Supporting the Arts in Mono County
The Mono Arts Council fosters a lasting culture of creativity by collaborating with artists through education, advocacy, and programs.
To grow public and private financial support
To facilitate activities showcasing local and regional artists
Advocacy for the arts and fostering regional partnerships in the Eastern Sierra
To become a resource for artists and the public leading to lifelong awareness of the arts and culture in our community
To provide arts
education for
all ages.
Staff
Kristin Reese
Kristin Reese is a long-time resident of the Eastern Sierra, arriving with her parents in 1976. While she spent her youth mostly learning the performing arts, she was constantly exposed to all the Arts from having painters, photographers, musicians and dancers in her family. She left the area to obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Sonoma State University but couldn’t stay away for too long. Upon returning from college, she quickly re-connected to the Eastern Sierra arts community. She co-founded Sierra Classic Theatre in 1999, and worked at the Edisto Gallery & Tea Room in 2003, where she was introduced to many of the Mono Arts Council local artists. Kristin is honored to lead Mono Arts Council and will work towards ensuring that every child in Mono County has access to the arts. She hopes to connect more artists and patrons of all arts to this long-standing organization. She is currently the singer and percussionist for the local band, Bodie 601, enjoys backpacking, kayaking, jogging, and x-country skiing, loves taking pictures and learning new art mediums, and resides in the Mono Basin with her husband, and fellow musician, Russ.
Brooke Rogers
Brooke has spent the last 15 years working in Arts Education in New York City. She has been leading education teams for organizations that focus on both in-school and out-of-school time programming, most recently for The Juilliard School.
Before coming to MAC and the Eastern Sierra, Brooke also taught in Wisconsin, Maine, and Washington working as an outdoor educator. She has done everything from leading wilderness expeditions to teaching students hands-on science activities; from working with corporate groups on high and low ropes courses activities to teaching video games remotely.
Brooke has a background in literature and theatre, and spends her free time hiking and canoeing with her dog Boone whenever she can!
Alonso Escobar
Alonso was born and raised in the Eastern Sierra. He has loved growing up in the Mammoth Lakes area. The area has created a foundation for exploration that has elapsed into adulthood. Growing up in a tourist area has given him the opportunity to learn about cultures both local and international due to the people that visit throughout the seasons. As a child of immigrants from Chile and Mexico, he was given the opportunity to understand the importance of knowing one’s roots while also being able to grow new branches.
He was able to leave Mammoth to obtain a degree in International and Regional Studies (European Studies) from UCLA. He returned to Mammoth to work in the educational field under the MUSD umbrella until 2020 when he was elected to the Board of Education. In 2022, he was able to obtain his Master’s in International Relations from American University.
Alonso has always loved and appreciated the varying mediums of art. Throughout his college experience, he took many art history courses and was always interested in the way that art was used as a representation of culture. However, he was incredibly interested in the way that art was used as a protest tool. He has enjoyed watching the way in which people within the area have used art to represent themselves and their cultures including the Pow Wow Social Dance, the Ballet Folklorico de las Flores, and the emerging theater and music scene. As an advocate for the arts, Alonso has worked with government entities to create channels for cultural and social acknowledgments. He hopes to use his education and love for the area to better impact the community.
M Little Bear Bateman
A long time resident of Mammoth Lakes, Little Bear finds joy in the performance of moving arts, dance, visual expression and community building.
Some of their passions include snowboarding, skiing, backpacking, aerial arts, sewing, painting, dancing, climbing, herbology, and theater.
They look forward to contributing to the curation of local art, community connections, and creativity.
If you ever need an alpine mermaid buddy for paddle-boarding, let them know.
Jessica Kennedy
For Jessica, art and nature were the focal points of her youth. Living in the Bay Area as a child, her summers were split between a family farm, and camping in Mammoth. Her daughter is the 5th generation to enjoy the Eastern Sierra. Both of her grandmothers were artists, working in watercolors and ceramics. Her parents are retired photographers. Observation of the natural world was a constant.
While studying art at San Diego State University, she had the opportunity to explore many mediums, from traditional oil painting to assemblage sculpture to furniture building. She subsequently stayed connected to the arts, including working at a fine art gallery and at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Her passion for art led to a career in interior design, collaborating with artisans and clients to create custom interiors. Her core philosophy is that art should be lived with and integrated into our everyday experiences.
Jessica and her husband fulfilled a shared dream when they moved to Mammoth with their daughter a year ago. They spend their time outdoors as much as possible; studying the native flora and fauna, as well as our rich local history. Now, as part of Mono Arts Council, Jessica is grateful to connect to a community passionate about art, creativity, and education. She is thrilled to continue the gallery as a place to foster creativity and connection in celebration of the arts.
