Online Offerings:
Clubs
Book Club
Facilitators: Erin Major & Ashley Smith
With the ALS Association
Dates and Time: Tuesday January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1 | 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT
Ongoing registration - one time registration for all dates
15 max
Calling all Bookworms! The ALS Association has a Book Club now, and we would love to have you join us. Ashley and Erin will pick the books based on participants’ input. Spots are limited, so sign up quickly if you’re interested! This club meets on the 1st Tuesday every month.
Visual Arts Club
Facilitator: Paige McMillan
With the ALS Association
Dates and Time: Tuesday January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8 | 2:00-3:30 p.m. CT
Ongoing registration - one time registration for all dates
15 max
Join the Visual Arts Club! Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out, this monthly gathering is your artistic refuge. We will share our work, give feedback, and discuss techniques to spark new ideas. Paige will guide the discussions and provide helpful resources. What makes this class special is its flexibility. You shape the experience by steering conversations, requesting content, and sharing insights. Our online forum platform keeps the dialogue going beyond meetings, fostering a supportive artist community. Upon request, we'll send you the materials you need to unleash your creativity. Whether you need adaptive tools or want to try new mediums, we’re here to help you feel empowered and equipped to thrive. Spots are limited, so sign up quickly if you’re interested! This club meets on the 2nd Tuesday every month.
Writing Club – The Write Stuff
Facilitator: Liz Stanley & Karishma Ramnath
With the ALS Association
Dates and Time: Thursday January 23, February 27, March 27, April 24 | 1:00-2:30 p.m. CT
Ongoing registration - one time registration for all dates
20 max
Are you enthusiastic for writing? Are you looking for positive encouragement to keep going towards your writing goals? You have found your people! This is the place to be if you love writing no matter how much experience you have. Join a warm, caring community of writers that are going to make you laugh and have fun and talk writing too. You will gain access to the online forum for the writing club and be able to post your work, read others’ work and get and give feedback so you can stay connected between meetings. Spots are limited, so sign up quickly if you’re interested! This club meets on the 4th Thursday every month.
"What slight stress I felt prior to the class faded quickly in the class because tasks were optional, no pressure, and because everybody was very friendly and non-judgmental.” - Conrad
Writing
Observations & Insight: Fiction Essentials
Facilitator: Alys Dutton
With The Loft Literary Center
Dates and Time: 3-part series: Wednesdays January 15, January 22 & January 29 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by January 9
25 max
Learn what makes a piece of fiction insightful and its impact lasting in an all-levels writing course. Through examples, exercises, and optional homework assignments, we’ll explore the components of an effective ending, from the strong images and precise emotions that satisfy a narrative, to the observations on the human condition that make it memorable. This class meets three times.
Let Me Tell You a Story
Facilitator: Holly Day
With The Loft Literary Center
Dates and Time: 2-part series: Mondays February 3 & February 10 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by January 30
25 max
Do you have a story you want to tell, but you’re not sure how to tell it? Is that story about you? In this class, we’ll discuss how to write anecdotes based on your life experiences and ways to tie your stories together by pinpointing an overall defining theme. We’ll also talk about how to choose and deliver the tone you want to project in your autobiographical stories, and what you want readers to get from reading each piece on its own and as a possible collection. Together in class, we’ll write first drafts of anecdotes based on general prompts, giving you a starting place to launch the story as big as the one you want to tell.
Life Stories in a Flash
Facilitator: Gail Milstein
With The Loft Literary Center
Dates and Time: 3-part series: Wednesdays March 5, March 12 & March 19 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 27
25 max
Do you have more true stories to tell than time to tell them? Then flash creative nonfiction may be the story form for you! Flash CNF can range in length from 6-words to 2,000. In this 3-part series, appropriate for writers of all genres and levels, we will spend Session 1 sampling and discussing diverse pieces of flash CNF, to understand how flash works. We will break the form down into elements common to all CNF, but in the context of this condensed form. In Session 2, we will delve deeper into the elements introduced in Session 1, like the power of image and detail, crafting your authentic voice, shaping your work, and deciding where to begin and end. In Session 3, participants willing to share their written work will receive input from the group, and we’ll discuss specific techniques for revising and improving your work.
