We are delighted to announce several new additions to the team here at Springboard for the Arts, expanding our capacity and leading exciting new work. We are adding three new Springboarders, plus one more soon, with our currently open Communications Assistant position.
Caroline Taiwo will be joining the Springboard staff as the Economic Opportunity Program Director, a role that will lead Springboard’s work in developing new market and funding opportunities for artists, including our Kiva partnership. Caroline is a digital storyteller who creates content about art process, advocacy and community for Minnesota Public Radio, Twin Cities Daily Planet and other media arts platforms. Caroline is the Arts + Culture editor for Twin Cities Daily Planet and previously worked on Inclusion and Community Impact at American Public Media and the Healthy States advisory panel at Minnesota Public Radio. Caroline studied at Howard University and holds a B.A. from Hamline University. Caroline will start at the beginning of October.
We are also happy to add Sam Buffington to staff as our new Community Organizer, leading on-the-ground work in our Community Development programming. Sam has been the community organizer for Frogtown Neighborhood Association for almost 10 years, and has helped the organization become one of the most representative, innovative and influential district councils in St. Paul. After a misspent youth, Sam began working for the League of Pissed off Voters, using Hip-Hop and the arts to encourage young people to become active participants in the electoral process. Through this experience, as well as his family’s deep connections to the arts, Sam has recognized the power of arts and artists to create positive change in the world. Sam will be joining Springboard in November.
Finally, Jes Reyes will be joining as a new Artist Career Consultant with a focus in film, and Work of Art workshop instructor. Jes has previously been a resident artist at the Hinge Arts Residency in Fergus Falls, and completed the Train-the-Trainer Intensive this summer. She is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and arts administrator. She has exhibited with Feminist Video Quarterly, Made Here, and the Walker Art Center and is the founder of the Altered Esthetics Film Festival. She coordinates programming for Avivo ArtWorks (formerly Spectrum ArtWorks), a multifaceted, community-focused art studio for artists living with mental illness. She has a BA in Women’s Studies and Film/Electronic Arts from California State University, Long Beach and a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Jes is available for consultations now and will begin leading workshops soon.