Annemarie Hall
Annemarie was born in Ontario, Canada where she grew up on a small farm with horses, lush woods to explore, and lots of free time and open spaces. She learned to build structures like cottage decks and tree forts with her dad and brother, draw and paint with her mom, and garden and bake with her Oma. The daughter of German immigrants, Annemarie was the first in her family to go to college and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in French and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. During her public-school years, she was involved in dance, theater and art, but she also loved her science and math classes.
In college, she realized how much having exposure to the arts helped her see the world in a more connected and whole way as she pursued her technical degree in Landscape Architecture. She could easily express her ideas on ‘a napkin’ with pencil in hand and saw how art education critically shaped her ability to see spaces in three dimensions. Exposure to the arts also taught her how to communicate clearly with clients and other professionals like engineers and architects. Her 30- year career was spent creating beautiful private gardens and large public spaces in the OC, San Diego and LA, as well as exhibiting her oil paintings in local galleries.
But every chance she and her family had, they ran away to the mountains to play in the snow and sage. Annemarie is thrilled to be part of the Mono Arts Council team as the Communications Coordinator and Artist Liaison. Her goal is to promote local Eastern Sierra Artists, provide for a variety of art styles and media, and make the Community Arts Center a welcome place to come paint, paste and pour. She wants every visitor that enters the gallery, young and old, visitor and local, to be inspired by the art in the gallery and feel how art can touch the soul.
Teaching Artists
Peggy Armenta
Crescendo Music Program
Maddie Worley-Bobadilla
Visual Arts
Jenny Kane
Visual Arts
Cody Gunderson
Visual Arts
Sage Romero
Nümü Social Dance & Cultural Arts Program - Indigenous Arts
Board of Directors
Susi Bains
Board Chair
susi.bains@monoarts.org
Susi was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and earned her B.A. in Psychology from California Southern University. She grew up in a family of painters, woodworkers, and textile artists, so creating art was always encouraged and supported. As a child and young adult, she spent many of her summer vacations camping and hiking in the Eastern Sierra. Even then, she knew the meaning of “The Mountains are Calling,” and vowed to someday make them her home. Fast forward to the year 2000, and her dream became reality.
After more than a decade of working in the crisis intervention field with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, Susi formed a non-profit organization - SHINE – in 2017. SHINE is dedicated to assisting underserved and marginalized populations in Inyo and Mono Counties and provides community education focused on mental health first aid.
Susi is also a stained glass artist and owner of Owl Moon Studios. As a little girl, she was fascinated by the beauty and intensity of the colors and light that glass has to offer. In her late 20s, she took a community workshop to learn the basics of building leaded glass windows. She instantly fell in love with the process and has been committed to the craft ever since.
Susi believes that emotional, psychological, and social well-being are vital components of good mental health; creativity and the arts are necessary to help us handle stress, relate to others, and build a strong community.
Susi splits her time between California's Eastern Sierra and Montana's Flathead Valley. When not creating art or working in the community, you can catch her outdoors regardless of the weather.
Sarah Keith
Board Secretary
sarah.keith@monoarts.org
I was born in Toronto, Canada and have been a full time resident of Mammoth Lakes for just over a year. I love to bake, ski, and foster animals, but then keep them. You’ll usually find me dreaming of chocolate chip cookies and listening to either Stevie Nicks or Taylor Swift. I’m married to a TV writer, who I’m pretty obsessed with. I’m a mama to two dogs, three cats, and two beautiful, artistic, and wonderfully dramatic children, Ophelia and Teddy. I spent most of my early life as a commercial actress, and then attended culinary school and worked for many years as a private chef. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, I started a small ceramics business specializing in boobie adorned mugs and vases with my profits being donated to other breast cancer survivors. I am thrilled to be a part of the MAC board and am so passionate about their mission to emphasize the arts in our community.
Melissa Larsen
Board Member
missy.larsen@monoarts.org
Missy has lived in June Lake for the last 6 years, and the Eastern Sierra has truly captured her heart. She appreciates being surrounded by nature that nurtures and inspires and feels it is a wondrous place to raise her two kids with her loving husband. While she enjoyed growing up in Bakersfield and later went to school to earn a degree in Physical Therapy in Southern California, this is her home. Living here helps her regularly enjoy hiking, exploring, paddle boarding, and listening to, viewing and learning about the many birds in the area.
In addition to having a general love for the Eastern Sierra, she feels that Art is a super important creative outlet for children and adults alike. Art benefits those all along the spectrum of talent, from those struggling to follow a simple paint-by-number to those bursting with creativity that use art as a livelihood. Art is for all! It is music, it is dance, it is medium that you can manipulate however you want, and it should touch the lives of all in some way or another.
This is why Missy wants to be involved with the Mono Arts Council, to help Art continue to develop, inspire, advocate, thrive and embed itself in the lives of the community she has grown to love so much!
