Alayne O. Dolson - Executive Director
The executive director of VSA Arts of Montana since 1994, Alayne is also active as an artist with the VSA Choir program. Alayne has a BA in English and Music from Jamestown College in North Dakota, and has done graduate work at the University of Denver in Medieval and Renaissance English and French literature. She also has completed an additional fifth year of study in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of Montana. Alayne has worked extensively in the public schools as an English teacher and a music teacher, taught pre-school education, and developed an inclusive program at the Missoula YWCA for 3-5 year olds. Alayne has served as a community Board member on the Foster Grandparent Board, the Missoula Symphony Board, the International Choral Festival Board, and the Montana Alliance for Arts Education Board of Directors. She is an active singer and volunteer in Missoula community arts organizations. Alayne is also the Executive Director of Young Audiences of Western Montana.
Cheryl Bannes
Cheryl Bannes is artist-in-residence in Fergus County and the surrounding counties. She currently works in 14 schools in 7 counties providing a series of arts workshops teaching children basic concepts in a variety of media integrating the arts with core curriculum. Cheryl is a metalsmith, silversmith and works in mixed media. Cheryl holds a BFA and a MFA from Eastern Illinois University, and holds a K-12 Education degree from Montana State University.
Karen Kaufmann
Karen is the artist/instructor of the New Visions Dance program and chairperson of the Department of Dance at the University of
Montana. Karen has a BA in Dance Education from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and an MA in Dance from Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She is an artist-in-schools for the Montana Arts Council and Young Audiences of western Montana and a past board member of VSA arts of Montana.
Don Kukla
Don is the artist and instructor in Mime and theatre activities doing residency programs at Washington Middle School, where he works with students who are deaf; and at Big Sky and Sentinel High Schools with students with autism and Aspberger’s Spectrum Disorder. He also conducts a series of classes at the Montana State Hospital for patients with mental ilness and a residency at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind.
Don is the Director of IBS Productions, producing, directing and writing theatrical productions. He is a performing artist for Young Audiences of Western Montana. Don has a BS in Theatre from Northern Michigan University and an MFA in Directing from Western Illinois University.
Malcolm Lowe
Malcolm is the artist instructor for the VSA Choir program, now in its 8th year. Malcolm has a BA Music in musical performance from Western Washington State University and an MFA in musical theatre composition from San Diego State University. He is the former music director at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland, Oregon.
Sue Tirrell
Artist/educator, Livingston Montana, Sue teaches arts programs for VSA with Counterpoint at Livingston Art Center. Sue has a BFA from the School of Art and Design at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in New York and an Associate of Arts degree from Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri.