Mary Briggs
BENEVOLENT DICTATOR
A native of Westmoreland County, PA, Mary Briggs returned to the area in 2013 from Arlington, Virginia where she worked as an artist, a fiddler, and an arts manager at Arlington Cultural Affairs where, beginning in 1989, she managed services to artists and developed programs to support folk and traditional arts for Arlington’s diverse population. After moving to Pennsylvania, she worked for Folk Arts, PA, then an office under the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and was on the faculty at Goucher College in Towson, MD as an adjunct lecturer before joining forces with Jen Costello to create You Are Here: a place for art in Jeannette.
Dawn Wallhausen
OFFICIAL ART PERSON
As a child growing up in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Dawn Wallhausen spent hours each day drawing, and she spent many a Saturday studying the art and natural history sections of the Carnegie Museum. In her preteen years, a family friend who made specialty lab glassware for a living made a blown-glass ornament for Dawn for Christmas, igniting a life-long fascination with the medium. Dawn spends most of her artistic energies making stained-glass mosaics and lamp-worked glass beads, but she uses that love of drawing to make her own mosaic patterns and her appreciation for the natural world often shows up in her designs. Dawn also works as an editor, having graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BA in literary theory.
Natalie Condrac
Curator, Exhibition Designer, our Inspiration
Natalie Condrac is a mixed media artist living near Murrysville, PA. She graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Painting and Drawing, however has since spent her time transitioning into three dimensional work. Her primary focus involves the creation of complex miniatures that celebrate attention to detail and hidden narratives. Natalie enjoys using different materials for her work from our Oh, Scrap! shop in both her collages and her miniatures.
Jen Costello
SHAMAN
Childhood cancer and its aftermath led Jen Costello to study and practice psychology, then, ultimately, to art. She found that the prescribed medical canes made her feel self-conscious and depressed. It was then that she began to design and carve her own canes, using recycled and repurposed materials whenever possible to create functional and spirited art works. Thus, not only was the Lean On Me Project born, but so was Jen’s career as a 3D artist who addresses personal as well as cultural issues in her work. In 2018 she and Mary Briggs joined together to create You Are Here.
Adrianne Weaver
OH, SCRAP! Goddess, YAH Board Member, AND SO MUCH MORE!
Bio coming! (Well, we hope so!)
Carson Heil
Official “Person of All Trades”
Carson Heil is an art history student graduating from Seton Hill University this winter. Carson aims to make art history accessible to everyone and bring attention to those left out of the narrative. With a strong feminist background, she is interested in celebrating traditional female crafts that usually go unnoticed. Having interned in the University Archives, Carson understands the importance of preserving the past to inform the future.
Becka Jean Marsh
Lean On Me “Art-Z” Workshops
Becka Jean Marsh (she/her) is a curator, artist, and teacher working in the Pittsburgh area. She received her BFA in 3D Media from Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA, 2018. She received her MA in Curatorial Practice from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, 2020.
Toeing the line of what is and isn't sacred is a common theme in her work. Becka's practice is concerned with the junction of curiosity and social justice. She strives on folding a truly intersectional dialogue into her practice. Fatness, queerness, and disability are of particular importance to her. Becka also love mycology and foraging.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Volunteer at You Are Here!
Assist in Oh, Scrap! by organizing donations, pricing items, stocking the shelves, keeping the place neat at tidy.
Become a YAH Ambassador (staff YAH booth/table at community festivals and events; develop make-and-take craft projects suitable for community festivals; assemble project kits; teach other volunteers how to workshop the crafts at the events, assist at special events at the gallery)
Benefits: Free programs such as artist talks and workshops; free shopping days at Oh, Scrap!; discounts on art purchases; LOTS OF LOVE!
Qualifications: at least 18 years of age; interest in art; willingness to commit; good working with public; willingness to share ideas and opinions.