Springboard for the Arts is an organization led by artists, for artists—which means we’re skilled at wearing many hats. From making music and juggling fire (!) to building relationships and navigating change together, artists bring creativity, collaboration, and care to the work of leading our organization through a leadership transition.

As former Executive Director Laura Zabel begins a new chapter with the Creative Change Coalition, Springboard’s board and staff have been working together to ensure a smooth and intentional transition process. 

Amanda Kaler and William Pierce II are serving as Springboard’s Interim Co-Executive Directors until the organization’s next Executive Director is in place. Together, Amanda and William bring complementary strengths in programming, fundraising, external relations, finance, and organizational operations, ensuring continuity across all aspects of Springboard’s work.

Amanda Kaler brings more than 18 years of experience in development, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership to Springboard for the Arts. Since joining Springboard in 2022, Amanda has led the organization’s strategic fundraising and communications efforts. Prior to Springboard, she spent nearly nine years at Minnesota Center for Book Arts, including serving in an interim leadership role during a period of organizational transition. Amanda holds dual master’s degrees in Nonprofit Management and Arts Administration from the University of Oregon and is a graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Institute. She currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. Amanda’s creative background spans the book arts and circus arts, and these days she can often be found delivering fire-juggling telegrams under the moniker Pyroette.

William Pierce II has overseen Springboard’s financial and administrative operations to support the sustainability of our programming, artist-led projects, and organizational health since joining the organization in 2023. William holds a Master’s and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with accounting and nonprofit financial management certifications. He also has over 15 years of leadership experience in various management roles. William believes that great organizations start with great people and is passionate about mentoring, motivating, and developing future leaders. William has been a performing musician, songwriter, and music producer in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. He played keyboards and bass guitar at local venues, improv theaters, and houses of worship with some of the metro area’s prominent musicians, singers, and actors.

“William and Amanda bring deep experience, thoughtful leadership, and a genuine commitment to Springboard’s mission. The Board has full confidence in their collaborative partnership, and we are grateful to have them guiding Springboard through this transition with care, creativity, and purpose.”

– Sarah Swedburg, President of Springboard’s Board of Directors

Illustration by Minnesota-based artist Sophie Wang.

Someone asked me recently if this was really the right time for a leadership transition, when there are so many threats to the arts, the stakes in our community are so high, and Springboard’s work isn’t “done.”

That’s certainly one way to think about it. But as I’ve sat with this question, I realized that my task was never to complete the mission—it was to make the mission matter. I believe that organizations with system-change missions should push towards a day when they won’t need to exist anymore. But I also believe that we need the humility to know that change only happens in a relay, and likely not within any one person’s tenure or even their lifetime.

So, is Springboard’s work finished? Absolutely not. But do I think we’ve proved that this work is vital and important and necessary? Absolutely yes.

We’ve proved that an organization like Springboard needs to exist, here in Minnesota and across the country. That a reciprocal relationship between communities and their artists is essential. That an ecosystem where artists are visible and valued for their contributions to the health of their community is possible. That this ecosystem is grown by combining direct, practical services and support for creative people with opportunities for those same creative people to build community power, influence policy and help their neighbors address big community challenges. That it is possible to value creative people over creative products. That an arts organization can value movement building over curation. We have proved that creative people belong at the table of economic security, public health, environmental stewardship, community development, crisis response, and social justice.

In fact, this next chapter of work for me, supporting communities and organizations across the country to grow and tend their own creative ecosystems, is only possible because of what we have proved here at Springboard. We’ve also shown that growth and change are necessary to keeping a mission vibrant and effective. I’m thrilled to be handing the baton to my brilliant colleagues at Springboard and to watch them evolve, grow and change this mission to meet the future. And I’m thrilled that I get to still play a role in that work.

This week the serviceberries are ripe and abundant on the trees in the lot of Springboard’s Saint Paul home. I picked a big batch and thought about transitions and cycles and change. I thought about the privilege of planting trees that can feed people into the future. And I thought about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beautiful meditation on reciprocity and taking inspiration from the natural world to guide our approach to relationships and economies.

I am so grateful for the gifts I have received from this work and am committed to carrying these gifts, relationships and values into the future. Another world is possible, and we’re building it every day.

“I want to live in a society where the currency of exchange is gratitude and the infinitely renewable resource of kindness, which multiplies every time it is shared rather than depreciating with use.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

A year of artists in action—sparking joy, connection, and creativity across Minnesota and beyond.

