Volunteers of the Year 2018-19
The Northfield Arts Guild was pleased to honor Wendell Arneson, Clark Ohnesorge and Kate Stuart as our 2018-19 Volunteers of the Year, and Virginia Lorang as our 2018-19 Arts Advocate. They were honored at our Open House with Annual Report on Oct. 11, 2019. Please take minute to read their bios below. Thank you to ALL our amazing volunteers and congratulations to Wendell, Clark, Kate and Virginia, who went above and beyond this past year!
Wendell Arneson is a prominent professional local artist who has been involved with the Guild for decades. He was on faculty at St. Olaf College from 1978-2015, specializing in painting, and still lends his expertise to the Guild’s gallery committee and exhibitions, as well as to the community as a whole.
From His Nominator, Kip O’Krongly
“Working alongside Wendell on the gallery committee, I am continually impressed by his thoughtful approach to making each gallery season a success – when planning for the 60th season that was especially important! And beyond just planning, Wendell’s expert eye and experience are invaluable when it comes to hanging the Guild gallery shows. People like Wendell help keep the Guild at its strongest – it would be lovely to recognize the impact of all the time and experience he gives to keep the Guild at its best!”
Clark Ohnesorge is a Minnesota native. Raised in Minneapolis, Clark first came to Northfield in 1978 to attend St. Olaf. After graduate school he returned to Northfield in 1997 to teach Psychology at several local colleges. He joined The CVRO some 10 years ago and would like to take this opportunity to thank the Northfield Arts Guild and conductor Paul Niemisto for their outstanding efforts to nurture the arts in our community.
From His Nominator, Paul Niemisto
“Clark Ohnesorge has had connections with Northfield going back to college days when he attended St. Olaf, and then later when he was professor in the Economics Dept. He has also taught at Carleton College. An avid violinist all this time, he became a member of the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra when he moved to Northfield several years ago. His enthusiasm for the CVRO quickly moved him into leadership on the Council and then to President, a role he now holds. He has been a tireless worker for the Orchestra’s betterment and should be recognized as a main cog in the gears of CVRO progress.”
Kate Stuart moved to the Northfield area in the 1990s and soon got involved with the Guild, first as a parent and then as a teacher of both dance and music. She has been costuming Guild’s Baile Folklorico Mexicano dance group for over 10 years, and is currently serving as costume supervisor for PDYT’s Matilda ,the Musical. Kate is also on the education committee.
From
Her Nominator, Rachel Haider
“Kate Stuart has a calm and quiet demeanor,
but Kate is mighty and electrifying! Whether it’s costuming 40 children through
our Purple Door Youth Theater program, teaching and touring with Baile
Folklorico for years, or serving on the education committee since its
inception, Kate always puts forth endless volunteer hours, energy and talent to
serve our community in wondrous and important ways.”
Virginia Lorang is proud to be a member of the Northfield Arts Guild. She has
served on the board as president and treasurer, along with membership on
several committees. I believe that access to the arts is one of the features
that makes Northfield such a wonderful place to live and I believe the Guild is
the foundational organization that makes it happen.
From Her Nominator, Richard Collman
“I nominated Virginia because she has been a ‘wonderful watchdog’ on our budget, pleasantly guiding us through the dashboard and countless financial reports. She has spent many hours with the budget committee, the Board Executive Committee and monthly Board meetings. She helped us get our budget balanced and depreciation factored in over recent years. She is an All Star Advocate for the Guild!”
