pastor for twelve years in Austin, Texas. Born and raised in Guatemala City, he studied at the University of Texas, Georgetown University, the University of Würzburg, and Regent College in Canada. In addition to editing the book For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (Baker Books, 2010), he has written for Books & Culture, SEEN Journal, and Christianity Today. His primary art form is playwriting, though he is also quite fond of modern dance. He and his wife Phaedra currently live in Durham, North Carolina, where he pursues doctoral studies in theology and the arts, while she pursues the vocation of gardener, cook, and visual artist.