Read the Report

We are excited to share Springboard’s FY2025 Annual Report with you, showcasing stories of artists’ impact over our last fiscal year (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025).

Just in the past year, we engaged over 27,000 artists across 74 of Minnesota’s 87 counties through 1:1 career consultations, rural artist fellowships, community art projects, and more. Whether they are creating vibrant neighborhood artist markets or leading a Joy March through downtown Fergus Falls, artists are building the world we need, one project at a time.

Thank you to the many artists, partners, and supporters who make this work possible!

Design credit: Manifold Public Design.

Over 250 of Springboard’s neighbors, friends, and creative community gathered for our annual anniversary and community appreciation party. Fall Fest is our way of saying thank you—to the artists who shape our communities, and to the neighbors and friends who believe that artists are building the world that we need.

This year’s anniversary was extra special, as we celebrated 10 years of Ready Go, Springboard’s program that connects communities with artist-created mobile projects designed to spark curiosity and prompt interaction. Since 2015, Ready Go projects have brought creative activities to over 110,000 participants at more than 800 events across Minnesota! At Fall Fest, kids and adults alike joined Ready Go artists for hands-on activities like re-purposing fabric scraps into custom drink coozies with the Coozie-Up Cart and pouring metal charms with the WOW Mobile Metal Lab—a city bus transformed into a metal workshop on wheels.

Throughout the event, visitors enjoyed live performances—from dancing the cupid shuffle with Tina Jackson and the Line Dancers, to meeting Squawk the phoenix with Drag Story Hour, and feeling the energy of TaikoArts Midwest’s heart-pounding drumming.

Fall Fest was one of 30+ events that took place across Saint Paul during the 2025 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl.

Many thanks to the following artists and community members for making this year’s Fall Fest possible! Mobile Sign Shop, Sewing Circle, Streetcorner Letterpress, WOW Mobile Metal Lab, Coozie Up Cart, Printmaking INC, TaikoArts Midwest, Tina Jackson and the Line Dancers, Drag Story Hour, DJ Glo, Bryce Burton, Z Akhmetova, D the Artista, You’re the Party, Keshawn’s Characters, Pet Haven, Keith Lee, Frogtown Farm, Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Rondo Community Land Trust, Paper Lantern Project, El Burrito Mercado, and La Michoacana Monarca.

Thank you to Old National Bank for sponsoring Fall Fest 2025.

Gallery

We can’t wait to host you at Fall Fest from 12-4pm on Saturday, October 11 at Springboard for the Arts in Saint Paul!

Fall Fest is our way of saying thank you. Thank you to the artists who shape our communities, and thank you to the neighbors and friends who believe that artists are building the world that we need. At a time when the world can feel overwhelming, our strength lies in local creativity, community, and connection. Gathering together—in joy—is how we move forward.

This year, we’re excited to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Ready Go, Springboard’s program that connects communities with artist-created mobile tools designed to spark curiosity and prompt interaction. 

At Fall Fest, you’ll get to experience Ready Go favorites like the Mobile Sign Shop, Sewing Circle, Streetcorner Letterpress, and the WOW Metal Mobile Lab, plus brand-new tools including the Coozie Up Cart and Printmaking INC. Try your hand at printing on vintage letterpress equipment, pouring your own mini metal sculpture, or  experimenting with creative mending.

Fall Fest will also feature exciting live performances from TaikoArts Midwest, Tina Jackson and the Line Dancers, and Drag Story Hour. We’ll have music by DJ Glo, a pop-up temporary tattoo parlor with Bryce Burton, a snail mail party with Z Akhmetova, and face painting by Keshawn’s Characters. Say hello to some of our neighbors and community partners, Frogtown Farm, Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Rondo Community Land Trust, and Paper Lantern Project (a member of Springboard’s Incubator fiscal sponsorship program). And cuddle up with a pop-up of kittens from Pet Haven (yes, actual kittens!).

Fall fest is for everyone. Free and open to all, you’re welcome to drop in for as long as you’d like, or stay for the entire event. We can’t wait to see you there!

Fall Fest is part of the 2025 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl, organized by St. Paul Art Collective (SPAC).

Thank you to Old National Bank for sponsoring Fall Fest 2025!

View the full lineup of artist-led activities at Fall Fest 2025.

Learn More and RSVP