The people who are transforming our region through their vision and impact on the Creative Industries Community

Clayton Merrell

"The Sky Beneath our Feet," 2016 Installation at the Pittsburgh International Airport
Clayton Merrell grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. He received an MFA from the Yale School of Art and was awarded a Fulbright Grant for research and creative work in Oaxaca, Mexico. In November of 2015, the Pittsburgh International Airport completed construction of a 69,000 square foot terrazzo floor image based on his design. His work is in the collections of the American Embassy in Belmopan, Belize, the Smithsonian Museum and numerous private and corporate collections.He is a Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tara Sherry-Torres

Creative Entrepreneur with Cafe Con Leche + the Latino Resident Artist Program
Tara Sherry-Torres is a creative entrepreneur, known for her vision, leadership and work with Café Con Leche. She has recently been honored as a 2014 Pittsburgh Magazine, 40 Under 40 recipient and one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's 2015 People to Meet. Tara is developing the next generation of creatives, especially Latinx, Black women and millennials. Her latest endeavor is the Latino Resident Artist Program at Most Wanted Fine Art Gallery that has attracted artists locally, across the country and around the world. For her tremendous work in integrating culture into the community, Café Con Leche won the 2015 Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group's Community Development Award. Currently, Tara sits on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Land Bank and on the Membership Committee of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. Tara just recently also completed her tenure on the Board of Directors of the Bloomfield Community Development Corporation.

Lynn Zelevansky

The Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art.
Since her arrival in 2009, Lynn Zelevansky has overseen the launch of an array of innovative programs and community projects at the Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA). Under her directorship, CMOA has used deep research and design smarts to engage with the ways we encounter art and images. CMOA’s emerging Art Tracks project uses new software to read and structure provenance data, allowing exciting new research on artworks’ histories. Additionally, the museum instituted its new social programs, which invite community partners for collaborations in the museum, including monthly Third Thursdays, Silent Disco and Yoga at CMOA. She previously held senior curatorial positions at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and got her start at Museum of Modern Art, New York. 
 

D.S. Kinsel + Julie Mallis

Co-Founder + Creative Director of BOOM Concepts / Magic Organs
Magic Organs is a collaborative cartel founded in 2011 through the practice of D.S. Kinsel and Julie Mallis. The medium of this practice is based on their relationship as expressed through zines, painting, social media, curating, shared studio practice, artist mentorship, youth workshops, university lectures, professional development, community organizing and happenings events. Examples of their practice can be found in Magic Organs Zine series #1-5, Live&Direct 1&2, live painting at Art All Night, Assemble Makerdate Auction, BOOM Concepts studio practice, Carnegie Museum of Art Third Thursday and as part of the Groove Aesthetic artist collective. 

Ryan Lammie

Executive Director, Radiant Hall Studios
Ryan Lammie is the founder and director of Radiant Hall Studios, a network of studio locations providing space to more than 60 artists working in the Pittsburgh area. As a non-profit organization, Radiant Hall Studios’ primary mission is to create and preserve studio environments for working artists. Ryan is also a sculptural painter and attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and the Yale Norfolk Residency, in 2011. Ryan currently sits on the board of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and is Vice President of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.

Jesse Schell

CEO, Schell Games
Jesse Schell is CEO of Schell Games, a team of one hundred people who strive to make the world’s greatest educational and transformational games. Jesse serves as Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at CMU. He’s best known for his acclaimed book 'The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses' and for 'Beyond Facebook,' a talk at the 2010 DICE Summit where he described a future where games and life become indistinguishable. He was honored with a spot on the Pittsburgh Smart 50 List in both 2014 and 2015, and was named one of the 50 most powerful people in Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2015. 

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