Finding the Poet Within
Facilitator: Holly Day
With The Loft Literary Center
Dates and Time: 3-part series: Mondays March 31, April 7 & April 14 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by March 27
25 max
In this class, we'll discuss a few of the many techniques poets use to find the strongest way to express their ideas through language and structure. We'll discuss how to pull a poem out of a piece of prose, how to develop stronger imagery in our writing through the use of our senses and word choices, and how the structure of a poem and the type of poem you write affects how it looks on paper.
"The Creative Pursuits classes have become incredibly important to me on a regular basis. The classes are a safe place to not only express myself but also to connect with other ALS patients. This is a blessing!” - Mark D.
Visual Arts
Online Walker Art Center Tour
Facilitator: Roman Feldhahn
With Walker Art Center
Dates and Time: 2 separate classes:
- Class 1: Tuesday, January 21 | 12:00-2:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by January 16 - Class 2: Tuesday, March 18 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by March 13
20 max
Jan 21: The exuberant and wide-ranging works of Pacita Abad (US, b. Philippines, 1946–2004) are the subject of the first-ever retrospective spanning the artist’s 32-year career. During her lifetime, the prolific artist made a vast number of artworks that traverse a diversity of subjects, from colorful masks to intricately constructed underwater scenes to abstract compositions.
Mar 18: The Researching Through Art virtual tour invites us to practice observing contemporary artworks, consider their historical and cultural context, and make informed and well-reasoned reflections on the work, gaining the tools to become expert museum-goers and appreciators of contemporary art.
Creative Impulse: Why Do We Create Art?
Facilitator: Bonnie Schetski
With Arts for All
Dates and Time: 4-part series: Thursdays January 30, February 6, February 13 & February 20 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by January 16
15 max
Discover why art has been a universal form of expression since the beginning of time. In this class, we’ll explore different purposes of how art has and is used. You’ll also learn the “secret language” of art, uncovering how to interpret hidden meanings behind a work of art. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to both discuss and create art with a deeper understanding of its purpose.
- Week 1: Why we create Art
- Week 2: Secret language of Art
- Week 3: Understanding the layout of the language
- Week 4: Breaking down the meaning and interpretation of a work of Art
Fun with AI Art
Facilitator: Liz Stanley
With the ALS Association
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 26 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 20
20 max
Have you heard about the power of AI in art making? Come learn how you can create art by using various AI platforms. You will be introduced to a few choices and have the opportunity to create some in class. You will also gain access to a site where you can share your AI art with each other and build community after the class.
Hands Free Digital Art
Facilitator: Liz Stanley
With the ALS Association
Date and Time: Thursday, March 6 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 27
20 max
If you use eye gaze or head mouse devices or have limited use of your hands and want to learn some new ways to play with art, this is the class for you! You do not need to have any experience with art, digital or otherwise to enjoy the benefits of creating on your digital device. Programs introduced in this class include but may not be limited to the free versions of Paint and Sketch.io.
Basics of Photography Composition
Facilitator: Lynn Watson
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 25 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by March 20
25 max
Learn how to improve your photographs by arranging the visual elements within the frame to create an aesthetically pleasing image. The course will cover: Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Frame within a Frame, Point of View, Values, and Repeating Patterns.
Digital Art for Healing
Facilitator: Jane Grant-Abban
With White Bear Center for the Arts
Dates and Time: 3-part series: Thursdays April 3, April 10 & April 17 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by March 18
15 max
This class meets three times. This class is for anyone wanting to create on any digital platform, mobile device or desktop, eye gaze or finger controlled are all welcome. In the class Jane will gently guide you through a few prompts which you respond to intuitively with color. At the end of the class, you will have one or two unique abstract paintings which reflect the journey you've been on in the class.
We need to take time to engage our creative side. ALS has taken away many things from us, but for most of us, it has not affected our thoughts or creativity.” - Michelle F.
Music
Hands Free Music
Facilitator: Liz Stanley
With the ALS Association
Dates and Time: Wednesday, February 12 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 6
20 max
Do you use an eye gaze or head mouse device or have limited use of your hands? If so, come learn how much fun you can have with music. This class is for anyone regardless of musical experience. Making music or even just playing with sounds can lower blood pressure and stress level. In this class, you will be introduced to a musical program that is specifically designed to be compatible with eye gaze/head mouse, Eye Harp. This is a desktop program that is easy to use and fun to explore. We will show you the basics of how to get started with the free version of this program.
