Sarah Rafferty is a cyanotype artist based in the Brandywine Valley just 20 miles west of Philadelphia. She tells the story of her surroundings by creating botanical compositions on paper using the oldest photographic process. Sarah is the founder of Atwater Designs, where she creates original cyanotypes, fine art prints, and paper goods as well as a recent line of wallpaper and textiles. Learn more at atwaterdesigns.com and on Instagram @atwaterdesigns.
Benjamin Pochurek is a welder and artist based out of Freeport, Maine. His STEM projects have won state and regional awards, including the MMSA’s Excellence in STEM award. Portland Art Gallery recognizes his work and signed him as a gallery artist this year. The Portland Museum of Art houses Benjamin’s work as well. Benjamin was raised on a Florida ranch where he learned to operate equipment, hunt, and work hard.
Daniel Minter is an American artist known for his work in the mediums of painting and assemblage. In 2021 he was awarded the prestigious Joyce Award and the distinguished Caldecott Medal. Daniel has illustrated over fifteen children’s books, many of them award winning, including the Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor. In 2018 he cofounded Indigo Arts Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the artistic development of people of African descent.
Kat Kinnick, illustrates wildlife and wilderness aiming to inspire a culture of fondness & connectedness to nature. She’s inspired by the magic & inexplicable qualities of childhood and is drawn towards expressing playfulness and curiosity with a folk art aesthetic. Her work is a celebration of unique ecologies, and their abundant diversities. Kat lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Elizabeth Ahlem Clark is an illustrator, surface pattern designer and mother. Most recently, her studio time is spent creating pattern designs inspired by her late grandmother’s handiwork, illustrating tasty Swedish recipes and exploring natural pigments of the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her spouse and daughter. Her work can be found at elizabethahlem.com and @elizabethahlemclark.
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is the author of the children’s picture book BLUE: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, illustrated by Caldecott Honor Artist Daniel Minter. She also wrote the young adult novel Powder Necklace and she edited RELATIONS: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices, of which Kirkus Reviews said in a STARRED review: “This smart, generous collection is a true gift."
Amanda Kelly lives in Homer, Alaska, where she works for a local conservation non-profit. She loves hiking, foraging, tidepooling, making art, eating delicious food, camping and adventuring with her partner and their dog. You can find her at amandakelly.art and on Instagram @many_anemones.
Trista Cornelius is a writer, artist, and writing coach. Much of her work celebrates food—growing it, cooking it, and eating it. Recent essays have been published in Bacopa Literary Review, Farmer-ish, and Oregon Humanities Magazine. Visit www.carrotcondo.com to see her art and read her essays. Visit @carrot.condo on Instagram to say hello!
Anna Daku, designer behind The Bluebird Box, is a mom, wife, country-dweller, livestock-owner, once wildlife biologist, obsessive knitter and designer of hand-knitting patterns. She is passionate about using wool yarn, especially ones which are untreated and locally sourced, and is intentional about being size-inclusive and prioritizes fit in her patterns. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband, 4 children, and a tiny flock of Shetland sheep.
Lanie Pochurek is a freshman at Waynflete High School in Portland, Maine. She mostly spends her time writing poetry, fiction, and articles for various publications, and she was accepted into the summer program of The New York Times. Lanie is also a drummer, actor, surfer, camp counselor, and a big and little sister.
Neethi is an illustrator, muralist and surface pattern designer based out of Bangalore, India. Bright, fantastical, pattern-infused still life and exaggerated interior scenes are a recurring theme in her work. She aims to captivate and transport her audience into these worlds. Neethi proudly carries a mononymous name, given by her father as a symbol of equality in representation as well as independence from gender norms.
Lauren Lear is a food photographer and stylist and owner of The Photo Kitchen, a rental photo studio, kitchen, and event space in Portland, Maine. She works with brands to help their visions come to life. Find her work at www.laurenlearfood.com and follow her at @laurenlearfood on Instagram.