Artsmith, a non-profit entity, advocates for arts education and the generation of fresh artistic endeavors through various initiatives, including:

  1. Residency programs catering to writers, artists, and scholars chosen for their creative contributions.
  2. Workshops and creative retreats designed to nurture artistic development.
  3. Literary events tailored for writers, educators, students, and enthusiasts of quality literature.
  4. Literary competitions designed to highlight the exceptional work of talented writers.
  5. Opportunities for local and visiting artists to showcase their work through exhibitions and performances.

Tina Schumann serves as the Assistant Director and is the author of three poetry collections: “Requiem. A Patrimony of Fugues” (Diode Editions, 2017), winner of the Diode Editions chapbook competition for 2016, “Praising the Paradox” (Red Hen Press, 2019), and “As If” (Parlor City Press, 2010), recipient of the Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize. She has been honored with the American Poet Prize from The American Poetry Journal and has been a finalist in prestigious literary competitions such as the National Poetry Series, New Issues Poetry Prize, and the Four Way Books Intro Prize. Tina is a Pushcart nominee and the editor of the upcoming anthology “Two-Countries: U.S. Daughters and Sons of Immigrant Parents” (Red Hen Press, 2017). Her work has been featured in various anthologies and publications, including The American Journal of Poetry, Crab Creek Review, Nimrod, and The Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine.

Jill McCabe Johnson, PhD, holds the position of Executive Director. Her initial poetry collection, “Diary of the One Swelling Sea” (MoonPath Press, 2013), received the 2014 Nautilus Silver Award in Poetry. Her second full-length collection, “Revolutions We’d Hoped We’d Outgrown” (Finishing Line, 2016), was partially written during a walking retreat in France amid the attacks on Paris. Jill is also the author of the nonfiction chapbook “Borderlines,” an editor’s choice from Sweet Publications. As the series editor of anthologies such as “Becoming: What Makes a Woman” (2012) and “Being: What Makes a Man” (2015), she has contributed significantly to the University of Nebraska Gender Programs. Jill has received numerous honors, including an Artist Trust grant, the Paula Jones Gardiner Poetry Award from Floating Bridge Press, and the Mari Sandoz Short Story Award from Prairie Schooner. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a PhD in English from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, where she was the Louise Van Sickle Fellow in Poetry. Jill teaches English at Skagit Valley College.

Anne Parmly Toxey, PhD, is a member of the Board of Directors and is an architectural designer, preservationist, and researcher with expertise in old-world cultures. Holding degrees in Art History and Architecture, she has also been affiliated with the University of Texas’s Institute of Classical Archaeology as an archaeologist. Anne is the author of “Materan Contradictions” (Ashgate Studies in Architecture, 2013) and has served as an editor and contributing author for two books, including the award-winning “The Chora of Metaponto; The Necropoleis.” She teaches at the University of Texas and directs annual summer courses on the ancient Sassi cave dwellings in Matera, Italy.

Patrick McMillan, a member of the Board of Directors, is an exhibit designer, art director, producer, and filmmaker with international experience working with notable groups such as Cannon Films, Landmark Entertainment, Walt Disney’s Imagineering, and Warner Brothers. His extensive work in the museum industry has earned him numerous awards, including the Nature Conservancy Award. Patrick teaches graphic design, sculpture, and computer-modeling.