A Journey with the South American Harp
Facilitator: Nicolas Carter
Dates and Times: Tuesday, February 25 | 2:30-4:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 20
25 max
Relax, renew, and refresh with nurturing soul music and touching stories of Latin American culture. This will be an intimate concert with the opportunity for participants to get to know the artist and engage in Q&A. You are invited to have a friend or family member present for this class.
"Even if I can’t physically do everything anymore, this program has given me a sense of hope, purpose and it brings my mind some semblance of peace for at least a few hours each week.” - Jennifer
Other
Laugh Tracks
Facilitators: Jenni Lilledahl & Jeff Myhre
With Brave New Institute
Dates and Time: 2 separate classes:
- Tuesday, February 18 | 1:00-2:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by February 13 - Tuesday, Apr 15 | 1:00-2:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by April 10
25 max
Laughter is great medicine. Join us for an amusing hour of fun-filled exploration of everything humorous. We’ll share jokes, watch hilarious videos, trade stories and try a few comedic games. No experience needed – this class is about sharing laughter in a relaxing environment. This online experience is hosted by Jeff Myhre and Jenni Lilledahl, veteran improv and comedy teachers. This class is for any person living with ALS regardless of experience and physical abilities. Sign up for one or both!
Nature Immersion Audio Guides
Teacher: David Motzenbecker
With Motz Studios
In partnership with the ALS Association, Motz Studios brings ALS Association Members a new audio experience allowing you to forest bathe from home! Enjoy a short, 20 - minute indoor nature immersion experience. This is a visually focused experience and can be enjoyed from any window. Or enjoy a short, 20 - minute outdoor nature immersion experience. This is a sensory-focused experience and can be enjoyed from any outdoor space. Or enjoy a full, 2-hour outdoor nature immersion experience. This is a sensory-focused experience that can be enjoyed from any outdoor space, however it is best to be in a park setting if possible. Listen to audio experiences by clicking here.
"Creative Pursuits gave me the opportunity to freely express myself in a safe and comforting environment." - Michelle B.
Caregivers
Building Your Writer’s Notebook for Caregivers
Facilitator: Janel Sullivan
Dates and Time: One time registration for all dates: Mondays, January 27, February 24, March 24, April 28 | 2:30-4:30 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Registration is ongoing.
20 max
This club is for all types of writers. Whether you are a daily journaler, sometimes dabbler or have never written creatively before but always wanted to try, join our supportive, collaborative group. Each week we will delve into different genres, and you'll be presented with prompts that can be answered in a variety of writing styles. Through a combination of these writing exercises and group discussions you will be able to explore your craft and build your writer’s notebook. This club meets on the 4th Monday every month.
Art for Healing for Caregivers
Facilitator: Jane Grant-Abban
With Abban Art LLC
Dates and Time: Wednesday, February 5 | 2:00-4:00 p.m. CT (Includes 30 min social time before the class.)
Register by January 21
15 max
In the class Jane will gently guide you through a number of timed questions or steps which you respond to intuitively with color and movement. At the end of the class you will have one or two unique abstract paintings which reflect the journey you've been on in the class. You will have the choice of working on a digital platform if you prefer, or we will ship you paint and other materials. Please sign up for only one day.
"I'm always looking for ways to exercise my brain muscles, stretch my horizons, from my chair! I like taking a class that is creative, where I don't have to explain my physical challenges.” - Sharon
In-Person Offerings:
Walker Art Center Tour
Guide: Roman Feldhahn
With Walker Art Center
ALS Association Staff: Liz Stanley and others
Date and Time: 2 separate classes:
- Wednesday, February 19 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Register by February 13 - Wednesday, April 23 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Register by April 17
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
8 max
Enjoy a one-hour private tour of the different exhibitions for each tour, followed by one hour of social time. This event is for those living with ALS and one guest to attend. The Walker Art Center welcomes visitors of all abilities to engage with the visual, performing, and media arts of our time.
Feb 19: Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon presents the first retrospective exhibition of Stanley Whitney’s (US, b. 1946) unique and powerful abstractions made over the course of his 50-year career.
