Founder and Executive Director of The WasteShed.

She discovered creative reuse as an installation and costume artist, and developed her ideas in the nurturing environment of SCRAP PDX. She was also General Manager of the Creative Reuse Warehouse, and spearheaded their collaboration with the ReBuilding Exchange before founding The WasteShed in 2014. She has a BA in Art History from Reed College.

Director of Finance and Operations.

Isa loves to tinker with found objects to create custom furniture, lamps and accessories. After years of working in audio production making radio and podcasts, she discovered the simple beauty of spreadsheets and hasn’t looked back. She has skated and traveled the country for a decade with the Windy City Rollers. She loves working in a community-oriented space that supports Chicagoland’s endless creativity.

Evanston Director of Programs.

Emily loves applied art mediums like quilting, sewing textiles/fiber art, ceramics, printmaking, and anything that gives her Big Craft Thoughts/Feelings. She has a MA in Arts Education and loves helping people to engage with art + crafts in meaningful ways. She also enjoys getting to work with interesting materials, help folks out with their projects, and participate in creative community building at The WasteShed.

Chicago Director of Programs.

Laura’s favorite mediums are photography, weaving, and building projects out of wood. She enjoys trying out new materials. She loves the community aspect of the WasteShed.

Creative Reuse Specialist.

Their favorite medium is sewing/ quilting as well as acrylic & oil painting. Their favorite part about working at The WasteShed is getting to know members of the community and seeing what creative endeavors everyone is working on.

Creative Reuse Specialist.

His favorite media are sculpture and photography. His art incorporates upcycled materials into miniature worlds. And he loves helping others to find that perfect piece needed for their projects.

Evanston Program Coordinator.

Their favorite mediums are watercolor, pen and ink, printmaking (specifically mono printing), and photography. Their favorite part about working at The WasteShed is seeing how inspired and creative community members of all ages become when they visit.

Seasonal Creative Reuse Specialist

Vahnaree is a current undergrad at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her focus is in Fiber and Material Studies, so her chosen mediums are typically sculpture and textile based. She is experienced in printmaking, fashion design, and 2D mediums as well. Her works are primarily found objects and recycled materials!

Creative Reuse Specialist

Creative Reuse Specialist

Marketing Intern

Creative Reuse Intern

Board Chair

Seva (she/her) is a facilitator, trainer, and consultant working on both community and organizational development in Chicago and with partners around the US & globe. She continually seeks out new tools and innovative processes that center inclusion, participation and strategic thinking in group planning efforts.

Board Secretary

Grace (she/her) is a former art educator in schools and museums who now works in educational nonprofits. Currently, she is part of the Community Support team at Khan Academy, where she is committed to understanding the needs of teachers using the Khan platform, and developing tools that meet those needs. As an artist, she specializes in drawing and cut paper, showcasing her work at https://www.tallgrace.com/

Board Treasurer

Katie (she/her) is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her works utilize traditional textile techniques to create sculptural and woven dreamscapes that engage viewers in ideas of touch, pleasure, and the roles we play in shaping the world around us. For over a decade, Vota has worked to incorporate sustainable modalities into her life as well as her art practice. From composting, cycling advocacy, volunteering at local farmer’s markets and with CSA’s, hosting clothing exchanges and mending education events, she lives these ideas in a way she hopes is an example for others. She’s been a patron of the Wasteshed since its original home on California and is extremely excited to be a part of shaping its future.

Kristin (she/her) is a textile artist, natural dyer, and gardener. She grows dye plants like indigo, coreopsis, and marigolds in her small Chicago backyard alongside food and cut flowers. In addition to her textile work, she also extracts & works with natural pigments to create watercolor paints and inks. Kristin was the 2023-2024 Textiles Artist-in-Residence with Lillstreet Art Center and the Summer 2023 Maker-In-Residence with the Chicago Public Library. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiber and Material Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Casey (they/she) is a visual artist and mental health professional working in Chicago, IL. Their creative work focuses on nostalgia, storytelling, and community building through the mediums of painting, cyanotype, printmaking, murals, and more. Their therapeutic work focuses on childhood trauma and the LGBTQ+ community.

Jennifer (she/her) has extensive experience managing nonprofit organizations and working with boards and volunteer committees, and is currently an Associate Executive Director of the Academy of General Dentistry. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and has successfully brought many programs to fruition in a nonprofit setting. She also sews, mends, repurposes, thrifts, and generally does what she can to pass useful things along to those who can make good use of those items.