Staff Members

Doug Johnson, Executive Director & Curator

Doug graduated from Normal Community High School and Illinois State University. He holds a masters degree in Studio Art from ISU. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Northern Illinois University.

He has served on the executive board of Arts Alliance Illinois, and is the past president of the Bloomington Rotary Club, and the Unitarian Universalist Church. Additionally, he founded and serves as president 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).

A practicing artist, his paintings are in many public and private collections across the county. 

Carmel Rhoda, Office Manager

Joining the staff in November 2011, Carmel is in charge of membership and bookkeeping responsibilities.  She has enjoyed becoming involved in the local arts community and frequently attends shows and festivals locally and throughout the Midwest.  She is a graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelors in Sociology.  Carmel and her husband have three children.
Contact Carmel here

Micaela Harris, Project Coordinator

Micaela was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Normal Community West High School in 2016. She then went on to study at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she graduated with her B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications in May of 2020.

Micaela has always loved art and sees it as a vital part of life. She also loves to travel and is always eager to learn something new. You can often find Micaela downstairs working on various ceramics and printmaking projects or trotting around BloNo's antique and thrift stores.

Micaela is grateful to join the stellar MCAC team and to help bring one of her favorite community events, the Sugar Creek Arts Festival, to life. Contact Micaela Here

Krystal Kay Lyon, Education Coordinator

Krystal is originally from North Augusta, South Carolina. Her love of beauty, art and community led her to Bloomington in 2014. Since her move to the area Krystal has connected with the artist community of McLean & Livingston Counties, she started writing for an online film blog out of St. Louis called ZekeFilms and she presently serves at Christ Community Church of Chenoa as Ministry Coordinator.   

Contact Krystal Here

Sarah Hurley, Lead Ceramics Assistant

Sarah Hurley has been practicing the craft of ceramics since 2012. As of 2018 Sarah

started making contemporary tableware under the name Fire and Feldspar. Sarah is

also a local chef, specializing in pastry. Most recently she has married her high school

sweetheart.

Artist Statement

"Growing up in the agricultural mid-west I have always been intrigued by what the

Earth gives back to us and the beauty of it all. Whether it be watching gardens grow

from seedlings into bountiful produce, the sun peaking over the trees and creating a

glistening diamond effect on the dew, the natural patterning and repetition in the flora and fauna, the Earth has always inspired me. I began to capture this beauty in

photographs but it left me feeling unconnected, like I was removing that moment from its own space. Around the same time I started cooking again and noticed the beauty and the sense of community around food and what contains it. It only felt natural to begin to craft pieces from the earth to capture the beauty and allow the user to stop, take a second and feel connected to this place that gives so much to us."

President: Sheila Lamberson; Vice President: Bruce Cather; Dana Altenburger At Large, Secretary: Dave Templeton; Treasurer Ruth Anne Friedberg

Sally Berry, Allyson Frink,  Dan Galvin, Su Ge, Jared Lacy, Cindy Lawson-Kester, Deana Moore Schoolcraft,  Craig Queen,  Diane Skidmore, and Dave Templeton