April 23: Berlin-based artist Pan Daijing (China, b. 1991) creates immersive gallery environments, combining live choreography, architectural interventions, and the interplay of sound and moving image. Her works often include unstable materials such as ice and acid, substances that change and erode over time.
Minneapolis Institute of Art Tour
Guide: TBD
ALS Association Staff: Liz Stanley and others
Dates and Time: Wednesday, March 26 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Register by March 20
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
8 max
View splendid works from around the world and throughout time. Delight in European and American favorites. Experience nature‘s beauty in tour-de-force landscapes and decorative arts from Asia. Discover how the living arts of Africa and the Americas honor traditions and inspire innovation. We'll explore a different part of the collection each time we meet. This will be a one-hour private tour at MIA, followed by one hour of social time. This event is for those living with ALS and one guest to attend.
Guided Nature Immersion
Guide: David Motzenbecker
With Motz Studios
Date and Time: Wednesday April 9 | 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. CT
Register by April 3
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
10 max
This event includes two hours of Guided Nature Immersion followed by one hour of optional social time. Enjoy all the benefits of Shinrin Yoku (taking in the forest air with all of your senses) while we go slow in nature. Lite refreshments will be provided in the social hour. Please bring your own snacks to supplement if you have specific needs or would like to eat more. This event is for those living with ALS and one guest (friend/family member/caregiver). The location for this session will be Oakdale Nature Preserve.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Tour
Guide: TBD
ALS Association Staff: Erin Major & Katie Schauer
Dates and Time: Wednesday, April 9 | 12:00-2:00 p.m. CT
Register by April 3
Location: Kansas City, MO
8 max
Explore the magic within our museum walls and embark on a journey of creativity and culture! Join us for a 90-minute tour at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art where we'll engage in artful conversations and sensory explorations at each stop, inviting you to fully immerse yourself in the art and the moment. This free tour is for those living with ALS and one guest. At the conclusion of our tour, we invite you to a 30-minute social time, where you can relax and reflect on the wonders we've encountered.
Chazen Museum of Art Tour
Guide: TBD
ALS Association Staff: Kristy Sharp
Dates and Time: Wednesday April 23 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Register by April 17
Location: Madison, WI
6 max
Join us at the Chazen Museum of Art for a tour led by our trained museum guides! Explore artwork in our collection through close looking and engaging group activities.
Saint Louis Art Museum Tour
Guide: TBD
ALS Association Staff: Jack Knope & Grace Rapp
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 23 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Register by April 17
Location: St. Louis, MO
8 max
Join the Saint Louis Art Museum guides for a lively tour of the Museum highlights and learn more about its motto, “Dedicated to art and free to all.” This will be a one-hour private tour followed by one hour of social time.
"The class really filled a need I had to let my favorite hobby and passion live on.” - Lisa
Facilitator Bios
Nicolas Carter
Nicolas Carter is a talented and versatile international harpist. He was born in Minnesota and raised in Paraguay, where he learned to play the Paraguayan harp. Carter creates unique performances, blending his musicianship with his theatre artist/storyteller skills. His authentic, warm, and friendly interaction creates an intimate experience that inspires, motivates, and brings joy. Carter has been composing, recording, teaching, and performing for over 35 years and has played all over the United States, Latin America, Europe, West Africa, and Israel.
Holly Day
Holly Day has worked as a freelance writer for over 30 years, with over 7,000 published articles, poems, and short stories and 40 books and chapbooks—most recently, the nonfiction books, Music Theory for Dummies, Walking Twin Cities, Tattoo FAQ, and History Lover’s Guide to Minneapolis, and the poetry books A Wall to Protect Your Eyes (Pski’s Porch Publishing), In This Place, She Is Her Own (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), A Perfect Day for Semaphore (Finishing Line Press), I’m in a Place Where Reason Went Missing (Main Street Press), Where We Went Wrong (Clare Songbirds Publishing), Folios of Dried Flowers and Pressed Birds (Cyberwit), and Into the Cracks (Golden Antelope Press). Her writing has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, a 49th Parallel Prize, an Isaac Asimov Award, eleven Pushcart awards, three Dzanc Book’s Best of the Web awards, a Rhysling Award, and two Best of the Net awards, and she has received two Midwest Writer’s Grants, a Plainsongs Award, a Sam Ragan Prize for Poetry, and a Dwarf Star Award from the Science Fiction Poetry Association.
