Jessica Turtle {founder & educator}

Jessica Turtle's creative practice spans a variety of media including drawing, painting, and sculpture. She finds a creative center operating across platforms emphasizing community engagement. Her work explores many themes such as memory, pattern, nature, humor, and fairytales. Although most recognized for her vibrant palette and nature-inspired patterns, her work strongly advocates for wildlife and habitat restoration; and communicates an inherent value and interdependence in all living and nonliving things. 

Jessica Turtle's early work with the Natural Heritage Project led to the establishment of the Natural Heritage Art Centre. NHP originated as a series of interactive experience-based exhibits in partnership with multidisciplinary creatives and community organizations to facilitate public discourse about the current conditions of ecological communities and create opportunities for informed action. The exhibitions proved meaningful for both the artists and the community, and establishing an art center increases access and public engagement in a more meaningful and sustainable way.

David Aichinger {woodworking & outdoor Educator}

David is a St. Croix Valley-based artist and craftsman. David is the incredible talent behind Standing Cedars Workshop, tucked deep in the forest along the scenic river bluffs of the St. Croix River Valley. His career wound through creative channels such as large mosaic murals, historic tile restoration projects, and beautifully unique carpentry.

David’s favorite projects include the playground at St. Croix Valley Trees in Somerset, Wisconsin, converting a Greyhound bus into ‘Maggie’, a Mobile Art Studio for Art Lab RX, a privately commissioned treehouse in East Farmington, the Elm Tree Story Booth for Natural Heritage Project, and his latest project - converting a Mercedes Sprinter van into a camper van. If this wasn’t enough, in his free time, David serves as the Scoutmaster for Osceola Troop 9131.

Aaron Tafoya {cajon drum facilitator}

Aaron Tafoya is the founder and drum maker behind Empowered Percussion based in Saint Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood. Empowered Percussion celebrates 11 years of Cajón drum design and fabrication—featuring ten product lines that solve problems for today's drummers, whether it be technique or a tonal, ergonomic or personal aesthetic.

Amber white {artist Discussion facilitator}

White grew up in northern Minnesota surrounded by hunters, farmers, firefighters, and fishermen and was trusted with sharp objects from a very young age—fillet knives, fish hooks, needles, and nails provided early lessons in dexterity and diligence.

White earned a BA from the University of Minnesota (Morris) and an MFA from the U of MN (Twin Cities), worked for Franconia Sculpture Park, Interstate State Park and currently works for the St. Croix Watershed Research Station.

MIKAYLA METTEN {From MK with Love}

MK is a mixed media artist currently living and working in Minneapolis, MN. She combines painting and embroidery to create unique landscapes of all sizes.

Her work has been featured in magazines locally and overseas, and previously she taught painting to both children and adults. She has taught both figurative work and landscapes, with a focus on acrylic painting.

Katie Walsh {Frog GURU}

Katie has a degree in Elementary Education K-6 with a specialty in math grades 5-8; a computer keyboarding and related technology K-8 teaching license; a master's degree in Educational Leadership; and a Principal License K-12. Katie and her partner, Jim, have been raising frogs for over ten years as a business named after their son, Finn's Frog Farm. They focus on conserving frogs through the captive breeding of dart frogs and tree frogs. Finn's Frog Farm raises over twenty different species.