A Bloomington-Normal native, Doug graduated from Normal Community High School in 1983 and Illinois State University in 1987. He holds a masters degree in Studio Art from ISU, where he was a recipient of the Elizabeth Stein Scholarship and Friends of the Arts Talent Grant. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Northern Illinois University in 1992, where he was awarded Best of Show in the Student Annual exhibition. He has exhibited at Addington Gallery and the Peter Miller Gallery (both in Chicago), Illinois Wesleyan University and at the Chicago International Art Expo.

His artwork has been published in Better Homes and Gardens and in the Chicago Tribune Sunday magazine. Doug has taught at Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Judson University, Waubonsee Community College, Ray College of Design, the Rockford Art Museum and Heartland Community College. He is a past board member of the McLean County Dance Association and the Heartland Jazz Orchestra and delivered the commencement address at Lincoln College, Normal, in 2009.  Johnson served as the co-chairperson for the 2011 One State Arts Conference, the Program Committee for the Arts Alliance Illinois, and as the co-chair 2009 One State Conference Program Planning Committee.

He currently serves on the boards of Arts Alliance Illinois, the Bloomington Rotary Club and the Bloomington Rotary Foundation, he founded and serves as treasurer of the Area Arts Round Table (a consortium of McLean County Arts programmers) and is co-chair of the Local Arts Network (a statewide group of executive directors at cultural institutions).

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Claire earned her MFA in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Claire creates mixed media sculpture drawing from her experiences as furniture maker, mother, ranch hand, yoga student, and observer. She has taught at Illinois State University and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She was granted a NYFA Fellowship in 2009 and was a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena Montana. Claire moved to Normal in 2009 with her husband Albion Stafford, assistant professor of ceramics at ISU, and their daughter.

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Robert Fifield received his B.F.A. degree from Millikin University in 2005 focusing on painting, drawing, and printmaking. In 2008 Rob earned his M.F.A. in painting while studying at Illinois State University. In addition to working for the MCAC , Rob is a dedicated practicing painter and has worked as an adjunct professor teaching 2-dimensional foundations, drawing, and printmaking.

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Joe Hooten earned his Bachelors of Science in art with an emphasis in art education in December of 2005 from Illinois State University. Experimenting throughout his life in many different musical and visual media, he inevitably acquired a great fondness for the arts. Joe has taught elementary, middle school, and high school art in McLean county public schools. He has been teaching beginning and advanced techniques in ceramics at MCAC. Joe is a practicing and exhibiting artist working with a wide range of media that is inspired by his life experiences including being a stay-at-home father to two wonderful boys and his marriage to a Normal Community High School art teacher.

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Dana is a senior college student attending Illinois Wesleyan University. Her internship is focused on marketing and art, which she is currently studying at IWU. Dana’s hometown is Naperville, IL where she graduated from Naperville North High School.

Erin is currently a student at Illinois State University and is from Naperville, IL. She is in the process of receiving her B.F.A degree in Painting while also receiving a degree in Art Education and minoring in Art History. Erin hopes to take these studies further into investing as a practicing artist and teacher.

Leeya is an undergraduate BFA art major, concentrating in both painting and printmaking at Illinois Wesleyan University. Leeya hopes to study animation, along with her current concentrations, in graduate school, a newly discovered passion after studying in Florence, Italy. A Detroit native, Leeya likes to paint, hip hop dance, and randomly explore downtown Bloomington.

Jonathan maintains and develops the Arts Center website along with designing print and email newsletters. He studied Environmental Science and Engineering at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. His interests are in photography, drawing, graphic design and website development. Jonathan is currently living in Bloomington.