Alys Dutton
Alysandra Dutton is a Twin Cities-based writer of short fiction and novels. She has enjoyed support and recognition from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the British School at Rome, and the Bread Loaf Writer's Workshop. You can read her work in such magazines as The Sun, Electric Literature, and Catapult. Currently she is a teaching artist with The Loft Literary Center & Interlochen Arts Camp, and represented by the Friedrich Agency.
Roman Feldhahn
Roman Feldhahn (he/they) is a teaching artist and a Lead Educator at the Walker Art Center. He is passionate about accessibility in museums (and all institutions!) and aims to make contemporary art approachable to all. He enjoys oil painting, video games, and creating new things with Legos. He also likes to talk to visitors about the artworks they dislike and why!
Jane Grant-Abban
Jane Grant-Abban is an artist, author, speaker and special needs mom. She moved from the UK with her husband and two boys in 2006. Jane has over 30 years of teaching experience and is Certified in a unique therapeutic art process called Art and Creativity for Healing. Wherever she teaches, her goal is to create a safe place for people to connect with, explore and express their feelings, whether the everyday ones or the really hard ones. She creates opportunities for others to feel seen and heard and share their own unique story. Jane believes art is for everyone and she is skilled at helping others express the creativity they already have but may not have used in a long time. Her therapeutic art classes help others find a new language- the language of color.
Jenni Lilledahl
Jenni Lilledahl was co-owner of the renowned Brave New Workshop comedy theatre in Minneapolis for 25 years. There, she founded the Brave New Institute school for improvisation and has been teaching improvisation for 30 years. Her comedy career started in the 1990s doing stand-up in the Twin Cities. She then moved to sketch and improv performance, as well as writing. She is the creator of Improv for Life, an improv program offered at Gilda’s Club Twin Cities for people living with cancer. “Jeff’s knowledge and passion for comedy surpasses anyone I know. We can’t wait to play with you!”
Erin Major
Erin Major, a social worker by background, is an ALS Navigator, based in the Kansas City area. Erin grew up in Iowa, where she read countless books as a child, alongside her parents and four siblings who also loved books. Erin attended college at Northwest Missouri State University, where she majored in Child and Family Studies. She went on to get a Master of Social Work degree at The University of Georgia. Though Erin tries to make herself read non-fiction books; her heart is drawn to novels. Erin has a husband and two boys, whom she is trying to influence. Currently, Erin and the kids are reading “A Tale of Despereaux,” which the boys are either loving or using as a decoy to stay up late. “Just ONE more chapter, Mom”
Paige McMillan
By day, Paige works in Care Services for the ALS Association, and by evening and weekends, she's an art enthusiast. Paige holds a degree in Art Education and has multiple years of experience teaching in various programs and communities, from children to adults, before transitioning to her current role at the Association. To keep sharing her passion for the arts and fulfill her need to create, she founded WanderCrafts, a mobile arts and crafts workshop that spreads creativity across her local community. She revels in sharing art processes and techniques and is always eager to discover new artists and styles. Enchanted by the art world since childhood, Paige has always found sanctuary in creating. For her, sharing space and crafting magic with others is pure joy. She continuously broadens her own artistic horizons through her workshops and is thrilled to expand her passion for the arts alongside her dedication to the ALS community, thus delightfully combining her passions.
Gail Milstein
Gail Milstein received her MFA in Creative Writing in 2014 from Hamline University, having studied all three genres of creative writing but with a focus on Creative Nonfiction. She spent the better part of the past 10 years teaching English Composition and Speech Communications and running the Writing Lab at The Institute of Production and Recording. For nearly two decades, she has served as a Teaching Artist for The Loft Literary Center. Gail has been published in several literary journals, including Hamline’s Rock, Paper, Scissors, where her piece, Humble Warrior, was awarded Best in Creative Nonfiction.
