About Us

Mission

ArtOrg impacts individuals and communities through visual arts projects and events primarily centered in the print, with public art, commissioned work, and experiential-based education initiatives.

People

Dave Machacek
Acting Director and Board of Directors, ArtOrg
Dave worked in Germany, ran a small business in Northfield that had 50 employees, and worked for a high-tech startup. Dave went to the U of M for engineering and business, and is an original founder of ArtOrg.

Kari Alberg
Independant Artist and Illustrator
Kari is a working artist and illustrator (see her work at studiokari), in addition to helping ArtOrg with all things graphic design. Her illustrations have been used by the San Francisco Opera, the New Yorker, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has also been featured in the collection of American Illustration no less than six times.

Ron Wolfe
Artist and Arts Administrator
Ron has a MFA in sculpture and ceramics and a BA in Art Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa. For many years Ron was the Exhibition Designer and Operations Manager for the 12,000-square-foot University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum. There he directed and designed all art exhibitions for the museum. Ron works now at the Minnesota Childrens Museum.

Therese Sexe
Arts Advocate
Therese is a supporter of the arts in both the outstate Minnesota area and the Twin Cities, a graduate of Minnesota State University Mankato, and a Master Gardener.

Greg Mattern
Partner, HDMG
Greg worked for Public Television for 12 years before starting at HDMG where he became a partner years ago. He has traveled extensively to Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney, Melbourne, and driven across most of the United States. Greg has been a construction worker, worked as a oil field roustabout, farmed, handled livestock including pigs, lambs, chickens and cows. He was also a disc jockey for 5 years.

Wes Chapman
Director of Architectural Group, Orfield Labs
Wes has worked as an architect, including that capacity for the State of Minnesota. In his position at Orfield, does business development for consulting services in acoustics, lighting, day lighting, and thermal comfort. Wes’ favorite automobile is the Citroen DS21.

Glenn Switzer
Owner Switzer’s Nursery and Landscaping, and Arts Advocate
Glenn is Mayor of Dundas, Minnesota and has been active in many areas of our community. Glenn has been on the Board of the Mill Towns Trail, and holds a vision for an ARTrail between Dundas, Northfield, and the region. Glenn works hard at his 80-year-old family business Switzer’s Nursery and Landscaping. Glenn has been a Humphrey Institute Fellow at the University of Minnesota for one year.

Nathan Davis
Arts Administrator
Nathan Davis has worked as a music professor in the Minnesota State University and College system, as a performing arts presenter, and extensively in developing rural arts education outreach projects. Former professional positions also include serving as a Provost of a higher education consortium, Executive Director of the Perpich Center for Arts Education, and Executive Director of Development of the Brubeck Foundation of Stockton, California. Along with ArtOrg, Nathan serves on the Board of Trustees of the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design.

Mark Fries
past Vice President, Best Buy Corporation
Mark has an MBA from U of Minnesota, and is former board member of the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis. He has held various accounting and strategic management positions during his career.

Susan Jacobsen
Director of Public Programs, Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Susan is in charge of the Public Programs departments at the MIA. Susan is also active with other nonprofit groups such as the Danish American Center.

Scott King
Owner, The Red Dragonfly Press
Scott King founded Red Dragonfly Press and has been a resident artist at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota since 1999. Scott produces letterpress-printed editions of modern poetry. Scott’s books find homes in the permanent archive collections of many libraries, and he is sought after by authors and poets alike for his artistic gift with typography and bookmaking.

Kory Kohrs
Consulting CPA
Kory was Chief Financial Officer of Northfield Equipment and Manufacturing during its growth and subsequent sale to York International in 1996. He went on to build a successful consulting business and has worked with the Northfield Golf Club and the Laura Baker School. Kory has an MBA from St Thomas.

Douglas Padilla
Working Artist and Arts Organizer
Doug has been a fixture in the Minnesota arts scene for many years and is a co-founder of the Grupo Soap del Corazon (Soap of the Heart Group), a group of local Latino artists which has organized many local Latino art events and exhibits. Doug has exhibited in Paris, received a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, and was named City Pages Artist of the Year in 2000.

Cora Scholz
Former Executive Director, Northfield Youth Choirs
For over 18 years, the energy behind the Northfield Youth Choir was Cora Scholz. She developed the NYC in to one of the preeminent groups of its kind in the nation through lots of hard work and high standards.

Rick Swearer
Working Artist
Rick grew up in Northfield when his father Howard Swearer was President of Carleton College. He has a BFA from Macalester College in Printmaking, and has also worked actively in glass blowing and ceramics.