Bob Kent
Board Member
bob.kent@monoarts.org
Bob was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He was exposed to art through his Aunt Corita Kent (artist who made the first Love stamp for the US Post office.) Bob earned his BA in Economics at UCLA. He is happily married and has two successful children. Bob also has a deep love for his Golden Retrievers.
High school was where Bob began his own artistic journey. During that time, he took up drawing, writing, and photography. He became his high school newspaper editor, photographer, and illustrator. Bob kept up his photography over the years. He is an experienced landscape photographer focused on the Eastern Sierra. His work is displayed at Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth Brewing, and Ormat. He is also a contributing artist at the Mono Arts Gallery.
With Bob there is a deep connection with the Eastern Sierra. He spent his high school/college summers in the Eastern Sierra, camping in June Lake and Mammoth. He now has a home in Mammoth. Bob’s landscape photography is focused on the Eastern Sierra. With all the time he has spent wandering, there are very few dirt roads or local trails between Lone Pine and Bridgeport he has not been on.
Bob has a history of volunteering. He ran the food operations at UCLA’s Mardi gras charity event. He led the - Bring Your Daughter to Work initiative while at AT&T. He coached and was a league commissioner of AYSO soccer. While commissioner he grew the league from 350 participants to 800+ players in just three years. Bob has a history of working with the poor by volunteering at food pantries. He is currently President of a St Vincent de Paul conference. SVdP is a non-profit dedicated to working with the homeless and those at risk to becoming homeless.
Bob has 40+ years of sales and pre-sales engineering in IT and Contact Center technologies. Companies he has worked at include Pacific Bell, AT&T, Lucent, Avaya, and C1. At these organizations he has held positions as Director and Regional CTO. He managed teams responsible for $100+ million in sales of data networks, contact centers, IP telephone systems, and cyber security. His customers included LAUSD, Honda, Toyota, The GAP, AAA, Disney, and the County of San Diego.
As an artist Bob believes in teaching the value of teaching art to our youth. Art allows youth to explore without fear. Art helps to round out their personalities. He is committed to the mission of the Mono Arts Council and their work in the Eastern Sierra.
Lauren Dore
Board Member
lauren.dore@monoarts.org
Born and raised in Encinitas, CA, Lauren's connection to the ocean sparked a lifelong love of nature eventually bringing her to call the Eastern Sierra home. Her journey took her from the slow moving coastal town to the bustling streets of San Francisco, where she earned a B.S. in Recreation and Leisure with an emphasis in Outdoor Education. During her time in the Bay Area, Lauren's appreciation for arts, culture, and community deepened, but the call of the mountains and wide-open spaces eventually brought her to June Lake, CA.
Now, after 14 years in the Sierra, Lauren and her husband, Aaron, have made June Lake their home, raising their two children - Juniper (8) and Burl (2) - alongside their dog, Leya, and cat, Goldie. Together, they own and operate the June Lake Pines hotel while homeschooling Juniper. Burl attends the local daycare in June Lake, where he enjoys connecting with other kids in their tight-knit community. As a family, they cherish exploring their expansive big backyard of mountain trails, lakes, and wildlife, and they love taking trips together whenever they can.
Lauren is deeply committed to ensuring that the children of Mono County, particularly those in more remote areas, have access to the same arts, education, and recreational opportunities as those in larger cities. She serves on the board of Little Loopers, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting local families through summer camps, sports, education, and daycare. In addition, she is a member of the Summer Camps Committee at Sierra STEM, an organization providing outdoor education and science enrichment to local children.
Lauren is passionate about fostering a vibrant and supportive environment where kids and families can thrive—both in nature and the arts. Her passion for arts and culture led her to become a member of the Mono Arts Council (MAC) Board, where she advocates for creating lasting opportunities for youth to explore the arts in the Sierra.
Teissia Treynet
Board Member
teissia.treynet@monoarts.org
A passionate advocate for the arts with a robust foundation in theater, Teissia has dedicated her career to fostering connections through creative expression. Teissia began her artistic journey in her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her passion for acting first blossomed.
She honed her skills at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Southern California and went on to earn a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. After graduating, Teissia moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting while simultaneously building a career in nonprofit leadership. She served as Development Coordinator and later Director of Development for the
Los Angeles Youth Network (now Youth Emerging Stronger), an organization committed to
empowering foster and homeless youth.
Drawn to the creative and logistical challenges of event planning and design, Teissia founded her own event planning company, which quickly grew into a multi-office operation with locations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Over 13.5 years, she orchestrated hundreds of large-scale events worldwide, blending her creative vision with her sharp business acumen. She also introduced a consulting arm to support small businesses and startups in achieving sustainable growth.
In 2022, Teissia sold her company and relocated to Mammoth Lakes with her husband. Shortly after, they welcomed their son, Thayer. Eager to embrace new opportunities, she is passionate about combining her creativity, strategic leadership, and business expertise to make a
meaningful impact in her community.