David Motzenbecker
Motz Studios is a Minneapolis-based guide practice of therapeutic forest bathing walks based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin Yoku. The firm is also a forest bathing trail design and landscape architecture consultancy with a focus on biophilic and salutogenic design, emphasizing the healing power of nature. David Motzenbecker, Founder, is one of the global “Top Five Walk Leaders” of ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guides, a Forest Therapy Trail Design & Certification Consultant, and an award-winning Landscape Architect practicing since 2001. David has given over 250 walks to over 1,500 participants since 2018. Motz Studios draws on David’s inherent curiosity about the world and his international expertise in Japan and the U.K. Fellowships in both cultures deepened his study of design, arts, history, mysticism, and spirituality - and their connection to nature. David brings his design expertise in landscape architecture to his guide practice, demonstrating how nature has been a place of respite throughout history, and how we might use the lessons we glean from the forest in shaping our everyday lives and places.
Jeff Myhre
“Comedy is acting out optimism.” Robin Williams said that. I think that’s why EVERYONE loved him. Jenni Lilledahl shared this concept with me years ago and I am delighted to be co teaching this class with her. Jenni taught me everything I know about improv., and my 6 months gig for her company, The Brave New Workshop, was one of the happiest times of my life. I received my BFA in acting a million years ago and was an actor with a day job in the Twin Cities (that included front desk duties for the MN ALS Chapter) before working with folks with disabilities full time. I’m a comedy scholar of sorts, with a ridiculous comedy record collection and participate and sometimes lead Improv. classes at Gilda’s Club Twin Cities.
Karishma Ramnath
Karishma is a writer by heart and a university student by day, studying public health at the University of California, San Diego. She is actively in leadership for two of the foremost writing clubs on her campus and desires to share the emotion portrayed in the written word to anyone possible and facilitate the growth of all writers. She doesn't have a favorite book (as it is impossible for her to choose just one), however, writers who love testing the waters and who own their ability to grow is what inspires her to keep on writing!
Bonnie Schetski
Bonnie Schetski currently lives and teaches art in Wisconsin. After going through a major health crisis her work and perspective of the creative process shifted from abstract to pulling wisdom from nature and the Creator. Her art is based on the healing power of water and the habitat dependent on it for survival. She enjoys the exploration of using art as a means of therapy to assist in releasing and communicating memories stored in the body from trauma. Art is a vehicle in which we, as creative beings, can use to release that which is yet unknown to us or intentionally blocked (Suppressed/Forgotten) as a means of pure survival. She believes art can assist in the healing process and bring the traumatic experiences of our life into the light. To be released and create a path for deep restorative healing. Inspired by the healing power of water, her work is informed by waterscapes and habitat of the Midwest and her travel adventures. She received her Bachelor's of Science at UW-La Crosse and an MFA at New Mexico State University, where she focused on drawing, printmaking and photography. After receiving her Master's degree she went onto teach at several universities, including UW- La Crosse and Winona State University. She currently runs and teaches art out of her own space, Bonseye Studio.
Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith is an ALS Navigator in Missouri. She is a social worker by background, with a bachelor’s degree in social work from Missouri State University, and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Louisville. Ashley is an avid reader and loves everything to do with books. Her favorite books include Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Pride and Prejudice. Her “to be read” pile has its own bookshelf, and she looks forward to adding to it with recommendations from this group.
Liz Stanley
The ALS Association Arts Program Manager, Liz Stanley, comes to us with a background in art education, and has been teaching art from preschool age to adults, in every medium, for the last sixteen years. Liz recently moved back to the states after seven years teaching abroad in Turkey, Cambodia and Costa Rica. She lost her best friend, who was an amazing artist, to ALS. “This inspired me to bring my passion for the therapeutic power of creation to people living with ALS.” - Liz Stanley
Janel Sullivan
Janel Sullivan has always had a passion for words. Leaning in to reading and writing was extra meaningful to her when her grandfather was diagnosed with ALS and passed away in 2007. Since then she has been a teacher in China, Singapore and Minnesota and has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh. She is very excited to work with and give back to the ALS community through the ALS Association, an organization that helped her family immensely. She loves cats, coffee, and writing with really nice pens.
Lynn Watson
Lynn Watson is a retired graphic artist and photographer who lives in the Bay Area, California. Her photographs have been featured on cards, calendars and books, including travel books by National Geographic. She is excited to share her passion for enhancing photographs by applying the principles of composition.
"Creative pursuits has completely changed my outlook on my life. It’s given me a sense of purpose. It’s been the most important part of my journey so far." - Jennifer
