MINNESOTA
Susan Clayton is the Grand Hand gallery manager and has been on staff since October 2004. She is a former curator of art at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, where she earned an MA in Art History and Art Exhibition. Susan’s academic research focuses on Minnesota artists and arts institutions.
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Linda LaNasa came to The Grand Hand as a longtime collector of Minnesota craft. Linda is especially knowledgeable about our local artists and their work, and has a knack for finding the perfect hand crafted piece to enhance your home, your wardrobe or to give as a gift.
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Joanna Scavone is our resident wedding registry specialist. She recently launched and now coordinates the gallery’s online shopping services. She is a painter and a graduate student specializing in Arts and Cultural Management at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis.
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Patti Halm is a longtime collector of craft, and had been a customer of the gallery since nearly our very first day back in 2004 before moving to the “other side of the counter” in 2011 when she joined our St. Paul gallery sales staff. Patti has previously used her great eye for design in working as a professional garden designer in St. Paul.
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Margaret Solberg joined our staff in 2011, bringing with her a deep knowledge of the craft world from working various craft shows across the country with her husband, gallery ceramic artist Chuck Solberg. You will frequently find Margaret’s cheerful face at the gallery on weekends and opening events.
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Brad Homan brings his gifts for organization and “getting it done” to our gallery space. He is a packaging specialist at General Mills and is also a patent-holding inventor!
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Jan Painter, a photographer, art collector and neighborhood resident, has been a helpful friend to the gallery since it began and pitches in behind the sales desk when we need her most. (Jan is wearing pieces by her friend – and gallery artist – Lori Bacigalupi, and pictured here with daughter and former Grand Hand staffer Tessa.)
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Owner Ann Ruhr Pifer opened the gallery on the basis of her love for high quality fine craft. The artwork featured in the gallery reflects Ann’s particular affinity for work that conveys a strong sense of authenticity – that shows “the hand of the artist” at work; the processes used to create each piece; and frequently the influence of the particular time or place in which the artist was working.
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CALIFORNIA
Kristina Young joins the Grand Hand in May as Gallery Manager of our new Napa, CA location, opening June 10, 2012. Kristina was formerly the Executive Director of the Arts Council Napa Valley, where she developed and nurtured many programs and initiatives – including Napa ARTwalk, the approval of the Public Arts Ordinance, a Cultural Tourism Initiative with the Napa Valley Destination Council, and Napa Valley Arts in April – to bring arts into the community, and to help make Napa one of the leading arts tourism destinations in the US. We are delighted to welcome her to The Grand Hand!
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Lisa Livoni joins us this May in our new Napa, CA location opening in June, 2012. Originally from Hawaii, Lisa received her fine art degree from the California College of Art and Craft, and then worked as a graphic designer in the Bay Area for many years before moving to Napa and devoting her time to watercolor painting. Lisa’s gorgeous paintings of flowers, fruits and vegetables are a dead give away for her love of gardening, as well as art.
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