Scott Power
Board Member
scott.power@monoarts.org
Scott “Sourdough” Power is the co-founder and leader of Crewest Studio, an independent Los Angeles-based media, publishing and services company specializing in the creative arts. He is also the founder and leader of Arterial™, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to amplifying art across the media landscape.
Throughout his career, Scott has held key creative, strategic and management positions in the visual communication arts, performing arts and contemporary arts. He is an multi-disciplinary artist, producer, curator and consultant who has worked with artists around the world to curate private and public art exhibitions, produce live events and help many organizations integrate arts programming including Disney, Instagram, U.S. Department of State, Pantone and 3M.
Scott is a published author, illustrator, photographer, podcaster and public speaker. He is a graduate of Yale University AIGA Executive Program and Columbia College Chicago, award-winning entrepreneur, 2x Ironman Triathlon Finisher and member of the Explorers Club. He is also a member of the Art21 Contemporary Council in NYC. In 2024, his arts podcast NOT REAL ART was included in a major three-part exhibition “A Model” at Mudam Luxembourg (or Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean).
In 2010, he helped establish Health Corps Haiti, a medical NGO in the remote mountains of Haiti and has since volunteered on several medical missions there. As an artist, he creates under the pseudonym “Sourdough” and is a core member of the beloved Burning Man theme camp, Camp Corny. Scott is happily married to his wife of 20 years and a proud father to two crazy kids Eden and Ellis. When not home in L.A. or traveling for work, you can find him at his beloved cabin in Crowley Lake.
Deja Charles-Tomkins
she/they
Board Member
deja.charles-tomkins@monoarts.org
Deja brings to the board a deep appreciation for the role the arts play in enriching community life and the importance of protecting the natural landscape of the Eastern Sierra. With a background in arts and outdoor education, community development, and nonprofit leadership, She is passionate about fostering creativity, accessibility, and engagement across all ages and backgrounds.
A full-time resident of Mammoth Lakes since 2019, Deja is committed to strengthening the local arts ecosystem by supporting programs that connect the community to both the arts and the landscape that inspires them. Her work on the board focuses on expanding opportunities for local artists, cultivating arts education in the community, and celebrating the unique creative spirit of the Eastern Sierra. She believes in the power of the arts to inspire connection, healing, and innovation.
Deja holds a degree in History with a minor in Anthropology from Sacramento State (Go Hornets!). She is the creator and host of Black in Wild the Podcast, which focuses on highlighting underrepresented stories in the outdoors and making them more accessible. In her free time she enjoys exploring new creative outlets, hiking the Sierra backcountry, practicing yoga, skiing (alpine and nordic), stand-up paddleboarding, birding, and watching documentaries at home with her husband Joe and cat Simba.
Dora Bessenbacher
Treasurer
Mono Arts Council Statement on Racial Equity & Anti-Racism
As a leading community organization through the arts and a County partner in arts advocacy and education, Mono Arts Council is committed to racial equity and anti-racism both within our organization and throughout our programming and community services.
Mono Arts Council is committed to a nondiscriminatory and anti-racist approach to provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all of our departments, programs, events, and worksites. We respect and value diverse life experiences, heritages and orientations. We strive to ensure that all Mono County voices are valued and heard. We will also work toward decreasing barriers and amplifying the BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ voices in our community.
We understand that as a rural arts organization operating on now occupied traditional and present Northern Paiute, Shoshone, and Monache lands, we must continue to make a concerted effort to enhance and amplify Indigenous voices, to strengthen and preserve creative practices and to better engage and represent our entire community.
Mono Arts Council believes that bringing our organization together with community partners with differing backgrounds and life experiences, will enhance our ability to increase opportunities for all Mono County artists, artisans, art students, and arts & cultural organizations to succeed.
Mono Arts Council is committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entire arts industry of Mono County, and to maintaining an inclusive and anti-racist environment with equitable treatment for all.
Mono Arts Council ensures that every policy enacted will reflect the principles of equity, justice, and anti-racism. We are committed to acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and will continually update and report organization progress. Policies, programs, and activities will be administered to identify and stop discrimination, racism, and barriers to access, and to halt all disproportionately high and adverse effects on communities of color.
Mono Arts Council is dedicated to the just and equitable disbursement of resources, including programs, scholarships, supportive funding, and all Mono Arts Council services. To ensure that all disbursements and decisions are made in an equitable, anti-racist, and non-biased manner, Mono Arts Council will rely on the Decision Support Tool, as provided by the California Arts Council.
Diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism are connected to our core values and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff, volunteers, contractors, board members, and the overall arts and cultural communities of Mono County.
We expect all employees, volunteers, contractors, and board members to embrace these principles and to express them in all Mono Arts Council interactions and in everyday practices as representatives of the Mono Arts Council.